The National rugby selectors announced today that Navy SC Skipper, Yoshitha Rajapakse has been named as the Sri Lanka skipper ahead of the Asian 5 Nations tournament.
Former Kandy SC skipper and National 7’s skipper Fazil Marija has been named as his deputy for the upcoming tournament.
ThePapare.com managed to speak with the chairman of the selection committee and former National player, Chandrishan Perera to get his thoughts and reasons on the appointment of Yoshitha as captain.
When asked about the reasons for appointing Yoshitha Rajapakse as captain he said, “It was a combination of a lot of things. His stint with the Sri Lanka team last year in the Philippines was very good. We didn’t have all our number one players and we fielded quite a young side, however he managed to get all of them together to play to their true potential. He has shown over the years his leadership skills leading Navy SC to the top three in the league on a numerous occasions. He has a good work ethic and definitely leads by example”.
“Another fact is that he has earned the respect from all parties involved including the players, coaches, and even the ARFU (Asian Rugby Football Union)”.
ThePapare asked the head of the selection committee why Fazil Marija was overlooked as captain for the A5N after a admirable performance in the 7’s format, he said, “We’re trying to have a different approach for 15 aside rugby. Ideally what we would like to have are two different squads for 7’s and 15’s, but due to the lack of quality players we’re unable to do so”.
“Fazil is a quality player and leader and he showed us his capabilities as a leader last year in the 7’s format. We’re thinking long term, therefore we want to get in young blood in to the squad. We have a long season ahead this year with the Carlton sevens, Asian five Nations and the club tournaments coming up and the selectors together with the SLRFU are confident about the situation”.
“We have gotten a high performance coach this year who has a lot of international experience and we feel that this is the best way going forward”.
ThePapare asked how it will affect the players in terms of getting accustomed to the new captain, after Fazil and Srinath Sooriyabandara led them last year and he said, “continuity is vital for Sri Lankan rugby! The skipper is someone you can respect and trust and we see that in Yoshitha. He has a good relationship with the players and we are certain that he will bring out the best in the players in the upcoming tournament”.
The selectors will meet next week to decide on the final squad for the Asian five Nations tournament.
