Kiwi John Carrington to coach CR this season

By Jatila KARAWITA

RUGBY: One of Sri Lanka's top rugby-playing clubs CR & FC in a desperate bid to regain the Caltex League title which has eluded them for the past ten years, have recruited a top coach from New Zealand - John Carrington, Sports Director of CR & FC Dilroy fernando told Sunday Observer.

He said that new head coach John Carrington, 42, has signed a two-year renewable contract with the Longden Place based club before arriving in the country on Feb. 5.

Fernando stated that Carrington who has had wide experience both as a player and coach at home and abroad has also excelled as a referee as well. John Carrington first functioned as player cum coach of Abbotsford RFC (Canada) in the 1992-93 season, before having a stint with the Waikato Rugby Union as a referee in 2003.

Under his tutelage, the Waikato representative team in the under-18 category had emerged as champs in the same season before heading to Japan to be the head coach cum tutor of Nagoya RFC in the 2005-2006 season. The Nagoya RFC (Japan) had become champs in the said season, before he had operated as the head coach of the Brandford Harlequins where they became champs in 2007 in England. Under his coaching, the Fraser Tech Rugby Club of Italy had won the Premier men's title in the domestic circuit.

Speaking further, the CR & FC Sports Director noted that John Carrington in addition to making an impact in New Zealand and overseas as a player cum coach, is also a IRB Level 4 qualified coach while being accredited the New Zealand Rugby Football Union as well. Adding more credibility to Carrington's CV is that he had coached former All Black Mark Cooksly apart from fine-tuning the careers of three top-rated New Zealand Super-14 players Sean Hohneck, Michael Collins and James Karmana, Fijian captain of the Waikato NPC representative team Greg Smith has also come under John Carrington's wings, Fernando added.

Meanwhile, CR & FC in another attempt to enlarge its first XV rugby team ahead of the 2009 club season, have been successful in gaining the services of former Sri Lanka Sevens captain and ex-Kandy SC centre Chamara Vithanage.

CR & FC AGM on Jan. 31

The annual general meeting of the Ceylonese Rugby and Football Club (CR & FC) for 2009 is scheduled to be held on Jan. 31 at 6.00 p.m.

Former CR & FC and Royal scrum half Jehan Canagaratne is tipped to take over as their new President from outgoing chief Ravi Balasuriya, with its 2009 Rugby Board to be headed by Ravi Guneratne and consisting of Ajith Abeyratne, Abdulla Yousuf, Pavithra Fernando, Nayana Dehigama and Shanaka Amerasinghe.