Rugby’s roar echoes deep within Lions’ den
Amid Trinity College’s resplendent colonial-era structures, finely-manicured lawns and powerful gusts of history and tradition, its rugby has adopted an almost mystical hue. Not only has the sport come to be dizzyingly popular within the school’s magnificent walls but it has also come to define it outside them, moulding a reputation which speaks of success, discipline and high skill.
Within Trinity, rugby is fostered at every possible level among its multitude of students, from exuberant youngsters taking their first tackles on the field to the hardened seniors, who push themselves to the brink of agony to elevate their games.
The Lions’ rugby machine is well- oiled and mindfully constructed, its Principal Brigadier (Rtd.) W. G .K. Udaya Ariyaratne points out.
“We have Ripper Rugby beginning at Grade 2. The game is played class- wise, to make students understand it and enjoy it from an early age. Through this method we can also identify talent among young players.
“From there they are absorbed into the Under 10 and Under 12 teams. By the end of the term we have identified a good crop of students from each class.”
Brigadier Ariyaratne says that this system and, a continually triumphant narrative on the field, has reaped a greater following for the sport at Trinity, with participation soaring to a point where finding coaches to sculpt the abundant talent, rather than discovering that talent itself, is now Trinity’s biggest rugby- related concern.
However, the fact that Trinity College players are regarded as fluent exponents of victory, virtuosity and valor are not the chief reasons that govern Principal Ariyaratne’s admiration of the school’s rugby programme.
“I’m happy with the discipline of the team. That is everything for me. The team was given only two yellow cards for the entire season and no red cards. So that’s a big achievement,” he says.
“In our system we ensure that there is no favouritism. We also stress that studies are equally important as rugby. That is why we do not have morning practices because they tire students.”
The cumulative result of this well- planned structure and its driving discipline has yielded a thick bounty of trophies across multiple age groups.
Over the recent past, Trinity has acted as a conveyor belt for dominant teams that have left deep and distinct footprints on the school rugby arena. Twice they have marched to within a hair’s width of a championship in both the league and President’s Trophy tournaments while thrice thwarting perennial rivals Royal College at the prestigious Bradby clash.
Tellingly, this success originates at the grassroots level of the game at Trinity. At the Under 12 rung, Trinity has crafted a stream of handsome conquests, steamrolling an army of recognised school units.
At the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Carnival, staged on September 22 and 23 at the Royal Complex Rugby Stadium, Trinity’s Under 12 brigade was yet again incandescent on the field with an aggressive blend of rugby.
Their ‘A’, ‘ B’ and ‘ C’ teams inflicted crushing defeats over Isipathana College, Royal College, Wesley College, St. Benedict’s College and Ananda College to emerge undefeated from their cluster of fixtures.
“Our boys have stayed undefeated this year and did the same last year. They are doing everything right, scoring good tries and really enjoying themselves. That is what we want, for them to love the game and enjoy it,” the team’s coach, Y.M.S Ratnayake, says.
Unsurprisingly, this passion has steadily filtered into the higher divisions of the school’s rugby, where victories have mushroomed at a swift pace.This year’s Under 16 team came away joint champions with Dharmaraja College at the Milo All- Island 12-a-side rugby tournament. This result bolstered their previous season’s superiority, which was garnished with titles such as the Cup of the ten- a- side Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Fo o t b a l l Association.
Watching Trinity’s various teams practice, it is easy to gauge why they have wielded such authority over their opponents. Their training seems imbued with a bright shade of thrill, leaving the distinct impression that none of the players would want to be doing anything else other than grinding away on the field.
At the school, during each extended interlude between lessons, students can be spotted animatedly indulging in the sport. In the absence of the oval ball, a tennis ball is tossed between pockets of students, gathered on Trinity’s basketball court.
Each enthusiastic sashay, feint and pass, ignites a radiant revelation: rugby is not just alive at Trinity College but exists symbiotically with it, breathing fresh energy into its veins with each passing year.