Since 2009, it has been organised by a group of volunteer Old Boys from some of the original participating schools. History of the Summa Super 16 Junior Rugby Carnival
Background -
One of the biggest challenges faced in developing Junior Rugby at school level has been the ability to keep the interest of the youngsters in the game. At the time there was limited opportunity and tournaments for the
U.12 age group limited to 1 or 2 days of competitions for the whole year. In this situation most juniors have only an opportunity to play in about 4 to 5 competitive matches for the whole year. Overall a player has very little opportunity to participate in any competitive rugby and hence tend to lose interest in the game at an early stage of their development. For the U.10 age group competitions were non-existent and Super 16 Jnr Rugby Carnival were the pioneers in introducing U.10 Tag Rugby competitions to the SL schools circuit. The beginning -
To address the above and at the same time develop the basic skills and game sense of the junior players, a group of concerned volunteer Old Boy enthusiasts from a few of Colombo's leading schools banded together to create the opportunity for junior rugby players to develop and display their skills. The Carnival was the brain-child of a few Old Boys of DSS, who promoted the concept with a few lesser known Rugby playing schools at the time, in order to get some game time for the kids. The concept kicked off in 2009 with 4 schools (8 teams) namely DS Senanayake College, S. Thomas' Prep School, Wesley College and Zahira College. It was initially named 'Super 8 Junior Rugby Carnival'. The 4 schools shared the cost of hosting the half day event. In 2010, it expanded to 7 schools (12 teams) and named the 'Super 12 Junior Rugby Carnival' with 3 leading rugby playing schools - Royal College, St. Joseph's College and St. Peter's College joining the fray. The event also got a boost with S. Thomas Prep School taking on the hosting responsibility for a full day event with the support of a few well wishers and sponsors in a Carnival atmosphere. The 2011 season was a game changer for the Carnival with some ground breaking changes. A major event sponsor came on board, the Carnival being expanded to three (3) full day events and the addition of two more leading rugby playing schools namely Isipathana College and S. Thomas' College joining the fray. This led to the Carnival being renamed once again as the 'Super 16 Junior Rugby Carnival's with the participation of 9 schools (16 teams) in 2011, namely DS Senanayake, S. Thomas' Prep, Wesley, Zahira, Royal, St. Peters, Isipathana and S. Thomas' College, . Thereafter, the organisers decided to stick with the 'Super 16 Junior Rugby Carnival' name since 2011. In 2024, in memory and as a mark of respect to the Chairman of the Organising Committee from inception, the late Summa Navaratnam - a Sri Lankan sporting legend in the spheres of rugby and athletics, the Carnival name was expanded as 'Summa Super 16 Junior Rugby Carnival'. Growth over the years -
What started out in 2009 more as an experimental friendly encounter organised by a group of Old Boys to develop the Game of Rugby in their respective schools by creating opportunities for the Under 10 and Under 12 age categories to play the game in a competitive environment, to enjoy the game and develop their skills in a friendly atmosphere has now turned ou t to be the largest rugby carnival in the country. The overall popularity of the Carnival, improvement in the skills, take up of the game by numerous new schools at grassroot level and the experience of the junior players over the past years, bears ample testimony the success of the Carnival. With almost all the leading rugby playing schools having the majority of their Under 20 1st XV squads, boasting of having started their rugby journey as 8 or 9 year old kids playing tag rugby at the Super 16 Junior Rugby Carnival. No doubt the success of the concept and outcome of more than a decade of this event has become much talked about in rugby circles, and is very much looked forward to each year by the players, parents and coaches with more and more schools joining the participation each year at the Carnival. The game of rugby is being expanded across the country with the introduction of tag rugby at Under 8 and Under 10, a concept pioneered and successfully introduced by the Super 16 Junior Rugby Carnival. Today -
What started out with 4 schools and 8 teams in 2009, now has over 40 schools 112 teams and 1,400 plus kids participating at each round in 2024. Over a 100 matches are staged during a round. General spectator attendance at an event is approximately 3,000 to 4,000. These numbers and the growth in demand for participation, speaks volumes of the Carnival's success todate. Which continues to be organised by the volunteer Old Boys team. The growth of grass roots rugby around the country in the under 8, 10 and 12 has had a major impact on the demand for participation at the Super 16 Junior Rugby Carnival. Hence, with the support of our main sponsor Ritzbury, whose DNA is promoting sport at junior levels, the Super 16 Junior Rugby Carnival extended its footprint in 2023 by staging one round in Kandy and 3 rounds in Colombo. And it is anticipated that this will continue in the years to come. The Carnival is usually played in 4 rounds each year. It has been held annually each year since 2009, except the two years in 2020 and 2021, due to Covid pandemic restrictions. A round consists of a full day of action packed mini games throughout the day from 8.00am to 5.30pm, generally played on 4 small pitches. Teams consist of 7 players (registration is upto 15) on the field with playing time generally set at 5-1-5 minutes. A team will usually play 3 games during the day. All games are played in a group round robin format. No knockout phases or championship winners are selected, keeping the concept of playing the game in an enjoyable but competitive environment rather than focus on championship or accolade winning performances. The games are conducted based on guidelines of World Rugby (WR) with emphasis on Safety, Fun and Skill development of the kids and in addition the organisers ensure the full safety of the players with ambulance and doctor in attendance at all times. The approvals and blessings of all required parties are obtained by the organisers. In addition the organisers have set out a set of playing rules for each age group as well as a code of conduct for parents and spectators. Usually a Coaches and Referees workshop is conducted prior to the start of the Carnival each year to update everyone on the rules and regulations. After each round too organisers take stock and cognisance of any areas that need attention, improvement or change for benefit of all the stakeholders. The response from the players, the schools and the parents has been overwhelming year after year and this has justified the continued need for an event of this nature. Sponsors/Partners -
The Super 16 Junior Rugby Carnival organising committee must place on record its appreciation to the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Sports, Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR), Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA), Sri Lanka Society of Rugby Football Referees (SLSRFR) for their continued approvals, support and blessings for this Carnival over the past years. We are also indebted to the Doctors, Hospital, Medical and Ambulance teams that do duty along with the security teams and other volunteers such as pitch marshals, ground maintenance staff in making this event a success each year. But most importantly all of our sponsors throughout the years who have had the confidence and given their blessings for this Carnival, to grow from strength to strength and currently is the largest and only junior rugby carnival of its kind for under 10 and under 12 age categories in the country. Some of our key sponsors over the years have been Ritzbury (CBL), KiK Cola (Elephant House), Exide (Brown's Group), Seylan Tikiri (Seylan Bank) among others. Food and beverage stall holders who patronise the event serving the needs of spectators and other stakeholders at the event have also contributed to the Carnival atmosphere being maintained. Thanks also go out to the numerous press and social media teams from a multitude of media agencies that have continued to engage, publicise and give coverage to the Carnival via press, social media and photographic publicity, which captures the essence of all stakeholders and bears further testimony to the ongoing journey of the Summa Super 16 Junior Rugby Carnival for many years to come.
