In any sports team when its players celebrate on the field with champagne, there are always individuals who cherish the victory in silence. Sri Lanka rugby has similar unacknowledged proponents without whom the Tusker’s success story would have not been a reality.
Bearing the duties of taking care of the Sri Lanka national team as team manager, he has been an unseen force behind the players; cherishing the moments of success and consoling the team when in reverse. Fondly known in the team as ‘Nana’, Rohan Chinthaka has been a true believer and a supporter of the sport since his childhood.
Rohan’s says his love for the sport dates back to his school days where he embraced the oval ball sport when he was just 13 years old.
I started playing rugby for my college (Isipathana College) in the under 14 team. Then later I ended up playing for the 1st XV side and joined CR & FC in 1991. I continued to play for CR & FC till 1998 and then stopped. I got the rare opportunity of representing Sri Lanka in the year 1994 when I played as the national full back
Later I got back to the sport in 2001 to play a few more games when Sanath Martis coached the team. I had to quit playing because of my injuries in 2002. It was only in 2003 that I ended up taking managerial roles and became the manager of the CR & FC team.
We asked Rohan how it felt to shift gears to take up a managerial role in 2003
“There was no pressure at all when I managed. There was not much of attention back then but basic things needed attention. You have to look after the players, their health, the food and the injuries. You are basically responsible for those things.”
From managing a club, Rohan took the climb to eventually manage the national side after a lapse of few years. He mentions that the club management and national side management are two vastly different ends of the same rope.
“You need to bond with the players to manage a team. When it comes to nationals, we have Sevens and XV’s. I find the Sevens team easier to manage. Why I say that is because the Sevens players are at the highest level in their semi-professional sporting careers. They know how to manage themselves.
Fifteen’s is a huge crowd. You have a huge squad to look after but the management principle is the same. If you are intelligent enough and can understand the players you can carry on.”
Rohan’s fondness to the players who he mentors in the position of a team manager has extended to such a level where he calls the players with adjectives such as ‘sudu’, ‘raththaran’, ‘mage wasthuwa’; words which that he should be using to address his spouse.
We asked Rohan about the trouble makers of the national squad
I have to spend some effort to get Dinusha Chaturanga to practices. Some people will obligingly come for practices while I have to go in search of some such as Sharo Fernando. One thing is that they are young but I find it very enjoyable and because I too passed that age.
Sometimes they make me angry to see what my reactions are! They say they are not satisfied if I don’t scold them at some time during the day.
Kishore & Henry are the hungry guys in the team. They are full of complaints about the food at all time.
Rohan recalls the 2013 Asian Sevens Series tour where Sri Lanka was placed third, which to him was an unforgettable moment during his tenure as manager.
“It was a proud moment for me to witness our boys winning third place. Even when I was at CR & FC, we did not win too many. During that time, Kandy Sports Club was a dominating team so we only got to win two trophies.”
A manager’s final glory is victory. He enjoys it wholeheartedly because he knows the effort and pain he goes through in keeping the team together. “My other glory was when I took the management duties of the 15’s for the first time a few months back when we toured the Philippines and that too ended in a happy note.”
It was a different appeal at Glasgow. Taking the Sevens team for the Commonwealth games was a great feeling and I remember this moment where Sri Lanka scored a try against Australia and the entire audience stood up and cheered for us. That feeling I got is hard to put into words and that try will always be a memorable one for me.
With the Lankan Tuskers on the road to success, Rohan predicts a bright future ahead for rugby in the country with Sri Lanka getting hosting privileges for the final leg of the Sevens series this year.
“ I am not certain that we will win it but we can end up third or fourth. So I think we can keep up to our achievements in the past series and it will be a great feat for us to host. I think we will perform better now that we are playing in our home. There will be a different atmosphere when the players see their parents, friends, relatives and fans.”
“It was an opportunity that changed my life. I would like to thank Asanga Seneviratne for giving me the opportunity to manage a team. All this is possible only because of him. Also it was Rohan Gunaratna who gave me the expertise in management and taught me all what I needed to know on managing a team.”
