Top dog Sri Lanka aims at top finish at Asia Rugby tournament

By A Special Sports Correspondent

Sri Lanka is excitedly getting ready for the Division 1 Asia Rugby 15-a-side Championship which will now be contested between Sri Lanka, India, Qatar and Kazakhstan in Colombo.

Asia Rugby decided to scrap the Division 2 championship after Iran and Pakistan pulled out of competing in this tournament. Hence Kazakhstan’s inclusion in the Division 1 tournament to fill the void created by Pakistan’s unavailability.

Undoubtedly this event sees host Sri Lanka taking the field as the top dog. The islanders enjoy a world ranking of 44 in 15-a-side rugby and should have it easy against India (ranked 87th in the world) in the second match of the tournament. This match is scheduled to take place on April 30 (Tuesday) at 19.00 pm after the curtain raiser to the tournament which is between Qatar (world ranked 94) and Kazakhstan (world ranked 64); scheduled on the same day at 16.00 pm.

This tournament gives Sri Lanka a golden opportunity to bring its national rugby team back into action after the bans it was slapped with by World Rugby and Asian Rugby. The island’s rugby players are raring to go after long period of ‘inactivity’ in the international stage. Sri Lanka did send a team for the last Asian Games, Asian Sevens Series and Commonwealth Games, but then the preparations that went into compiling the national team for these events were inadequate. The volatile environment present for rugby activities in Sri Lanka didn’t help either in preparing the national team for these events.

Now Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) is headed by Retd. Group Captain Nalin De Silva and ‘Himalayan’ efforts are being made to host this tournament at the Race Course-the country’s official venue to host international rugby events. De Silva was quoted saying Asia Rugby’s official website the following regarding the upcoming tournament: “Our players wish to display natural talents and skills and also to share and strengthen our deep-rooted cultural ties through rugby with the visiting Asia Rugby teams”. The inspiring news for Sri Lanka is that the islanders just finished their club rugby season and all the clubs have released their players to attend national pool training.

Sri Lanka’s participation at the Asian Men’s Rugby Championship has been inspirational at times, but heartbreaking too; especially when the islanders have had to face too many challenges off the field. Now the side is relegated to the Division 1 tournament having earlier played in the ‘Asia Men’s Championship’. Sri Lanka’s biggest worry has been the unavailability of players and some players refusing to perform in full capacity when playing for the country in overseas tournaments. The icing on the cake for Sri Lanka could be put this time by three coaches slotted into take charge of the national players. They are Sanath Martis, Dushanth Lewke and Nilfer Ibrahim.

Sri Lanka can only boast of past laurels when talking about the Division 1 tournament. Back in 2019, Sri Lanka, competing in the Division 1 tournament, finished as winners in the 3rd place playoff after winning a crucial game against the hosts, Chinese Taipei. The score read 72-17 in favour of Sri Lanka. In that tournament, Sri Lanka lost in the semis finals of the main competition when they went down fighting to Philippines 39-22.

Now the islanders get another opportunity to put their rugby in order. The Sri Lankans should have it easy against India, a side having a deep-rooted history in rugby like the host team, but going down in the annals of Asia rugby as a nation that never really blossomed in the international stage. Rahul Bose, the President of India Rugby, was quoted in the Asia Rugby official website saying, “As a national federation it is our consistent effort to create conditions for our players where they can put their best foot forward on the international stage”.

Qatar has been a force in the Division 1 tournament over the years. Its Rugby Union President Yousef Al Kuwar was quoted in the Asia Rugby official website stating, “Our 15-a-side programme is very important as we have aspirations to play at the highest level”. Qatar will be meeting Kazakhstan, a side which has also taken a dip in rankings and performance in the international rugby stage. Kazakshtan Rugby Union President President Aigul Jartybayeva has been quoted in the Asia Rugby web site stating, “We are very happy to participate in the Asia Rugby Division 1 Championship in Colombo, Sri Lanka. We are keen on building our men’s team programme and hope to participate and compete in an Asia Rugby tournament such as this. In time, our men’s team can replicate the remarkable success achieved by our women’s programme in both in 7s and 15s. I would like to wish all the athletes the best of luck.”

The focus on Asian rugby these days is on the 15-a-side tournament which will feature the best teams in the second tier of this region. The teams contesting the top tier or the Asia Men’s Championship are Hong Kong China, Malaysia, South Korea and UAE.