Colombo to host Asia Rugby Sevens after six-year wait in Oct.

Monday, 21 July 2025 02:41 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka is set to host the second leg of the Asia Rugby Sevens for the Men’s and Women’s Championships this year, which will take place in Colombo on 18 and 19 October.

The Racecourse Stadium will host this tournament after the last one was held at the same venue in 2019. The Sri Lanka national team finished third in the last Division 1 event of the shorter version of the game, which took place in Nepal. The Philippines and Taipei were the other two teams that ended in the final. It is not clear if Asia Rugby is going to allow all these three teams to lock horns in the Sri Lankan leg.

Colombo’s leg is the second and final stop of the 2025 Series, following the opening tournament in Hangzhou, China, on 20 and 21 September. Hangzhou will host the event at the state-of-the-art Hangzhou University Stadium, which also served as the venue for the 2023 Asian Games.

With World Rugby restructuring its global sevens format, the stakes for the Asian Sevens series reached sky high. The top ranked Men’s and Women’s outfits at the end of the series will gain automatic qualification to the newly branded HSBC SVNS Division 3, earlier known as the Challenger Series.

Sri Lanka’s men’s and women’s teams will be keen to use their home advantage in Colombo to push for top finishes, if allowed to field teams.

The Racecourse Stadium promises a vibrant atmosphere, with passionate home fans expected to turn out in large numbers.

The 2025 edition promises not only high-level competition but also the revival of Sri Lanka’s status as a prime destination for international sevens rugby. Rugby fans across Asia can look forward to an electrifying weekend in Colombo this October. (SJ)