Will Sri Lanka overcome Hong Kong in Asian Sevens Series Colombo leg?

Hong Kong continued their dominance in the second leg of the Asian Sevens copy

By Shamseer Jaleel

The Sri Lankan Sevens outfit once again ended runners-up to Hong Kong in the Asian Sevens Series second leg in South Korea. This is the second time that the country’s rugby players have ended the finals on the losing side. 

Throughout the group encounters the outfit led by Dhanushka Ranjan showed a marked improvement in their game. In their last group outing they went down to China in the last minute of the game, which set up a semifinal date with hosts South Korea. Playing cohesive rugby, the Sri Lankans outclassed the Koreans to book a finals berth. But there they came up against a strong Hong Kong, who manufactured a one-sided victory, with the Sri Lankans defending the full 14 minutes and hardly getting a chance to attack.

The Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) under Asanga Seneviratne has done a remarkable job to elevate Sevens rugby to a high standard. Before this year Sri Lanka frequently finished third or fourth. The Sevens format of rugby is making major progress internationally, with it earning recognition in the Olympics. The winners of this year’s Asian Sevens will secure a spot at the famous Hong Kong Sevens and a week later at the World Series in Singapore, which is excellent exposure for any of the Asian teams. 

One could argue that Japan did not send its best outfit and allowed one team to progress. But Japan already plays in the World Series and their pace is far too great for other Asian teams. They always keep a clear lead over the second-ranked team in the region since the game is professional in Japan and funds are freely pumped into local rugby.

“We played well on the first day and in our semifinal against Korea but Hong Kong were too fast for us. We had a few injury worries so hopefully all these players will be fit for the Colombo leg in mid-October. No one gave us a chance of making the finals before the Asian Sevens kicked off. We want to do our best and end the competition on a winning note in front of our home crowd,” said skipper Ranjan.

With two consecutive wins, Hong Kong will carry the maximum 24 points in to the Colombo leg while Sri Lanka will be following them closely with 20 points with two consecutive finals appearances. In the women’s segment Japan and China will battle it out for third leg bragging rights along with an overall series triumph.