Rantings aside, it was an eventful weekend, with the Clifford Cup being played up in Kandy. Despite much huff and puff Kandy prevailed in the end although CR ran them very very close. So close that it was the breadth of the crossbar that prevented CR from coming within a point and getting under the skin of the Kandyans. Playing with a four point cushion for most of the second half though, they were able to trust their experience to see the game out, as CR never really looked like they were going to cut open the Kandy defensive line.

The match though was punctuated by some terrible refereeing decisions. It has been the case in almost every game this season, and it is a huge contributory factor as to why the game does not flow in Sri Lanka, therefore lessening the value for spectators. Not many observers and so called journalists appreciate the effect that referees have on a game. The staccato blowing of whistles is frustrating and unless there is a purge of the Referee stables, the situation is unlikely to improve. What does one do? Without the personnel, say the referees, there is nothing to be done. Sigh.

What got me really excited over the weekend was the news that the SL u-20 team had completely annihilated Singapore in their first match of the tournament, by a margin of 65-0. I spoke to the co-coach Bilal Yusuf and he said that the forwards were excellent in defence and the three quarters in attack. Ettipola, the Dharmaraja outside centre had scored a hat trick of tries which represents how well those in front of him would have played. It’s always good to see an outside back scoring tries. The lads have now set themselves up a crucial encounter against Hong Kong, which is a make or break game. The same opponents beat Sri Lanka last time around although I daresay this team is a couple of notches higher in quality than the last one. A finals place is likely to mean qualification for the Junior Rugby World Cup for the second time in less than a decade. Superb. Now if we could only keep those players together.

In Colombo though, Sri Lanka capitulated to New Zealand in disastrous fashion. The SL middle order looks brittle. Very brittle. For me, the wholesale changes from the T20 world cup are objectionable. Mubarak had to suffer for literally one false stroke in the entire tournament. Chamara Silva’s experience is no longer required, and Indika De Saram – was good enough to make the world cup – is discarded without being given a hit. What is the scene? There are failures at the top which are going unnoticed by the selectors although the entire country is now seeing what I pointed out at least two years ago. If a team is winning then it’s unnecessary to change combinations wholesale. Is it better to lose with ageing veterans past their use by date, or is it better to lose with younger players for whom failures may still become the pillars of success? These are the questions that the SL selectors are not really answering satisfactorily.

The rugby season is now over and expect some chaos in the transfer market in the close season. For me it’s back to watching those ‘orrible women on the tennis.