Sri Lanka end at number 4

Monday, 22 September 2025 02:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Sri Lanka Sevens outfit ended fourth out of 12 teams

Players in action at the SL vs. HK encounter

By Shamseer Jaleel

Sri Lanka’s men’s team ended in fourth place at the opening leg of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series in China yesterday. Sri Lanka were handed off by Hong Kong China 33/0, but performed yards faster in the third-place encounter, though losing out 17/22.

Hong Kong China beat Japan 33/12 in the Men’s final, while Japan beat China 24/17 in the Women’s final.

After going down 38/7 to Japan in their opener, the Lankan men bounced back with convincing wins over Thailand (24/7) and Singapore (34/7) to book a semi-final berth.

Despite the setbacks, the performance was encouraging given the side had only two weeks of preparation under Captain Kavindu Perera and Head Coach Shamli Nawas.

The Sri Lankan women’s side, captained by Randika Kumudumali and coached by Asela Deshapriya, finished ninth after wins against Indonesia (24/17) and Singapore (12-0) on Day Two. Japan defeated China 24/17 to secure the Women’s title.

Attention now shifts to the second leg, scheduled for mid-October in Colombo. However, Kandy SC President Mahesh Weerasinghe in a hard-hitting letter has formally requested that both training and hosting duties be shifted to Kandy. His appeal was made in writing to the Working Task Force, which currently oversees rugby in the country.

Weerasinghe pointed out that the majority of the national sevens players are drawn from the Kandy team, making it both fair and practical to stage the preparations and matches in the region.

He also raised concerns over the lack of accommodation, transportation, and allowances for the players during the first leg, offering the Kandy SC Grounds free of charge for training and hosting the second leg.

The Central Province, once the heartbeat of sevens rugby in Sri Lanka, has not witnessed an international sevens tournament since the Singer Sri Lankan Sevens, which was discontinued. Hosting the Asia Rugby Sevens leg in Kandy would revive that proud legacy.

The decision of the Working Task Force will be crucial, not only for Sri Lanka’s preparation but also for spreading rugby beyond Colombo and giving Central Province fans the chance to once again witness top-level sevens action.