Sri Lanka continue winning streak at ARC

By Shamseer Jaleel 

The Sri Lankan rugby outfit continued their good form at the Asian Rugby Championship Division I when they outclassed the UAE by 33 points (2 goals, 2 tries, 3 penalties) to 17 points (2 goals, 1 penalty) in Malaysia yesterday. 

At the breather Sri Lanka led 18-17. 

The tries for Sri Lanka were scored by Dhanushka Ranjan, Fazil Marija, Jason Dissanayake and Lee Keegale. Thlina Wijesinghe converted two of them and put over three penalties. Fullback Thilina Wijesinghe, who made his debut in the tournament, is the highest point scorer at present with 27 points (seven penalties and three conversions) in the ARC Division I 2017. Dhanushka Ranjan sustained an injury and looks a doubtful starter for the game against Malaysia, which will be a big blow for Sri Lanka. 

Meanwhile, defending Division I champions Malaysia outclassed the Philippines 40-8 to take the lead in the tournament with 10 points. They earned two bonus points from their two games. 

Sri Lanka, who lost out on a bonus point in their first game against the Philippines, put on a superb second half rally to rattle the UAE not only with a win but also with a bonus point to finish with nine points from two games. 

Sri Lanka will play Malaysia on 20 May in a must-win encounter.