Scheduled for September 27, 28, and 29, the Colombo International Rugby 11s Tournament has garnered support from key stakeholders including Sri Lanka Rugby, Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association, Ministry of Sports, and Ministry of Education.
While World Rugby has yet to formally adopt this variant, akin to T20 cricket, the 11s format is gaining traction in Southeast Asia, evident from tournaments in Thailand and Malaysia.
Rugby, with formats like 7s and 10s alongside the traditional XVs, sees potential in the 11s format due to its modified rules, emphasizing increased try-scoring opportunities and fostering dynamic running and passing play.
Dilip Kumar, a former rugby player from Trinity and Dimbulla now domiciled in Australia, highlights the physical demands of modern rugby, underlining the need for a format like 11s to level the playing field for Asian players.
The new concept was conceived by former All Black player and former Wallaby coach Robbie Deans. “We realised in South East Asia, we’re not built for that, to compete with these guys.
He’s come up with a fantastic concept of rugby, which gives the Asian rugby players an even chance,” reveals Kumar, a former chairman of the Australia Rugby Union (ARU).
“We trialled it in Japan. He (Dean) got the Panasonic Wild Knights to play each other, and they loved it. With 11s you do away with the two breakaways (flankers) and the two wingers. You’ve got so much more space and gives the smaller built Asian rugby players a big chance,” he points out.
(www.dailynews.lk)
