Asia Rugby Sevens Series: Sri Lanka finishes fourth after defeat to China

The Sri Lanka Tuskers ended the Asia Rugby Sevens series (first leg) in fourth position after losing to China 17-22 on Sunday.

The Sri Lankan men’s rugby team, known as the Tuskers, overcame a challenging start to mount a strong campaign that carried them to the Cup segment semifinals.

Pool Stage Performance

Sri Lanka began the tournament with a difficult 38-7 loss to Asian powerhouse Japan. However, the team demonstrated remarkable resilience, bouncing back with convincing victories over Thailand (24-7) and Singapore (34-7). These wins secured second place in their pool and earned them qualification to the semifinals as the best second-placed team across all three groups.

Shaahid Zumri and Dinal Ekanayake emerged as tournament standouts, displaying their trademark pace and elusive running ability, proving to be key attacking threats throughout the competition.

Semifinal Disappointment

In the semifinals, Sri Lanka faced Hong Kong but were unable to replicate the form they had shown in the pool stage. Despite taking a promising 19-0 lead at halftime, the Tuskers exposed their weakness in the second half as they chased shadows. Their lack of attacking depth and sluggish defensive play allowed Hong Kong to mount a devastating comeback, ultimately winning 33-0 from the break to secure a comprehensive victory.

Bronze Medal Match

The semifinal loss relegated Sri Lanka to the third-place playoff against China. This match proved to be a thrilling encounter that showcased improved attacking play from the Tuskers.

Sri Lanka made an encouraging start, narrowing China’s early lead to 7-5 within the first three minutes. However, China responded strongly and held a 17-5 advantage at halftime.

The second half saw Sri Lanka mount a spirited comeback. In the 10th minute, Dinal Ekanalayake crossed for a crucial try, reducing the deficit to 10-17. The Tuskers continued their fightback and managed to level the scores at 17-17 near the final whistle.

Unfortunately, Sri Lanka’s hopes were dashed by a costly error at the restart. A mishandled kick-off allowed China to regain possession and score the decisive points, winning 22-17 to claim third place and the bronze medal.

Additional Results

In the fifth-place playoff, UAE defeated Malaysia 26-17 to round out the tournament standings.

Women’s Team Performance:

Unfortunately, the Sri Lankan women’s team had a difficult first day, losing heavily to the hosts, China, by a score of 0 to 44 in their opening game.

They also lost to Malaysia 24-14 and the UAE 41-0, gaining valuable international exposure against more vigorous opponents.

The team faced Indonesia in the 9th-10th place playoff and beat them 24-17, then beat Singapore 7-0 to be placed 9th.

Hong Kong China beat Thailand for 3rd Place 19-17. 

In the final, China took control to lead 14-0 in the 5^th minute and lead 19-0 at the break. A sin bin in the second minute of the second half reduced China to six. Japan scored twice, reducing the lead to 19-14. Japan scored almost at the clock and the conversion hit the uprights, levelling scores 19- 19.

After the hooter, Japan kept attacking and scored to take the first leg of the Asian Women’s Championship 24-19, inflicting heartbreak on China, who had led 19-0 at the break.