Rugby’s Easter Parade, Sevens no longer an appetiser

By Neil Wijeratne

It looks as if the recent inter-club rugby Sevens tournament will mark the curtain-closer of the 2025-26 rugby season. Interestingly, there was a time in Sri Lanka’s rugby history when the inter-club rugby Sevens tournament was considered the curtain-raiser of the season. 
And that was the time when a lot of pre-season activities took place before the commencement of the official rugby season. Like a rehearsal before a concert or heats before a sprint event, those pre-season “friendly matches” and “friendly tourneys and competitions” turned out to be the “preparation space” before those all-important assignments. Yet, unlike any other sport, those pre-season rugby activities had its characteristic charisma, and caught the eye of the rugby enthusiasts in the same way as the importance of any of the league or knock-out tournament matches.  
A news item that appeared in The Ceylonese newspaper in 1913 sheds light on those pre-season rugby activities long ago. It read: “There was a very large gathering assembled last evening (Sunday, May 18, 1913) on Bogambara to witness the final practice game of (Kandy SC’s) Whites and Colours. There was more than usual interest evinced in this game, because of the number of new players taking part.” Another account published in The Ceylonese in 1913 read: “A scratch team (all English) skippered by Dr. Bahr went down to Radella last Saturday to give the champion district (Dimbula) ‘a turn with the ball’ prior to their opening game. Dr. Bahr’s team included several men who had never played rugger in their lifetime.”
During the Colonial era, at times, the Governor too, was there at the venue as a keen spectator to watch rugby trials. A news item published in 1926 under the caption “Preparing for the Big Rugger” carried the following lines. “The Low-Country rugger trials came off on the Racecourse yesterday evening. The Governor and Lady Clifford were among the fairly large gathering of spectators present.” And that was the time when not only the referee, but also the linesmen (then called “touch-line judge”) were attired in full suit!
For CH & FC and CR & FC decades back, the prelude to the local inter-club rugby season was the customary “Captains Game.” This pre-season rugby confrontation, which has now become an annual ritual in their rugby calendar, was originally played in three ‘chuckers’.          
Now to the Police Sports Club. Long before they entered the big league, Police SC organised a Sevens tournament for their law enforcement officers and continued it as an annual event. And also as a prelude to the rugby season. Police SC’s “Layard Cup” tournament is now recorded as the island’s first-ever Sevens tournament. In the inaugural year, 1941, along with the Police SC’s inter-division main competition, another mini tourney – invitation tourney - for the clubs was also conducted. The Times of Ceylon in its July 6, 1941 issue reported: “Seven-a-side rugger is seldom played in Ceylon, but those who were present to witness the closing stages of the Police competition for the Layard Cup which was won by Colombo South and the inter-club contest in which the CR & FC scored a great victory on the Havelock Racecourse were treated to an exhibition which will long be remembered. There was a large gathering present, including H.E. the Governor, and the six matches played were full of interest.”
To mark the 25th anniversary of the club in 1947, CR & FC too conducted a Sevens competition and since then, for some time continued with it as an annual event in their rugby itinerary. In the inaugural year -1947, there was no trophy on offer for the winners, but each player of the champion team received a beer mug, which they did not take long to fill, empty and fill again as reported.   
In 1979, Kandy Sports Club organised a pre-season Sevens competition before scrumming down in the Clifford Cup tournament. A newspaper report in 1979 stated: “Kandy SC ‘A’, who took the local rugby world by storm last season (1978), started off with a bang this year when they won the first ever Rugby Sevens for the Dr. C.D.L. Fernando shield when they beat Uva in the final played at Nittawela. This tournament was conducted by Kandy SC in preparation for the Clifford Cup rugby season.” 
The first winner of the island’s inter-club official league tourney, Havelock SC, had their own Club Sevens competition for a longer period of time since the early 1960s. A sports page news item dated April 6, 1964, which was about a rugby competition organised by Havelock SC for its players in preparation for the forthcoming (1964) league tourney, read as follows: “Sumanasekera’s Seven win Rugger Shield-The Hijackers led by L. Sumanasekera carried away the Gaffor Challenge shield at the Havelocks seven-a-side tournament conducted on Saturday (April 4, 1964) afternoon.” 
For the winners Maurice Fairweather, Sumanasekera and cricketer turned ruggerite Wilhelm de Zilva excelled. Before the final, there was an exhibition Sevens match - Havies versus St. Joseph’s and “the schoolboys although beaten certainly gave an impressive display”, as commented in a sports page.  
In 1969, I was there at Havelock Park to witness Havelock SC’s annual Sevens competition. It was a Saturday and play commenced at 3 pm. All participating “in-house” teams were named after famous musical groups. In fact, a newspaper preview appeared on March 30, 1969, carried the team names and their captains, and it read: “Thunderbirds (Capt. Tyrone Holdenbottle), Spitfires (Capt. Glen Van Langenberg), Jet Liners (Capt. Noel Brohier), Beatles (Capt. Rusty Von Bergheim), Animals (Capt. Kumar Abeywardene), Manhattans (Capt. R. Rodriguesz), Moonstones (Capt. Ana Saranapala), Savages (Capt. L. Wijesinghe) and Flamingos (Capt. Randy Pietersz).” 
In April 1977, the SLRFU published its first-ever rugby magazine. Titled “Ceylon Rugby” this eight-page magazine was priced at Rs. 1.25. Edited by famous sports journalist Austin Daniel, its editorial panel comprised Kavan Rambukwelle, Air Commodore Harry Goonetilleke, and Gamini Fernando. The caption of the main news item on the cover page read: “Easter Parade of Rugby Players at Longden Place”, while the sub-title read “Season opens with ‘Sevens’ championship”. 
This main news item further added: “Saturday, very holy to Christians, is going to be a hot one for rugby players from over ten clubs who will scrum down from morning to battle out the first ever inter-club seven-a-side tournament.” 
And since then, for many a decade, the inter-club Sevens tournament was considered as the curtain-raiser of the respective rugby season. Also, year after year, it was held in the month of April. 
Renowned sports journalist T.M.K. Samat very aptly once called these curtain-raiser Sevens tournaments an appetiser before the main course, which came later in the form of the league competition. 
Now it is no longer an appetiser, but call it a dessert served after the main course!