The Ceylonese Rugby and Football Club (CR&FC), in its century-old heritage of playing the oval ball game, is one of the frontrunners in feeding and breeding some of the most outstanding players from their home at Longden Place. This season, under Suhiru Anthony’s captaincy, the Red Shirts have an arduous task to fulfil.
They came close last season (2022/’23) to finish as runners-up. This time around, the CR lads, with a fresh set of powerful schoolboys and experienced players, are determined to bring back long-awaited league glory which the club has been yearning for a quarter-century.
Under the guidance of Head Coach Dushanth Lewke, the Reds have developed into a fierce outfit since their rejuvenation in the last few years. Today they are a fiery unit which has the capability to outfox and outsmart any opponent in the island nation’s rugby circuit.
Let’s examine their 2023/’24 season journey: unbeaten after five out of five games, CR has proved to be a strong team that is a likely frontrunner for the title hunt. They are the only team to appoint two vice captains – some of the youngest yet most promising lads in the island – along with a seasoned skipper.
These interviews were held prior to the CR-Havies clash yesterday (13).
The Sunday Morning Sports sat down for a discussion with the players and officials of the club.
Following are excerpts:
CR&FC Captain Suhiru Anthony
After St. Peter’s Suhiru Anthony kicked off his club rugby journey with Navy Sports Club during its peak, the sailors went on to become unbeaten double champions in 2014, with Suhiru playing a pivotal role. Later he shifted gears to the hill capital’s Kandy Sports Club, being part of the team throughout a six-year league winning streak.
After the Covid-19 pandemic, he returned to Colombo to play a key role in the Longden Place team. This is Suhiru’s maiden club rugby captaincy stint as Captain of CR&FC.
How has been the journey so far?
At the start of the season, we targeted a match-by-match approach, and we’ve seen successes in that. Every outing was a hard affair, out of which the CH&FC game was gruelling. In the opening half against Police, we faced stiff resistance.
Soon after the end of last season, the coach and management gave us a plan on the rest period and how we would start training thereafter. This included weight and skill set developing sessions. We worked according to a plan, and are hopefully reaping its benefits now. We also got some senior players back to the team and of course as always, CR is famous for getting good schoolboy talent. We have that too; they have adapted to our cultural structure and are at a level where they can be utilised during crunch moments.
How is your experience leading the team with two young players?
Over the last 12 years in club rugby, I know the feeling of being part of the culture of a champion outfit. The two co-vice captains have more experience at CR and its culture as they have played before me for the Reds. It’s a great value addition for me to have both Gemunu and Doray to guide the youngsters.
CR has always been a fan favourite in Colombo. What do you have to say to your ardent followers?
We have come a long way and developed the team from the previous years, and after the centenary celebrations, we’ve got more fans supporting the team as well. We aim to go higher from being last season’s league runner-up and knockout champions. We have the firepower to face anyone, and everyone is strong; we give our maximum to outplay our opponents and give our fans a memorable time. I’m seeing a hunger to win and a positive change of mindset from the lads, which is great for a well-drilled team.
Head Coach Dushanth Lewke
Lewke is in his fourth coaching season with CR&FC.
How was the pre-season preparation and the team combo?
We spent about three months working on our physical conditioning and basic skills. It has been good. Unfortunately, we lost some players to injuries and migration. However, the young guys have stepped up. I’m happy with the pre-season preparation. I’m also happy with the games we’ve played so far. I think the team has gelled well and they have played well up to now, but we are at the business end of the tournament now. We always focus on the next match.
The combinations we’ve been building for a while (two years) are working well. We lost 26 players after Covid, so it was a fresh start for me. Especially our half combinations – those boys have a good combo, and they’ve been playing well. I must mention our third-row – they’ve been good at playing as a unit. I’m happy about the combinations there.
How is the nursery of talent at CR this time?
From the players we’ve picked from schools, some have the ability to fit into the side straightaway. Most of them have got game time either coming off the bench or starting. We had guys like Naveen Marasinghe (Joes), Randul Senanayake (Royal), Tharindu Kushan (St. Peter’s), and Rinesh Silva (Pathana). All had commendable debut performances. They’ve stepped up and slotted into the club jersey pretty well.
