Skipper Yoshitha misses rugby seniors
Loved his boxing, but was forced to give up
There is a burning desire to do well dwell in Yoshitha Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s new rugby skipper. He has started well in this direction. He is just 24- years of age and he is the second son of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. These two facts alone make him stand out. His elder brother Namal is also in the Sri Lanka rugby squad.
We have never heard of a 24- year old leading a rugby XV at national level nor have we heard of a son of a country’s President skippering same. Leaving these two facts aside he says, “I have set my sights very high.” He however did not elaborate whether he was referring to the sport closest to his heart or some other responsibilities.
To a question whether he was happy with the team selected for the forthcoming HSBC Asian Five Nations XV- a- side Rugby Championships to be held in Manila in the Philippines from April 14 to 22 onwards, a concerned look crossed his face. “It is sad no note that several senior players had skipped practices. As a result a very young side has been selected. We must set aside petty differences. It is the nation that matters,” was his comment. Yoshitha is a Naval Officer.
“Nevertheless a lot of training has been going on. The new English rugby coach Phil Grinning comes with a load of experience. According to rugby experts he is worth ev- ery penny that is being paid for his services”.
A hitherto unknown fact was revealed when Yoshitha said that he loves boxing. “I boxed in England when I was following and ultimately passed out at the Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth in 2008. But I dropped the idea when my parents objected to it.” First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Namal Rajapaksa, also attended the ceremony in Dartmouth to witness Yoshitha’s passing out parade.
It is a well known fact that the Sri Lankan President and his family are very supportive to sports and rugby in particular. All three sons – Namal, Yoshitha and Roshitha turned out for S. Thomas’ Mt. Lavinia.
Yoshitha captained S. Thomas’ Mt. Lavinia at rugby in 2006 when Asanga Seneviratne was the coach. It is a coincidence that Asanga Seneviratne is now the President of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union.
In the coming years Yoshitha, who is now a lieutenant in the Sri Lanka Navy, captained the Navy team and took it to great heights during the years 2009 to 2011. The highlight of the competitions were when they toppled Kandy SC who had been king pins in local rugby in local contests.
Yoshitha has studied the Asian rugby set up very well. “The Philippines are good in Sevens Rugby, which means that their three- quar- ters are very fast. We have faced Chinese Taipei and Singapore, our opponents at the forthcoming competitions, so we know what can be expected to a certain extent,’’ said Yoshitha.
Speaking on other rugby matters Yoshitha said that his younger brother Roshitha will be playing for Havelocks this year and in all probability will captain the Park Club in 2013. This is certain to boost the performances of the dwindling fortunes of Havelocks SC.
The Selected and Approved Rugby Squad for the Asian Championships: Henry Terrence, Achala Perera, Kishore Jehan, Hasitha Perera, Sharo Fernando, Sumedha Malawena, Yoshitha Rajapaksa ( Captain), Sajith Saranga, Srinath Sooriyabandara, Rehan Weerakoon, Dinesh Kumara, Charith Seneviratne, Dinusha Chathuranga, Sandun Herath, Riza Mubarak, Rajeendra Meepage, Namal Rajapaksa, Sathya Ranatunga, Gayan Ratnayake, Dev Anand, Dhiran Warnakulasuriya, Suranga Pushpakumara, Mohamed Sherif, Saliya Handapangoda.
The Officials accompanying the Team on the above tour are: Team Manager- Air Commodore Leonard Rodrigo; Coach - Mr. Phil Greening; Asst. Coach - Mr. Sanath Martis; Physiotherapist - Cpl. Priyankara Buddhika; Chairman National Selection Committee -. Chandrishan Perera.
The team takes wing to Hong King tomorrow to undergo strenuous training there before they proceed to the Philippines for the championships.