Rugby coach Johan Taylor back at KSC

by Hafiz Marikar

RUGBY: South African born Johan Taylor is back again at Kandy Sports Club, (KSC), having gone back to Ireland in 2012 for personal reasons. In 2006, when Kandy was looking for a professional rugby coach the name of Dan van Zale, former South African scrum-half and captain in 2000 was proposed and agreed upon, but he was offered the National U/20 rugby coach for Ireland and had to decline Sri Lanka offer.

But it was he who proposed Johan Taylor to take over his assignment as the next best. With Johan's credentials and wide experience with clubs and schools he fitted the void extremely well.

Taylor's initial concept was player retention as vital to any club and the wider game. One of the major reasons given for players leaving a club, or even worse the game, is a poor standard of coaching.

Therefore, a key method of recruiting and retaining good players is to improve the quality of coaching. His enthusiastic was the key towards development and the role further was creating a real impact on the players and the rugby committee at the club. They achieved the likes of: implementing player, development plans; initiating and the induction of programmes; which led to the Club becoming Champions in the domestic rugby.

Taylor first came at the end of 2006 and coached the team from 2007 for six years and guided them to win both the knock out and league title for five years and the rugby's double eluded them in the 2012, his absence as coach was felt badly.

He was expected to arrive at the Bandaranake International Airport on Saturday the 23rd and will be at Nitawella to take up his assignment on Monday 25th August.

Johan Taylor is a fine coach, he also coached our National team as well and Royal in 2013. He was contracted to Kandy Sports Club during the time Iswan Omar was Secretary.

Johan played most of his rugby in Ireland after leaving South Africa, besides, he is a Level 3 qualified rugby coach. He is also a very good golfer winning many awards in the golf tournaments conducted by the Victoria Golf and Country Resort.

During his tenure earlier, the Kandy Sports Club won the 2007 League Championship, captured the Clifford Cup and defeated all teams in 2007. In the first year, Kandy SC became unbeaten Champions and Triple Crown holders, the following two years the club were rugby Champions in Sri Lanka winning all trophies awarded by the SLRFU.

In 2010 and 2011 although they lost a few games, still continued to be the Rugby League Champions and winners of the Clifford Cup. In 2012, it was a testing period for the club as the SLRFU introduced overseas players for all 'A' division clubs and trading local players became a setback for Kandy Sports Club the only outstation club in the league. Most players were offered handsome job opportunities and higher contract agreements attracting the best young players to go for it.

Several clubs with insufficient funding had to be victims to these challengers including Kandy SC. However, with the available resources, Johan Taylor got the players groomed to the challengers up front with the limited facilities available.

It must be remembered that Johan Taylor was instrumental in coaching and organizing the highly successful Kandy Sports Club team to be a side that could challenge any side in the rugby scene.

It also must be noted that during his coaching stint several players from KSC represented the National team at the highest level which is now sadly missing out.

Sean Wijesinghe the Kandy SC Captain for 2014/2015 is very lucky to have a coach with fine credential to guide his team to what it was in the past.