What are the key differences in school and club rugby?
I think the first thing is the physicality; while the game is a little bit slower, it’s also a bit physical. It can get a little more tactical and it’s also about the combinations; if you take the champion Kandy outfit, they’ve been having the combinations for about five plus seasons, playing with the same players. That doesn’t happen at school level. In club rugby, experience and combinations matter.
What is your message for the club’s loyal fans?
We just have to take it week by week. In the past, we’ve lost our way trying to get a bit ahead of ourselves in our capacity. We have to learn from those mistakes. The league is still so far away. We have to focus on playing the best possible rugby. Therefore, the players and coaches need to be 100% focused. We need to target one team at a time. I want to ask the CR’s loyal supporters to come and support the team as much as possible because, I think over the years the fan base has shrunk a bit. As players and coaches, we are doing everything to bring back the glory days.
CR&FC President Tikiri Ellepola
What is behind your club’s success this season?
Three years ago, former President Ted, together with some prominent members, decided to set up a plan to develop CR rugby. We finished the first and now we are in the second and the third year. We decided to get all young players and some experienced players from other clubs and then we ensured that we introduced them to the CR culture which we are known for. They are well looked after because we have excellent coaches, management, and a rugby board which are always there to guide them. I would say it’s a success. The players feel that we are one large family, so I feel that is one of the reasons why our boys are performing well.
How do you feel about the young blood and the two Co-Vice Captains?
Gemunu and Doray have been with us for a long time. It’s important for us to blood them now to take over the leadership in the future. We also have Kavindu de Costa, who captained the team for three years and, of course, Suhiru Anthony, whose experience over a decade is valuable to the two Co-Vice Captains.
We have a policy that we need to blood young schoolboys and give them the opportunity to play for CR and eventually represent Sri Lanka. We have 10 slots. We are happy that we have two schoolboy captains from last season, which is remarkable. It helps us with experience and leadership. We have a mix from all the leading schools in Sri Lanka.
Ellepola also noted that the CR management was looking to get 5,000 spectators for matches, like the good old times, in order to increase the popularity of club rugby. He noted that the had opened its gates free of charge for everyone at this difficult time.
Rugby Director and Team Manager Rohan Chinthaka
Fondly known as Nana in the rugby circle, Rohan Chinthaka is a former national player who is an integral part of the Longden Place Club. He was Manager for a decade starting in 2003 and later went on to become the High Performance Manager of Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR).
As a former top-level player, how do you manage a young side like CR?
My previous experience helps a lot especially in terms of the relationship with the players; we have to identify the issues they face, have a friendly rapport, etc. It’s a huge role. We have to live in that role, it is only then that success can be achieved. The way we are playing is all thanks to the streamlined process we laid down three years ago.
Chinthaka emphasised that earlier, companies/workplaces released their employees on working days to watch a game, but now the situation had changed and clubs needed to open their gates for everyone to come and enjoy.
Former Junior National Captain and CH&FC Co-Vice Captain Gemunu Chethiya
We have a good outfit this year, which is almost unchanged from last time and an all-rounded, experienced skipper too. All the games we faced were pretty tough this year. Everyone is a challenge. Like every team, we too aim for the highest goal, yet we go on a match-by-match basis with a clear mindset.
CH&FC Co-Vice Captain Mursheed Doray
Co-Vice Captain and 2019 Wesley Skipper Mursheed Doray comes from a strong rugby background as his father, the late Zubair Doray also captained Wesley, played for CR, and donned the national jersey. His uncle, the late Farcy Doray, was a flamboyant player who donned the CR and junior national outfits.
It has been a great experience, especially for me as a player and as a person, to be in a great environment where I can showcase my leadership skills with the help of my Co-Vice Captain and Captain, along with the team. It has been a good journey so far.
One thing we always do is focus on the next match and not the one ahead, as it would be disrespectful to the teams we play against.
CR has been nurturing young talent over the years and training them up to a level where one can play at a Sri Lankan, Asian, and global level. There are many more experienced players than me, so I’m grateful to have such wonderful lads around me to help me shine and help them shine.