Asia Rugby Sevens 2021: Korean leg cancelled

By Shamseer Jaleel

Asia Rugby (AR) has announced the cancellation of the South Korean leg of the Asia Rugby men’s and women’s Sevens series. This event was the first the leg of a three-leg series to be hosted in Incheon, South Korea on 4 and 5 September.

AR and South Korean Rugby, who had been in constant dialog with the participating unions, took the decision as a result of the pandemic-related challenges faced by the participating unions, particularly consequent to continual uncertainty on travel restrictions.

The remaining two legs of the AR Sevens will take place in UAE during November 2021. The first leg will take place on 19 and 20 November, while the final leg will take place on 25 and 26 November.

Asia Rugby Under-19 tipped to be postponed

The AR-conducted Under-19 Top 4 tournament between defending champions Hong Kong, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Taipei, which was to be staged in Colombo in December 2021, is now very likely to be postponed due to the postponement of the Advanced Level examinations and the fact that rugby at school level is still halted. The original 2020 event was to be hosted by Taipei in March 2021 but was cancelled due to the pandemic. The winner of this Under-19 event gets a Junior World Rugby Tournament (JWRT) Under-19 Asian berth. The JWRT Under-19 is to be hosted by one of the European Union nations in mid-2022.

Vaccination for players and officials for Sevens rugby on 10 August 

Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) supported by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Sports will organise the second dose of vaccinations for the Inter Club Sevens players and officials on 10 August. The first dose was administered nearly six weeks back, with the shorter version of the game likely to return in October 2021 at the Racecourse grounds. This event will be used as a yard stick for selection of the national Sevens squad for the AR Sevens series which will take place in UAE in November 2021.

CH and Air Force to play two friendly encounters

CH & FC and Sri Lanka Air Force will lock horns in two friendly encounters on 13 August (Kurunegala) and 20 August (Ratmalana), signalling a return for club rugby after a nearly 17-month absence. Both teams will remain in a bio bubble and will go through the necessary PCR tests before each game. Both matches will be played sans spectators and will be telecast on terrestrial TV.