Sri Lanka finish second to Hong Kong

By Shamseer Jaleel

The Hong Kong Under-20 outfit stamped their class when they gained revenge at the Asia Rugby Under-20 Sevens in Hong Kong as they beat Sri Lanka 36-0 in a one-sided final at the King’s Park grounds over the weekend.

Hong Kong’s defeat of Sri Lanka in the final saw them win back the title which they held in 2014 and 2015 before being dispatched to number 3 in 2016 in the two-leg event in Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Paul Altier led the way with three tries and two conversions as the hosts blew Sri Lanka into pieces after their magnificent performance on day 1 in hot and humid Kowloon.

The Sri Lankans, who played well throughout the tournament, demonstrating nimble feet and clever offloads and touches, were unable to answer the well-organised Hong Kong outfit who were well-drilled for this tournament and awaiting sweet revenge to recover the title. 

Sri Lanka, who were much better organised and well-drilled as a unit under Kevin Dixon last year, learnt a good lesson as they will need the team to work together as a unit for a minimum of one month before such tournaments. Now it is high time that Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) brings school rugby under its control for a more organised approach, something the schools section has lacked on most occasions.

Sri Lanka, who beat Philippines (24-0), China (43-7) and Malaysia (26-5) on the opening day went on to beat Taipei (28-14) and South Korea (33-5) in the semifinals but failed in the vital cup final. Sri Lanka skipper Naveen Heenakankanmge had a grand tournament, scoring nine tries while Supun Dilshan too stood out with some classy moves along with Avishka Lee. The Sri Lankan outfit was coached by Sudath Sampath.

Meanwhile, China won the women’s segment, overtaking Thailand and Hong Kong. India too showed a marked improvement, finishing fourth in the tournament.

The following is the tournament standings in the men’s segment:

1.Hong Kong

2.Sri Lanka

3.Taipei

4.South Korea

5.Singapore

6.Malaysia

7.China

8.Thailand

9.Philippines

10.Uzbekistan