ThePapare.com in earnest to bring you the best, sat down to a pow-wow with a legendary Sri Lankan rugby icon, Chandrishan Perera. A brilliant winger and effervescent commentator, administrator recently appointed Chairman of the selector’s panel, Shan is the epicenter of Sri Lanka rugby.
Stats:
International debut : against the touring All Blacks. Opposite wing- Bernie Fraser – according to Shan – pure Maori brute strength.
Clubs represented in England: Combined, Saracens, Rosslyn park.
Last international : opposite Jonah Lomu – Shan describes it as getting hit by steam train – a grand time but painful.
Important stat: Shan lost by 1 point to David Campese (legendary Australian winger) Hong Kong 7s 1984 as man of the tournament.
Played against: All Blacks, Australia, England, South Africa, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Japan, France etc
TP: Can you tell us about your entrance to the rugby scene, how old were you, who inspired you?
Shan: ‘Well here’s the story, I actually didn’t play rugby in Sri Lanka till Club level. I started off at St. Peter’s (with a laugh) well it was Holy Family Convent and then St. Peter’s, and then went to England for my schooling. I was an athlete and a cricketer but had never played rugby till then.
My headmaster got all the students to stand in a row and then divided the kids based mainly on their physical structure… so it was like “you! Hockey.. you! Soccer…” and then when it came to me he asked what I did and I said “I’m a runner and I play cricket too” and quite to my surprise he said “ok.. you play Rugby!”
I was around 12 years that time and we had a lot of skill training before we even got to playing proper rugby, but for me it was just take the ball and run! Coz I was quite a fast sprinter and I was just playing rugby for fun. Then after some years I came on a vacation to Sri Lanka and I saw just how BIG rugby was here.. I mean the stadiums were packed for every game and the players were Gods! This was the time Michael Jayasekara and them used to play. So my inspiration was actually the crowd, the fans, the support shown for rugby.
So I joined CH & FC and trained hard and when I went back to England I had improved so much and was quite fit. Then I decided to play full time professional rugby and ended up playing for some English Clubs and developed myself quite well and when I came to Sri Lanka I was chosen to play for the Sri Lankan 7s team (also quite by chance) So it’s a funny story really, but I went from being an athlete/ cricketer to being a full time rugby player all in a matter of a few months.’
TP: Taking a trip down memory lane, what were your most memorable moments and performances?
Shan: ‘Oh there are so many coz my rugby career was quite the roller coaster ride. I’ve played against the Kiwi 7s about 20 times in my career and every time has been painful! Yet, memorable! The time when we won the Bowl Championship in Hong Kong.. 1984 I think, and the whole crowd stood up and cheered us, that was quite a good experience too. But most of all would be the first time I wore the Sri Lankan jersey and that first match.’
TP: How did you cope up with your academics as well as sports?
Shan: I managed it ok… I had school, and the school I went to in England were VERY serious about sports and VERY serious about studies too. Then I went to Uni, got my first degree in classics, played Uni rugby and even for the combined university team.
The thing about the English public school system is that they let you find out what you’re good at, they let you experiment. For example I did studies, sports, rugby and so many other things including tap dancing, singing in the choir and even ballet!! I mean we HAD to.. and to be frank Tap Dancing actually helped me in my side stepping!! Coz my reflexes and feet movement were faster, even my start for the 100m race improved greatly after tap dancing since I was more agile. These things need to be done when kids are small in order for them to find out what they’re good at, without being restricted to one sport’
TP: What about your national rugby career, the standard of Sri Lankan rugby now and then?
Shan: ‘I was very proud to be able to play for Sri Lanka and I’m still proud to stand up anywhere and say that. We had a good time in the national team and I think the support for Rugby was more than it is now and the main reason for this might be the technology coz cricket has suffered the same way too. I mean not many people go to watch test matches these days right? They just watch it on TV (in the case of rugby you can watch it on ThePapare.com!) The club and national rugby matches don’t have the same support and enthusiasm as it used to, but for schools rugby it’s different.
In my days we beat Kenya but today the Kenyans are among the top 5 sevens rugby sides!! They’ve defeated Australia, England the Kiwis, South Africa and just proved themselves while Sri Lanka hasn’t been able to do that. Hence, speaking on the standard, the skill and potential is still more or less the same just that it isn’t been used enough’
TP: In one word Sri Lanka Schools Rugby today
Shan: “Outstanding” and I say that because of the enthusiasm and dedication by the players, the schools, the parents and the supporters. Look at how many people turn up for the Bradby.. Look at how many people turned up for the Peter’s-Pathana match… It’s the same with all the other school matches.. the players have an audience to perform for.’
