Authoritarianism at SLRFU:

Six players axed for game with Kazakhstan

By Lal Gunesekera

RUGBY: Six players who represented Sri Lanka against the Arabian Gulf in Sharjah a week ago in the Asian Nations Cup, have been axed by the national selectors from the side that left for Almaty last morning to play Kazakhstan in their second game tomorrow (Monday). Arabian Gulf drubbed Sri Lanka 52-11.

The six players are - Chamara Vithanage (Kandy Sports Club), Anurudha Dharmatilleke (CR & FC), Danushka Boteju (CR & FC), Dilan Ekanayake (CH & FC), Anuja Perera (CR & FC) and Zulki Hamid (CR & FC).

"They were axed due to poor form and attitude, poor attendance at practice sessions and also due to the inability of certain players to last the 80 minutes" said a reliable source.

The Sunday Observer also understands that the 22-member team list that left for Almaty last morning, was submitted to the Ministry of Sports "well in time" by the national selectors for ratification, but not approved even at the time of the side's departure. The same situation arose when the team list was submitted for approval for the Arabian Gulf game too.

The official media spokesman for the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) is only its President, DIG Nimal Lewke. No one else is permitted to give information to the media. Even the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the SLRFU, Dilroy Fernando has been gagged by the authorities.

When the Sunday Observer tried to get information regarding the game with Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka's team from an official at the SLRFU head- quarters last morning, he (the writer) was told that it would have been "a pleasure" to release the names of the national side for Almaty, but could not do so as they too have been told not to give any information to the media. The writer was unable to contact DIG Lewke. Why is all this secrecy Mr. Lewke or is it bureaucracy?

Can someone, even the sponsors of the sport - in this instance, Caltex Lubricants, drive some sort of sense into the present set of administrators of the SLRFU?

The 22-member Sri Lanka team is as follows:- props - Tuan Jehan (Kandy Sports Club) and Jayantha Ranaweera (CH & FC), hooker - Anuraga Walpola (Kandy Sports Club), second-row - Senaka Bandara (CH & FC) and Ashen Karthelis (CR & FC), flankers - Sean Wijesinghe (Kandy Sports Club) and Dilanka Wijesekera (CH & FC), No 8 - Dushan Lewke, (Kandy Sports Club) scrum-half - Amjad Buksh,(CR & FC), fly-half - Fazil Marija, (Kandy Sports Club) wingers - Sanjeewa Jayasinghe (captain) of Kandy Sports Club) and Dinesh Kumara (CR & FC), centres - Pradeep Liyanage (Kandy Sports Club) and Mohamed Sheriff (CR & FC), full-back - T. A. Silva (Army), Subastitutes - Asanga Rodrigo (CR & FC), Lasintha de Costa (CR & FC), Nishantha Welagedera (Police), Charaka Hewawasam (Police), Achala Perera (CH & FC), Dinesh Sanjeewa (CH & FC) and Dilan de Zoysa (Havelocks). Captain Nanayakkara of the Navy continues to be the manager with New Zealander Rob Yule as coach.

It will be recalled that during the Rugby World Cup (RWC) Asian qualifiers last year (2006), Sri Lanka lost to Kazakhstan 19-25 at Almaty in the first-round, but beat the Kazakhs 24-12 in the second-round at Longden Place.

Earlier in the first-round, Sri Lanka beat Thailand 48-38 at Supunbari and also Singapore 34-17 at Longden Place, while in the second-round Sri Lanka beat China 30-0 at Longden Place, but lost to Hong Kong 14-45 in Hong Kong.