We threw the game away to Hong Kong: Sanath Martis

Sri Lanka’s hopes of a Youth World Cup place were washed away by Hong Kong when the Sri Lankan junior rugby players lost 24-13. Sri Lanka had all their chances to pull it off but some poor kicking and decision making cost them not only the game but also a rare Youth World Rugby berth in Zimbabwe next year.

Sri Lanka missed out on three penalties and one try under the posts, which could have easily have sealed the game.

Sri Lanka Junior Head Coach Sanath Martis said: “We had all the chances but threw it away. All the hard work went into the water. The kick at goal was far below standard and one kickable penalty we did not take. We will be playing Taipei in the last game. The Taipei lads are huge compared to our lads. So we want to spread and play with our three quarter line. We want to end on number two. That is the best we could do at this moment,” he stated.

Today, Sri Lanka will play Taipei, and later on in the day, Hong Kong will battle it out with the hosts Singapore. (SJ)