Havies stick to system over big name players

By Harsha Amarasinghe and Sandun Kodithuwakku

Havelock Sports Club have firmly insisted that they would stick to the system that they had put in place last season letting go of the players who are not willing to be a part of the club and cannot fit into their system.

This season alone they have they let go some big names who were not willing to be a part of Havelock squad ‘due to various reasons,’ that included full back Riza Mubarak, wing three quarters Chamara Dabare and Sandun Herath, prop forward Dushmantha Priyadarshana and second row Sharo Fernando. In the previous season prop forward Jason Melder, scrum-half Nishon Perera, centre combination of Nishon Perera and Hirantha Perera all left the club.

“We have a programme going on for the Club, because except for maybe Dinuk (Amarasinghe), players like Dushmantha (Priyadarshana), Sandun (Herath), Dabare (Chamara) were at the end of their careers and we have a lot of youth also coming in, so what we want is players to fit into our system rather than going behind individual names. The other thing is we have a very loyal membership here and very loyal sponsors. When a player gets a Havelock jersey we want them to feel proud about it. Nowadays what you see is, today they wear a Havelock jersey and tomorrow a CH jersey and in a year a Kandy jersey. Likewise there are few guys playing all over, so where is club loyalty? For us loyalty matters,” Roshan Opatha - Rugby Chairman, Havelock Sports Club stated.

Havelock captain Mithun Haopugoda believes that the young players who had joined in the last season are now ready to make real impact this season.

“Our coaching staff provided a lot of opportunities for so many youngsters last season. I thought they have gained a lot of experience, even from the players who have now left the club because they played alongside these senior players last season, so in my opinion they are ready for the season,” the former Sri Lanka 7’s captain told Daily Mirror.

In addition to Naveen Henakankanamage, who had already made his debut for Havies in the 7s, CR duo Charanaka Chamikara and Sven Muller along with St. Joseph’s College's promising young fly-half Santhush Algama have also arrived at Havelock Park along with St. Peter’s College scrum-half Raveen Fernando.

Havelock head coach Sanath Martis down playing the expectations claimed that he has a plan to get Havies going again this season.

“I will make a plan according to the resources I have. I am also a human being, the boys also have a capacity. So, I’ll make a plan accordingly and will see what happens,” said the veteran coach.

Daily Mirror Prediction

As Havelock Rugby Chairman Roshan Opatha correctly reminded in their sponsorship press conference, the media or rugby fans do not recognize Havies as a genuine contender for the title last season but they almost claimed the league, and the moral of the story is to not underestimate any team coached by Sanath Martis. They are off to a flying start already smashing Navy 35-3 in a tough away game. Should finish in top 4!

Player to watch out for

Naveen Henakankanamage – Apparently he was dropped for the opening game against Navy for not turning up for practices, but the former S. Thomas’ captain is an intelligent boy and that’s probably why he left CH and FC for more game time because in Naveen you have a player whose priority is not money, but rugby. So he’d put his head down and give his best. As a rugby player one thing you want to avoid is falling on the wrong side of your coach. He plays in a team that has a dominant pack and he will find a lot of space down on the flanks and should score tries.