Call them nobody’s fancied team, a team that nobody wants to buy or sell and still worse a team that never stood a dog’s chance at the start of the concluded inter school rugby season.
But Vidyartha College’s rugby team had some secret admirers, another world behind the scenes that knew what others thought was impossible was possible to them and their turn-around came when almost no one expected except for a team of backstage old old boys of the school.
That moment came playing against one of the country’s pampered and petted Colombo schools St. Peter’s College whom they beat hands down in what came to be known as the shock of the season.
“We did not have the big money to match other schools, but we had big hearts and that was all that mattered to us. We played the game in the true spirit of rugby and produced some results that surprised some of our own followers”, said Ranjith Weerasinghe who heads Vidyartha’s Rugby Development Committee.
 Ranjith Weerasinghe: Godfather who knew the impossible was possible (Pic Sudath Nishantha)
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Most Peterite rugby followers were left shell shocked and dumbfounded after the match and made one of the quietest return journeys back to Colombo from Kandy on the ill fated day.
It was simple to see what happened. The Peterites were caught napping and slow on their feet while the Vidyarthans played like tigers or more like angry pups hounding the ball wherever it was passed, bounced or rolled.
“We sniffed that this was going to be our day against the Peterites and we told the players don’t worry about big names, just go out and play and I cannot tell you how jubilant the boys were after the game. That was the turning point and we knew we could beat any team,” recalled Weerasinghe.
Their chief mastermind was the unassuming Ananda Kasthuriarachchi, an ex-Vidyartha and Kandy SC player and now a Consultant.
A few weeks later Vidyartha proved their win against the Peterites was no flash in the pan when they came tantalizingly close to knocking down the ultimate league Champions Isipathana College that huffed and puffed to pull off a last minute victory.
Some of the Vidyartha players and their supporters could not stomach the defeat and four of them were suspended for their roles in instigating a violent backlash on the Isipathana team that only escaped by the skin of their teeth.
“It was a very unfortunate incident and we accept what happened. Some of our players were also provoked into it. But we can assure all rugby followers in this country that such an incident will never take place again. We are a very disciplined school playing rugby,” said Weerasinghe.
Vidyartha has reason to be over the moon after signing off the 2022 season by ending as joint champs with DS Senanayake College in the inter school Sevens tournament last Sunday after they took sweet revenge to knock down Isipathana who were aiming for a third crown in a year after also pocketing the knock-out title.
Weerasinghe contends Vidyarth’s showing could help increase their budget from a meagre Rs. 8 million compared to the expenditure of the elite schools that can hit a whopping Rs.60 million for a season.
Most of the money Weerasinghe said was spent on nutrition and food for the players many of whom come from humble rural families that find it a nightmare to make ends meet.
“We are not a school that puts pressure on the coach or players to deliver. What is foremost to us is that our players are humans not machines and we all rally behind to take care of their welfare.
“I am very proud just like everybody else who supports Vidyartha to say that the players have got so much of pride in them to wear the school’s colours. They are all originals who started from scratch and we are certain of one thing and that is they will not be tempted by offers from other schools,” said Weerasinghe the undisputed godfather of Vidyartha rugby.