Sri Lanka keeps RWC dream alive with return to top five

Sri Lanka’s rugby World Cup dreams were kept alive after they won promotion to the HSBC Asian Five Nations top five next year with a comprehensive 49-18 victory over Kazakhstan in the division-one competition in Colombo on Saturday.

With the island nation’s rugby-loving president Mahinda Rajapaksa proudly watching his two sons, skipper and flanker Yoshitha and prop and parliamentarian Namal, an inspired Sri Lankan outfit quickly dispelled all the pre-match fears that tournament favourites Kazakhstan would be able to pull off a bonus point win and win back their place in the top five.