Will Sri Lanka prevail in Korea?

Asia Rugby Sevens Series – 2nd Leg

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The first leg of the 2018 edition of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series ended with Japan taking top honors whilst Hong Kong and Sri Lanka ended in 2nd and 3rd place respectively. The fixtures of the 2nd leg are now out and it’s clear that Sri Lanka have two big challenges in front of them on the 29th and 30th September in Namdong, South Korea.

The Tuskers were on top of their game on the first day of the 1st leg after beating China and Chinese Taipei but lost to eventual champions Japan later in the day. Day 2 saw the Sri Lanka lose to Hong Kong but a win against the Philippines saw them secure a third place finish with a total of 10 points.

Video – Battle for 3rd place is on – Asia Sevens 2nd leg PREVIEW

Last Year

Sri Lanka had a fairly disappointing run last year in the 1st & 2nd legs of the Asian Sevens Series after ending up in 5th place, winning the Plate title in Hong Kong and Korea.

In the first leg last year, Sri Lanka lost to China and were way below expectations. The boys improved in the second leg but still only managed to draw the game against the same opponent 26-all.

However, in the final leg at home, Sri Lanka made a tremendous comeback after beating China and South Korea and winning almost every game to jump up two ranks up and secure the 3rd place.

Read: Muthuthanthri set to lead, Jason Dissanayake returns

Sudarshana Muthuthanthri
Sudarshana Muthuthanthri committing to a tackle in the 2017 2nd leg

This year

Impressively, Sri Lanka still ranks 3rd in the Asia Sevens circuit and also displayed great fighting spirit in the 1st leg of the tournament, going down only to the big guns – Japan and Hong Kong.

Two debutants for Sri Lanka Rugby for 2nd leg

Sri Lanka Rugby has made three changes ahead of the second..

It was also very inspiring to see the young players take the field and still manage to retain the 3rd place in Hong Kong without the likes of Danushka Ranjan and Sudarshana Muthuthanthri who are well experienced campaigners but were ruled out due to injury. Fortunately, for the upcoming leg Muthu and Ranjan are most likely to start which will boost the team’s chances.

Danushka Ranjan
Danushka Ranjan side stepping from a Chinese defender in the 2017 3rd leg in Colombo

2nd Leg Fixtures – Mens

Sep 29 Sri Lanka v Chinese Taipei – Asia Sevens Series Men M Namdong Stadium 10.12 a.m.
Sep 29 Sri Lanka v Hong Kong – Asia Sevens Series Men M Namdong Stadium 1.32 p.m.
Sep 30 Sri Lanka v Korea – Asia Sevens Series Men M Namdong Stadium 9.04 a.m.

2nd Leg Fixtures – Women’s

Sep 29 Sri Lanka v Hong Kong – Asia Sevens Series Women W Namdong Stadium 8.44 a.m.
Sep 29 Sri Lanka v Korea – Asia Sevens Series Women W Namdong Stadium 12.04 p.m.
Sep 30 Sri Lanka v Japan – Asia Sevens Series Women W Namdong Stadium 7.14 a.m.

Read More: Sri Lanka Rugby back to 3rd in Asia

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