Let’s not forget the longer form of the game

By Shamseer Jaleel

Sri Lanka rugby is hitting its peak in the shorter format of the game, which augurs well for the sport’s future in the country, where it has existed for more than 100 years. 

Sri Lanka finished second behind Hong Kong at the recently concluded 2016 Asian Sevens. Asian giants Japan only sent a second string outfit to the Asian Sevens series, after having qualified for the World Sevens Series for 2016/2017, which gave Sri Lanka a significant edge.

World Rugby has invested in tier one fixtures as well as tier two high performance investment matches, which play a crucial role in enhancing the competitiveness of international rugby and future Rugby World Cups. Japan, the hosts of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, will travel to Europe and play Georgia, Wales and Fiji, with all four teams ranked close together, which will help them grow towards the top level in World Rugby in the Fifteens format. South Korea too will tour to South America to play two test matches against Chile while Hong Kong will play Zimbabwe, Papua New Guinea and Russia in the longer version of the game.While attention is focused more towards Sevens rugby in Sri Lanka due to the country’s recent success, Asanga and company should not forget to take Sri Lanka rugby towards the top in the Fifteens format as well. 

Sri Lanka Sevens booking a berth in the qualification round in Hong Kong next April is good for the local governing body Sri Lanka Rugby in order for it to gain invitation to Sevens tournaments which involve teams with similar rankings to Sri Lanka in world Sevens rugby. The governing body should also try its best to get some exposure for the Fifteens side as well through tournaments featuring Korea, Hong Kong and Japan to improve their current world rankings.