Sudesh Jayawickrama The Wonder Boy of the 2023 Schools Rugby Season - By : Hamza Hidayathullah
Sudesh Jayawickrama
The Wonder Boy of the 2023 Schools Rugby Season
By – Hamza Hidayathullah
School Rugby in Sri Lanka has evolved extraordinarily over the past few decades into one of the country's most anticipated and followed school sports. The excellent quality of the competing teams, coaching programmes, and widespread public interest have combined to produce exceptional young talents every year.
The 2023 Schools Rugby Season was the same, with the likes of Shahid Zumri, Rinesh Silva, Naveen Marasinghe, Tharindu Kushan, Sahan Keerthisiri, Randul Senanayake and Sudesh Jayawickrama showcasing extraordinary skills and winning the hearts of rugby fans with their exemplary talent. This is the story of the pick of the lot, Master Sudesh Jayawickrama, who shone playing a crucial role in St. Peter's College Rugby Team becoming the Unbeaten Double-Champs, bagging both the League and Knock-Out Trophies.
Rugby was a part of everyday life for Sudesh from infancy. The sight of Rugby balls and boots lying around his home, hearing the roars at rugby games while in his mum's arms, and seeing sweaty Blue, White, and Yellow jerseys in the laundry basket were the norm for him. His love affair with Rugby started when his older brother, Sandesh, started playing Junior Rugby at St. Peter’s College in 2005. As one would expect, he grew up looking up to his brother, taking up the game at a very young age. In 2012, the Peterite Junior Coach, Late Senaka Balasuriya, requested him to attend training after spotting him playing touch rugby at school. Sudesh was in Grade 2 then, and hardly any of his classmates would have dreamed of attending Rugby training at that age.
Blessed with immense skill, genuine passion, and dedication to the game, he led the Peterite Under-10, Under-12, and Under-13 Teams. He was the deputy skipper in the 2017 Under-14 All Island Schools Champion side under the captain, Master Devon Mass. At the age of 16,
Coach Sanath Martis picked him to play for St. Peter's First XV. Unfortunately, the 2020 season was disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak. However, he was in the starting line up as the First Centre under Yohan Fernando in that season's last game against Vidyartha College in Kandy.
In 2021, the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Association organised Under-20 Sevens Tournaments in many provinces, maintaining biosecurity bubbles and regular antigen testing. This was Sudesh’s first Senior Sevens Tournament as a member of a highly inexperienced team, with only the skipper Ishan Perera having played in a sevens tournament before. To make matters worse, Sudesh sustained a severe knee injury while training ahead of the tournament, making him an easy target for the opposition, even in the shorter version of the game. Luckily for him, the team’s Trainer, Sunimal Manamperi and Physio Rukantha Silva expertly managed the injury with a solid rehabi
litation plan, ensuring his availability for the tournament, which would unfold to be an unforgettable one for young Sudesh, where the Peterites beat the tournament favourites, St. Thomas’ College 19-17 in a crunch final.Sudesh went on to lead the Blue, White, and Gold Brigade in the year 2022, the realisation of one of his childhood dreams. However, the year did not go as he would have dreamed as the coaches and management advised him to sit out the All-Island Schools Sevens Tournament to nurse his troubled knee, forcing him to watch from the sidelines as his team beat Wesley College in the finals to clinch the Plate Championship. The 2022 Season wasn't the best for his team, too, only managing two wins and a draw out of the six games they played.
Under immense pressure and criticism from their fans, the Peterites got their act together for the Joe-Pete Rugby Big Match on the 16th of September 2022 at Havelock Park. Young Jayawickrama came off from the bench in the second half to score an excellent try, followed by becoming the architect of a match-winning move with a punt kick to his shadow man Windhya De Mel, who executed an unforgettable last-minute drop goal to beat the much-fancied Josephian outfit, that year’s League Runners Up.
2022, already a bad year for Sudesh, was to worsen as he received the devastating news of his beloved father, former Rugby player Mr. Manjula Jayawickrama, passing away while training for the game against St. Thomas's College. Young Sudesh was heartbroken to lose one of his biggest motivators, who, alongside his mum, attended every game he and his brother Sandesh played. The loss greatly impacted Sudesh's rugby career as he realised he would be playing his final match as captain and last year at College without his biggest supporter on and off the field. With his father's remains lying at home in Moratuwa, young Sudesh opted to play his last game as the captain against St. Thomas's College at Bambalapitiya, closely losing the Archibald Trophy 23-22. Strangely, a story of such dedication and sacrifice never received the deserving appreciation, not even a mention on social media or local news channels.
