Fazil Marija tipped to lead Kandy

by hafiz Marikar

Fazil Marija is tipped to lead the Kandy Sports Club once again next season in rugby. It is a good choice, like in the last season. He is one of the country's finest rugby players in the modern era and one of Asia's best fly-half's.

He comes from a sporting family background, with at least 17 members through two generations having represented various Clubs, Services Teams and National Rugby teams during the past four decades.

Fazil this time has been picked to lead our national team in the A5Nations which will be kicked off in Bulacan, Philippines. Last year it was a competition between five teams in the top level where Sri Lanka finished 5th whilst Philippines finished 4th.

This year, the A5Nations will be shortened in to 3 nations in the top spot. Japan, Hong Kong and Korea will compete in that. The division one competition will be played between hosts Philippines, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan and Singapore.

Sri Lanka vs Kazaks

Sri Lanka will play a against Kazaks on the 6th May at 2pm and host will play against Singapore at 4pm. The losers will play each other for 3rd/4th place while winners of the first game will play for the 1st/2nd place.

So, it is going to be under Fazil Marija's leadership, coached by Johan Taylor the man who took Kandy Sports Club side to win the double championships and the captain of that champion team-former national captain Sean Wijesinghe is in charge of the fitness role.

Fazil Marija is expected to do a good job. He mastered his skills at Kingswood College, played from U-13 to U-20. He played for senior team in 2003 as a fly half and went onto lead them for an unbeaten triple championship in year 2004.

He became the best schoolboy player in the Singer International 7's Tournament and also the Golden Key Schools 7's tournament, where Kingswood College won both Championships under his captaincy. Born on 2nd December 1985, (age 29), Height 1.78m (5ft 10 in), Weight 85 Kg (13 st. 5 lb).

Marija represented the country in year 2000. In that year he toured for the first time with Sri Lanka National U 16 team for the Junior Rugby Asiad.

Then while still at school, in 2003 Marija was called up by SLRFU to be on the starting lineup at the match against touring Hong Kong at Nittawela. In 2004 Fazil commenced Club Rugby career from that day to date and he continues to represent the Nittawela Club, and during this period his club went onto dominate the game in the country by winning the League and Knockout tournaments continuously.

Marija Most Promising Player of 2014

Marija was adjudged 'Most Promising Player of the Year -2004' at the Caltex/Observer Rugby Awards at the end of the season. All this he did while he was still a school boy at Kingswood College. He went onto captain his Club, Kandy Sports Club, in 2010 Club Rugby season.

Marija has represented the country on numerous international tournaments, both in 7-a-side and 15-a-side. He is the most capped Sri Lankan rugby player.

He has captained the Sri Lanka 7's teams and also led in many International 7's tournaments (2008, 2012 and 2013) and also served as the Vice-Captain of the Sri Lanka National Rugby Teams (2011 and 2013).

In 2010, he was invited to represent Asia Pacific Barbarians in Hong Kong and played alongside George Gregan, Justin Marshal, Christian Cullen, Hale Tipo and coach David Campese.

Marija also had a three months training stint in 2013 at one of the elite Training Academies in New Zealand, Rugby Performance Centre in Auckland home for the Auckland Blues. He trained along with Northland ITM Cup Development Squad, thanks to Malik Samarawickrema for helping him to play in New Zealand.

International Assignments

To name some of his International Assignments; Singer International 7's (2005, 2006 and 2007), 2005 World Cup Rugby 7's qualifiers in Hong Kong, Commonwealth Games (2005 and 2014), Hong Kong, 7's (2005-2008 and 2014) Asian 7's Series (Singapore, China, India, Malaysia) 2012 and 2013 (Thailand, Malaysia, India and Singapore), Asian 5 Nations Tournament (2011, 2012 and 2013).

Under Fazil's leadership, Sri Lanka ended as the 3rd Best Team in Asia in the 7's circuit in 2013 and won the Shield at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Rugby 7's at Glasgow, Scotland.

Marija has won numerous National Rugby Awards for his excellence in the field. In 2007 and 2009 he became the Most Outstanding Player of the Year (Caltex Rugby Awards, Sri Lanka). In 2009 he was also recognised as the 'Best Three Quarter', in 2011 he became the 'Best Ruggerite of the Year' and in 2012 he became 'Best- Fly-Half of the Year'.

A ruggerite who dedicates himself and spends a lot of time in learning the finer points of the game, Fazil is a good thinker, a good ball handler who knows how to do ball handling passing, long range up-and- unders and goal kicking. Today he is in this standard, more than his school or family, because of that great rugby promoter Malik Samasawickrema who has got best off him.

Fazil - a fine leader

Fazil is a player, leader, creator and altogether a fine example to the present rugby generation, as he has a good set of ideas and a good ambition. Today his capabilities and his potential cannot be matched by any fly-half'.

The game of rugby has changed over the last decade, but a fly half's basic skills are still the same. The fly-half is the player who generally runs the game, getting the best from the forwards while keeping the depth of the backs. There are different types of fly-half's in the game, but it's no coincidence the best teams in the game have the best fly half's, that is rugby.

The fly-half is the one player who sees plenty of the ball, and makes sure to handle it skillfully.

A position which has many names, like Fly-half, stand-off , stand-off half , five-eighth (5/8th), first five-eighth (1st 5/8th) , outside-half , and fly without-a-hyphen half, and fly half is one of the 7 'backs' in the team. The person who should use the ball well as the key player of the side, Fazil has all these attributes.

When a fly-half gets the ball, he will know what the options are, running to get across, passing to the centers or maybe to another player, unexpectedly injecting themselves into the line.

When the other team gets the ball fly half must tackle any ball, carrier coming his way and provide cover defence. In general, Fly-half's are more elusive, skillful, quick thinking.