Royston stuck to basics and fitness

Chris Dhambarage

He is not their highest try scorer but his determination, perseverance and total commitment for the game has made him one of the most accomplished players in the current inter-school rugby season. 
Last week it turned out to be another good day at office for Royston Jansen as the dynamic flanker from St. Peter’s College spearheaded his team to a splendid 36-24 victory over S. Thomas’ College at Mount Lavinia.
“I am very pleased with the kind of performance that I produced this season even though we had to be content with the fourth place in the ‘A’ division league championship.

“It was a tough and gruelling tournament but I successfully went through the entire season without any injuries and I did not miss a single match which I think is a creditable achievement,” said the former Sri Lanka youth player.
Jansen who represented the Sri Lanka Schools Under-15 team during their tour of Thailand in 2009 believed that doing the basic things in the game in a proper manner has helped him to reach great heights in a career of First XV rugby spanning over six years.  
“I stuck to the basics of the game and concentrated on fitness where my main goal was to give one hundred percent to the team not only during matches but also during practice sessions and other various workouts. 

“My main task as the open side flanker of the team was to mark my opposite number and block all the scoring opportunities as much as I could and hold on to the possession so that the three-quarters could run the ball freely.”
Jansen, who was inspired to take up rugby football by his two elder brothers, stated that Royal College and Trinity College Kandy posed the biggest threat this season although they suffered a shock defeat against Vidyartha in the last match of the league tournament.
“I think the toughest challenge came from the Royal College forwards and also the Trinity College ‘pack’ was equally good even though we managed to beat the Lions in their own territory.

“I had a very successful outing in the game against St. Anthony’s College in Kandy where I scored a match-winning try at a vital stage to help the side pull off a thrilling 29-22 victory from the jaws of defeat.
“I will also remember the match against S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia where I scored another important try in the second half to help the side pull off a close victory and retain the Archibald Perera Memorial Trophy.    

“I scored another try against Vidyartha College Kandy but the match turned out to be a bitter experience for the team as we crashed to a shock 22-32 defeat on our home ground mainly due to injuries to some key players.”
Jansen further stated that his team lost the advantage in the line outs on many occasions but overall he was satisfied with the efforts and commended the performances of his teammates.  

“One of the weak areas in the side was the line outs where we lost a number of scoring opportunities because we did not have specialist players for this job and our second row forwards were outplayed most of the time.
“Even then I must commend the efforts of number eight Anura Herath and my co-flanker Malith Makage who gave me tremendous support to keep the side going even during the toughest stages of the game.        

“I must also thank the present coach Colin Denish for giving me all the encouragement and support needed to continue my career and also last year coach Sanath Martis and my first coach Shantha Dharmaratne for all the inspiration” added Jansen who is looking forward towards representing the country at the upcoming Asian Youth Championships in Colombo.