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SLSRFA Head Susantha Mendis[/caption]
This year’s much awaited inter-school rugby tournament’s structure may get altered due to the pandemic, the Head of the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) Susantha Mendis told The Morning Sports.
“We really hope that there could at least be some kind of a tournament this year. The schools’ tournament structure also may get altered this year due to lack of enough time. There is a possibility of the knockout and the league being combined to make one tournament,” Mendis said last week.
“We have three options. First is to play the way we got used to do over the past years. The second option could be to employ a whole new structure. The third will be to have only a two-day tournament and sevens one if the situation aggravates,” he added.
“There is no date to start the school season yet. The rugby is in the fourth category in the sports list because it is a contact sport. Only one and two categories have been allowed to start by the Education Department so far. Cricket can start because it is in the second category.
“I am the Vice President of the School Cricket Association too. School cricket may start around 20 March. But for rugby, we may have to wait around three months to start the tournaments,” Mendis explained.
“If we are to begin the season in the present situation, we will have to spend a colossal amount of money on things such as quarantining the players and so on. We are unable to do that at school level. Even at the top international level, some players got infected with all those counter-measures employed by the authorities.”
“We will get a better opportunity to start school rugby if the disease recedes a bit, hopefully after the ongoing government injections campaigns,” he hoped.
“Some of the schools have already started their physical training in a small way, under health guidelines. But it could be around May or June when we will be allowed to start our competitions. That is also if the present situation (with regard to the Covid-19 pandemic) improves.
“We still think we can have about 24 schools and divide them to three, four groups, and have four, five matches in the first round before semi-finals and the final. Like in a super league.
“The structure cold most probably change depending on the time factor. If there is sufficient time, like two months or so, then we will be able to play the league first, and then the knockout and the Sevens,” Mendis explained.
SLSRFA Head Susantha Mendis[/caption]
This year’s much awaited inter-school rugby tournament’s structure may get altered due to the pandemic, the Head of the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) Susantha Mendis told The Morning Sports.
“We really hope that there could at least be some kind of a tournament this year. The schools’ tournament structure also may get altered this year due to lack of enough time. There is a possibility of the knockout and the league being combined to make one tournament,” Mendis said last week.
“We have three options. First is to play the way we got used to do over the past years. The second option could be to employ a whole new structure. The third will be to have only a two-day tournament and sevens one if the situation aggravates,” he added.
“There is no date to start the school season yet. The rugby is in the fourth category in the sports list because it is a contact sport. Only one and two categories have been allowed to start by the Education Department so far. Cricket can start because it is in the second category.
“I am the Vice President of the School Cricket Association too. School cricket may start around 20 March. But for rugby, we may have to wait around three months to start the tournaments,” Mendis explained.
“If we are to begin the season in the present situation, we will have to spend a colossal amount of money on things such as quarantining the players and so on. We are unable to do that at school level. Even at the top international level, some players got infected with all those counter-measures employed by the authorities.”
“We will get a better opportunity to start school rugby if the disease recedes a bit, hopefully after the ongoing government injections campaigns,” he hoped.
“Some of the schools have already started their physical training in a small way, under health guidelines. But it could be around May or June when we will be allowed to start our competitions. That is also if the present situation (with regard to the Covid-19 pandemic) improves.
“We still think we can have about 24 schools and divide them to three, four groups, and have four, five matches in the first round before semi-finals and the final. Like in a super league.
“The structure cold most probably change depending on the time factor. If there is sufficient time, like two months or so, then we will be able to play the league first, and then the knockout and the Sevens,” Mendis explained.