TP: Why is it that Sri Lanka Club Rugby is not taking off as well as the schools circuit? And also why isn’t the transition of Schools-National, Club-National not happening efficiently?
Shan: ‘Like I said, sports is also a form of entertainment.. the players need the audience in order to entertain them by playing good rugby. When you don’t have that kind of support you don’t get good rugby. In Kandy its quite different you know, there’s a few thousand people at almost any match played there and that maybe the reason why the Kandy team is doing so well. They have motivation to perform better and also pressure not to play bad.
This is one of the issues I just can’t deal with especially why players don’t show the same enthusiasm for national rugby. In our days if we were asked to play for a national game we just do it! Everything else stops.. no questions of leave.. no questions of schools or club matches clashing… What more pride than playing for your country at the highest level? But today players worry about losing their contracts with their clubs and other commitments. We saw this at the Asia 5nations as well. Its true playing for Sri Lanka will not get you the same benefits as playing for a club or doing something else, but it’s still playing for SRI LANKA!
TP: What are your ideas about the referees? Are people too harsh on them or are they just making too many blunders?
Shan: Referees have been criticized even in those days and they’re also human and humans make mistakes. But sometimes they do make unforgivable ones, one instance was in the Sri Lanka – UAE match- I was doing commentary and we could see the replays. But I was just so appalled by the fact that they didn’t consult technology. It was pretty obvious to us- that was a TRY! Its standard practice, it happens in all the big games and that was such a crucial game for Sri Lanka in the entire tournament. We should definitely have a video referee where possible and he should be consulted.
In general, the main job of the referee is to ensure no infringements are made and help the game run smoothly. This doesn’t happen too often. When a player is offside rather than warning him “son, you’re offside. stay on this side coz next time I will have call it” they tend to blow the whistle. The advantage factor should also come in to play much more often. When a knock-on is committed and the other team gets the ball and has free space, free men to cover ground the ref blows the whistle and the crowd goes “just let them play” and this makes the game boring.
TP: What are your thoughts on the current amount investment for rugby?
Shan: ‘It’s obviously quite low. You need good investment to get good results. We can see CR have got a new pavilion and upgraded themselves but what about the other clubs? They need to market their events properly and get in the funds from ticket sales etc. and then use it back on the club to upgrade facilities for the players and spectators alike. That way you contribute to the betterment of the game.’
TP: Sri Lanka rugby is restricted to Colombo and Kandy, shouldn’t we take it beyond that?
Shan: ‘Definitely! I was born near the coastal are of Negombo and came into rugby quite randomly, there are so much of talent like that who we’re not tapping. For example in the recent schools trials there was a boy from Anuradhapura who played much better than most of the others and was very fit. He had started playing rugby just 2 years before and selectors were just amazed at his talent.’
TP: How has it been taking on the post of Chairman in the selectors’ panel?
Shan: ‘Well I’ve been in the panel before, I’ve been in the SLRFU and even been the executive director of it in the past, but it’s a challenge nevertheless. When the sports minister approached me and told this it just took me 4 seconds before I said…”OFCOURSE! Why not?”
Like I said earlier if its something to do with Sri Lanka rugby it’s always a yes, it’s like standing in the stadium some years back and been told “you’re gonna be playing a national match in a few minute”
I also find that I function better under pressure, I think it’s a trait coming from the playing days and my family would’ve liked me to be less involved, but they understand. After all the things I’ve gained by playing rugby for Sri Lanka its only fair that I give some of it back’
TP: Who do you rate as the best ever player produced in the country?
Shan: ‘It would probably be my mate Hisham Abdeen. For his animal ability and great instincts.. he could almost smell tries and defend accordingly’
TP: Where do you see SL rugby 10yrs down the line?
Shan: ‘In the sevens game maybe touring for the world championships, ranked within the best and the fifteens game I would be happy if we could get ahead in the Asian Championship because I don’t think it’s as easy for us to dominate in the fifteens’
TP: What advice for the youngsters?
Shan: ‘Work hard! There’s no short cuts for it, develop what you have without trying to get something you don’t, God has given you talent-use it, keep it simple, keep it natural, don’t try and load yourself with supplements to enhance performance, food is what you should concentrate on, don’t restrict yourself to one sport specially early on. If it’s cricket you should be trying out golf, do some long distance running. If it’s rugby you should do some cycling, do athletics (maybe even tap dancing!) and overall just enjoy whatever you do and play with passion.’
