A LIFE IN RUGBY

The Full Circle of Brig. J.P.A. ‘Japana’ Jayawardena

- BY A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Brigadier J.P.A. ‘Japana’ Jayawardena (Rtd) leans back and smiles as he reflects on a lifetime immersed in the sport he loves. “I have lived rugby in every sense,” he says. “Player, coach, selector, referee, administrator, promoter — I have done it all. Not many can say they have gone the full circle.”

That circle began in the 1960s at Trinity College, Kandy, where rugby was more craft than collision and where his small frame and sharp agility earned him a place at scrumhalf. Trinity's boarding school routines shaped him early. Rugby began in earnest at Under-14 level, and by Under-15, he recalls, “my main task was to take the ball and run. With my small size and agility, I was able to slip through gaps and score.”

“Under-15 was really our first exposure to proper rugby at school. All of us boarders were required to go for sports in the evenings. There, we were taught how to handle the ball and based on our build and stature, we were positioned in different roles.

“I used to go early for practices, just to play with the ball and improve my passing. Everyone said, ‘You are short, but you can pass the ball well’. That made me determined to improve,” says Japana.

“One day, Marathelis our ground boy, who helped me practice, showed me a technique — he placed five barrels around me and told me to stand in the centre and hit the empty barrels one by one. I'd throw five balls, go collect them, and repeat. That's how I developed my passing accuracy,” recalls Japana.

“When I came to the First XV, my position was already occupied by the captain, M.T.M. Zaruk, who was also the scrumhalf. I couldn't displace him, so I had to wait. During that period, I took up hockey instead, and ended up representing both school and Kandy District that year,” he said.