Young Jayawickrama underwent knee surgery in November 2022, followed by a six-month rehab and strengthening routine with limited lower-body weight training. However, the team trainer, Sunimal Manamperi, ensured he had supreme speed and agility, making him a potent player for the upcoming season. The coaches who were concerned about his recovery decided to rest Sudesh as the Peterite Rugby team kicked off the 2023 Season by winning the Cup at the CR & FC Centenary Sevens Tournament, beating the fancied Royal College Team and becoming the Runners-Up at the All-Island Schools Sevens Tournament, losing to Isipathana College. “I was disappointed on missing out on both 7s tournaments, but now I see why our coaching staff saved me for the bigger task ahead,” Sudesh said after the 2023 rugby season with a smile.
Interestingly, the name Sudesh Jayawickrama wasn't familiar to many rugby fans at the start of the 2023 season despite being a mainstay in the Schools Rugby Arena. He shrugged that aside and focused on the massive responsibility, knowing he had to deliver as the team's last captain and most senior player, wearing the Blue, White, and Gold jersey for the final year. The gentle, smiling six-footer played with extreme determination and responsibility during the business end of the 2023 Season, tirelessly planning and visualising his individual game before each encounter with the help of his coaching staff led by Mr. Sanath Martis.
He went on to say, “It helped a lot, and I was very confident with the decisions I made with our fly half Windhya De Mel and the backline.” The Peterite backs coach, Mr. Bhanuka Nanayakkara, was his strength, encouraging the backs to execute attacking ploys in the field without worrying about failure, in which case the coach would accept the blame. Inspired by their coach's assurance, Sudesh and his backline, alongside his skipper, Ashain Madugaspe, delivered in style.
“There's always the motivation of wanting to win. Everybody has that. But a champion needs, in his attitude, a motivation above and beyond winning.” - Pat Riley.
The Peterite centre three-quarter, Sudesh Jayawickrama, became one of the most impressive and sensational performers this season and was a key factor behind the Peterite Rugby team winning the Unbeaten Double Champions Tag. His ability to read and slice through defence lines by executing & mastering perfect 50-22 kicks from the centre of the field and fast and powerful running lines that brought him try after try was a treat to watch for any rugby fan, irrespective of the team they were supporting. He scored seven tries this season with his darting runs while maintaining rock-solid defence with head-on tackles. His best try of the season was undoubtably the try he scored against St. Anthony's College Kandy at the home ground Bamba where he ran through four defenders breaking the tackles to score under the post. He was composed under pressure and executed game plans without a single yellow card for the entire season, making him an easy pick as the Wonder Boy of the 2023 Schools Rugby Season. He is a player any team would dream of fielding.
"My coach, Mr. Sanath Martis, always pushed me to be a better player, and he is one of the main reasons that helped my performance this year,” concluded Sudesh. He also went on to thank all his coaches, namely:
Late Mr. Senaka Balasuriya, Sudesh's first coach, alongside Mr. Rohan Ekanayake, his Under-10 coach
His Under-12 and 13 coaches, Mr. Asantha and Mr. Saman Madurusinghe.
Under-14 and 16 coach, Mr. DP Udayasiri
Under-16 coach Mr. Sunanda Fernando (First Year)
Under-20 coaches Mr. Sanath Martis, Mr. Banuka Nanyakkara, Mr. Rajeev Perera, Mr. Sunimal Manamperi, and Mr. Ransilu Jayathilleka.
He also thanked Mr. Shantha Dharmaratne for always supporting him and boosting morale, especially when the chips were down.
We also asked the following quick-fire questions from Sudesh:
Q: What's your height and weight?
A: "I have a height of six feet and weigh 82 Kgs."
Q: Who's your favourite international player?
A: "Sonny Bill Williams"
Q: Who's your favourite local player?
A: "Dhanushka Ranjan. I loved watching him play from the touchlines since I was a kid."
Q: What's your favourite food?
A: "Cheese Pasta made by mum."
Q: What are your hobbies?
A: "I like drawing and sketching when I'm free."
Q: What's your dream?
A: "To become a sports icon and role model for junior athletes and Rugby players one day."
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