HSBC - ARFU Rugby Coaching tour embraces Colombo
RUGBY FOOTBALL: Frank Hadden hopes to have inspired a host of
new rugby enthusiasts in Sri Lanka after the former Scotland coach
spearheaded a clinic at an SOS Children's Village outside Colombo on
Thursday in the latest leg of the HSBC ARFU (Asian Rugby Football Union)
coaching tour.
The coaching clinic in Piliyandala featured 25 boys and six girls
from the ages of 11 to 18, who also came from the country's four other
SOS Children's Villages in Nuwara Eliya, Galle, Anuradhapura and
Moneragala. There were also three youngsters from Jaffna, where another
SOS community is being built.
'I have been looking forward to this trip ever since I presented the
Sri Lankans with their Division I Trophy in Singapore last year," said
Hadden, who coached Scotland from 2005 to 2009.
They love rugby here and although a lot of the kids hadn't played
before, they showed natural ability and an appetite for some of the
game's essentials like teamwork. And most importantly, they enjoyed
themselves.
'The SOS Children's Village is an inspiring set-up and it's amazing
what they are doing for the kids.
Hadden and Japan coach John Kirwan will lead this year's HSBC ARFU
Rugby Coaching Tour, with support from the HSBC Penguin International
Coaching Academy. Hadden spearheaded last year's inaugural Coaching Tour
through Asia and admitted Sri Lanka was high on his wish list for this
year's schedule.
"Last year, one of the most amazing things was finding rugby thriving
in countries you wouldn't expect and this year I am really looking
forward to going back to some of these places as well as going for the
first time to the likes of Sri Lanka," Hadden said.
"The Sri Lanka team really impressed me last year. They played a very
sophisticated brand of rugby and back then I had no idea they had such a
long tradition of rugby and the fact they have 100,000 players, which is
more than twice as many as there are in Scotland. `Perhaps it was no
surprise that they played so well last year. I am confident they will do
well again this time."
To follow up on Hadden's clinic in Piliyandala, HSBC is providing
coach education, kit and equipment to the SOS Children's Village and
will do so at every stop on the Coaching Tour to ensure a sustainable
legacy in each community.
Nick Nicolaou, CEO of HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives, said: "HSBC has
been a long-term supporter of rugby in Sri Lanka and we are excited to
invest in grass roots development with the SOS Children's Village and
introduce rugby to many youngsters who had not experienced this great
game before.
"HSBC is dedicated to creating a rugby legacy in Sri Lanka and across
Asia through this Coaching Tour and hopefully we can help inspire the
next generation of HSBC Asian 5 Nations players."
The HSBC ARFU Rugby Coaching Tour continues its activities in Colombo
on Friday at the CR & FC where Hadden will lead a coaching clinic for 70
schoolchildren, comprising 10 from each of seven emerging rugby
schools.... Lumbini Vidyalaya, C.W.W. Kannangara Vidyalaya, Science
College, Royal College Panadura, Hindu College, S.D.S. Jayasinghe
Vidyalaya and St. John's College.
HSBC has a longstanding relationship with the SOS Children's Villages
globally and this year's Coaching Tour will also visit similar
communities in Kazakhstan one of Sri Lanka's Top Five competitors and
Korea and Thailand, which will host Divisions I and II respectively.
HSBC ARFU Coaching Tour 2011: March 23 - Hong Kong; April 20-23 -
Colombo, Sri Lanka; April 28-30 Hong Kong; May 5-7 - Bangkok, Thailand;
May 11-13 - Dubai, UAE; May 12-14 - Almaty, Kazakhstan; May 19-21 - Hong
Kong; May 19-21 - Colombo, Sri Lanka; June 2-4 - Incheon/Seoul, Korea;
June 23-25 - Jakarta, Indonesia.
Dates to be confirmed: May - Macau; July - Hong Kong; August -
Shanghai, China; September - Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia; October - Pattaya,
Thailand; November - Goa, India; November - Singapore; November - Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. |