Matt Lee ends contract with Sri Lanka Rugby

By Shamseer Jaleel

Former Wellington Rugby Union, CH&FC, Trinity College, Navy SC and Sri Lanka Head Coach, both in sevens and 15s, Kiwis Matt Lee ended his one-year stint with Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) last month. With the Asia Rugby Championship Division 1 being postponed from April to September, his contract was not renewed by the governing body.

Lee, who was initially with CH&FC during the 90’s, came back to Sri Lanka to be appointed as the Head Coach of the Trinity rugby outfit, but that ended abruptly. Later he was hired by SLR for 15-a-side rugby but was later handed over the sevens duty as well, which seemed to be a cost-cutting measure at the time. 

In Division 1, Sri Lanka ended ahead of Taipei but their performances were below expected standards. In the Asian Sevens, too, Sri Lanka ended at fifth. Further, their glimmer of hope at the Olympic qualification, too, faded away with some poor performances.

The former Hutt Old Boys Marist Coach Lee proved he was a good coach through his 15-a-side stint and was taken in by the Sailors as their Head Coach but they, too, lacked performances in the league.

With Asia Rugby Sevens 2020 scheduled to take place in August/September in South Korea, China and Sri Lanka, former Kandy SC and Sri Lanka rugby legend, Fazil Marija is a frontrunner for the Head Coach position in the shorter version of the game.

With the Asia Rugby Championship Division 1, too, being scheduled in September, former Isipathana and Havies Head Coach Sanath Martis stands tall among the other coaching staff in the country for the longer version of the game.