Sri Lanka Sevens fight back to 5th as Soori bows out after 17 years

Monday, 19 October 2026 03:05 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Shamseer Jaleel at Racecourse

Srinath Sooriyabandara

SRI Lanka's men's sevens outfit, under skipper Janidu Dilshan, produced an encouraging comeback to finish fifth at the Asia Rugby Sevens Series 2026 second leg, which concluded at the Racecourse Grounds in Colombo yesterday.

The home side improved on their seventh-place finish at the opening leg in China, showing greater determination and composure in front of their home supporters. The tournament also marked an emotional milestone as veteran sevens star Srinath Sooriyabandara played his final game for Sri Lanka after a distinguished career spanning more than 17 years.

Sri Lanka made an encouraging start on day one, recording victories over the United Arab Emirates and India to finish second in their group behind Hong Kong China. However, their Cup quarter-final hopes ended when China edged them out 26–19 on day two.

The hosts bounced back strongly in the classification matches, defeating the UAE 26–10 in the fifth-place semi-final before producing an impressive 33–5 victory over Malaysia to secure fifth place overall. Sri Lanka ended the two-leg event in sixth place.

Hong Kong China dominated Malaysia 78–0 in the Cup quarter-finals before reaching the final with a 45–7 semi-final win over Thailand. Japan proved too strong for China in the other semi-final, winning 33–0.

Japan then completed a memorable double in Colombo, claiming both the men’s and women’s titles. The Japanese men defeated Hong Kong China 28–14 in the final, while their women’s team overcame China 14–7 to secure the second title. But on aggregate, Hong Kong China won the men’s series, while Japan won the women’s segment, overcoming China, who were placed second.

China claimed third place in the men’s competition with a 21–12 victory over Thailand.

Sri Lanka’s women also had a mixed campaign, beating Uzbekistan 19–15 before losing narrowly to Malaysia 10–5. They finished 10th in the 11-team competition. Overall, Sri Lanka’s women ended 11th in the 12-team event, with Iran, unable to find a flight to Colombo, finishing last in this segment.

Despite the disappointment of missing the Cup semi-finals, Sri Lanka’s improvement from seventh to fifth place offered encouragement. The occasion was particularly significant as Sooriyabandara brought the curtain down on a remarkable 17-year journey in Sri Lankan sevens rugby.