Tuskers Claim Fifth Place as Japan Celebrate Double Cup Triumph

Sri Lanka delivered a spirited performance on home soil at Racecourse Stadium on Day 02 of the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series 2026 – Leg 02, as the men’s Tuskers bounced back from a narrow quarterfinal defeat to secure fifth place with a commanding 33-5 victory over Malaysia in Srinath Sooriyabandara’s final game. The women’s team also signed off on a high, edging Uzbekistan 19–15 in a thrilling finish.

Japan dominated the Colombo leg, capturing both the Men’s and Women’s Cup titles. However, the overall series honours went to Japan in the women’s competition, while Hong Kong China edged Japan on points difference (+363 to +343) to claim the men’s series championship, with both teams finishing level on 38 points.

Sri Lanka’s Day 02 Campaign

Men’s Segment (The Tuskers)

• Quarterfinal — Sri Lanka 19 – 26 China:

Sri Lanka got off to a thrilling start when Nilesh Raghavan crossed the line for an early try. However, China responded rapidly with back-to-back tries from Bowei Jia and Huanying Zheng to hold a 07–12 advantage at the break.

• Asia’s Best Set to Clash in Colombo at the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series Finale
• Sri Lanka Men secure podium finish as Japan and Hong Kong China clinch series crowns
• Sri Lanka Tuskers end Asian 7s on a high despite a tournament of heartbreaks

In the second half, Srinath Sooriyabandara sliced through the defense and converted his own try to give the Tuskers a slender lead. A few unforced errors from Sri Lanka allowed China back into the game, with Huanying Zheng and Haoxiang Ma capitalizing to score two quick tries. Nilesh Raghavan completed his brace late in the match, but time ran out on the Tuskers’ comeback effort.

• 5th Place Playoff Semifinal — Sri Lanka 26 – 10 UAE:

Bouncing back from their quarterfinal loss, Sri Lanka struck first through Diluksha Dange. UAE replied with a try from Mohammad Bandari to deadlock the score at 5–5 before a late first-half effort from Kavindu Perera put the hosts ahead 12–5 at halftime.

Srinath Sooriyabandara opened the second half with a score, and although Bandari crossed for his brace to keep UAE in contention, a late try from Gayan Perera sealed a convincing victory for Sri Lanka.

• 5th Place Playoff Final — Sri Lanka 33 – 05 Malaysia:

Playing in Srinath Sooriyabandara’s final appearance, Sri Lanka opened the scoring through Maliksha Perera. Malaysia briefly responded with a try by Akram Mohd Zainuddin, but Pasindu Bandara broke through the defense right before halftime to restore a 12–5 lead.

The second half was absolute dominance from the Tuskers. Tries from Diluksha Dange, Pasindu Bandara, and Shahid Zumri secured a 33–5 victory, ensuring Sri Lanka finished in 5th place on home soil.

Women’s Segment

• Sri Lanka Women 05 – 10 Malaysia Women:

The Lady Tuskers showcased an improved brand of rugby in their opening match of the day, pushing Malaysia to the limit in a tightly contested fixture before narrowly falling short 5–10.

• Sri Lanka Women 19 – 15 Uzbekistan Women:

The Sri Lankan women saved their best performance for last, finishing their home series on a triumphant note by outlasting Uzbekistan 19–15 in a hard-fought encounter to thrill the Colombo crowd.

Men’s Ranking 9–12 Division

The Men’s 9–12 ranking matches featured fierce battles as teams fought to secure higher standings to finish out their tournament campaign:

• Singaporeproduced a dominant sweep across all three of their ranking fixtures, earning decisive victories against Uzbekistan (29–10), India (24–7), and Kazakhstan (29–7) to claim the top spot in the lower bracket.
• Kazakhstandelivered a strong showing of their own, securing two victories by overcoming India 24–14 and defeating Uzbekistan 29–12, with their only setback coming against Singapore.
• Indiapicked up a convincing 29–5 victory over Uzbekistan in their placement match, despite earlier losses to Kazakhstan and Singapore.
• Uzbekistanstruggled to find momentum in the ranking stages, going winless across their matches against Singapore, Kazakhstan, and India.

Women’s Ranking 9–12 Division

In the Women’s placement fixtures, teams competed through round-robin matches to decide the bottom bracket standings:

• Sri Lankadelivered a spirited effort on home soil, securing a default 20–0 win over Iran and capping off their campaign with a thrilling 19–15 victory against Uzbekistan, while narrowly dropping a tight match to Malaysia (5–10).
• Malaysiaperformed strongly throughout the placement stage, securing wins against Uzbekistan (20–7), Sri Lanka (10–5), and a default victory over Iran (20–0).
• Uzbekistanpicked up a default victory over Iran (20–0), but suffered close defeats in their contested encounters against Malaysia and Sri Lanka.
• Iranawarded automatic 20–0 walkover victories to Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, and Malaysia due to their non-participation in this leg.

Cup Quarterfinals

Men’s Segment

• Hong Kong China 78 – 0 Malaysia: Hong Kong China made a massive statement in the opening quarterfinal, putting on a ruthless attacking display to shut out Malaysia.
• Thailand 40 – 7 Korea: Thailand powered into the semifinals with an impressive, dominant performance over Korea.
• China 26 – 19 Sri Lanka: China edged out host nation Sri Lanka in a high-intensity thriller, holding off a late Tuskers comeback.
• Japan 47 – 14 UAE: Japan secured the final semifinal spot with a convincing victory over the UAE.

Women’s Segment

• Japan 48 – 0 Singapore: Japan continued their flawless run with a clinical shut-out victory against Singapore.
• Kazakhstan 10 – 5 Thailand: Kazakhstan edged past Thailand in a tightly contested, defensive physical battle.
• Hong Kong China 29 – 5 India: Hong Kong China put together a strong all-around performance to comfortably defeat India.
• China 43 – 0 UAE: China showcased their explosive scoring power with a dominant shut-out victory against the UAE.

Semifinals Stage

Men’s Division

• 5th Place Semifinal 1 (Malaysia 42 – 17 Korea): Malaysia delivered an explosive attacking performance to comfortably overcome Korea and advance to the 5th place final.
• 5th Place Semifinal 2 (Sri Lanka 26 – 10 UAE): Bouncing back from their quarterfinal heartbreak, host nation Sri Lanka produced a determined effort to see off UAE.
• Cup Semifinal 1 (Hong Kong China 45 – 7 Thailand): First-leg champions Hong Kong China put on a masterclass performance, dismantling Thailand to secure their spot in the grand final.
• Cup Semifinal 2 (Japan 33 – 0 China): Japan delivered a defensive and offensive clinic, shutting out China in a convincing victory to advance to the Cup Final.

Women’s Division

• 5th Place Semifinal 1 (Thailand 52 – 0 Singapore): Thailand unleashed a ruthless scoring spree, overpowering Singapore in a complete shut-out victory.
• 5th Place Semifinal 2 (India 21 – 12 UAE): India held off a tough challenge from the UAE, securing a hard-fought win to progress to the 5th place final.
• Cup Semifinal 1 (Japan 42 – 5 Kazakhstan): Japan continued their relentless form, storming past Kazakhstan with a dominant six-try performance.
• Cup Semifinal 2 (China 17 – 7 Hong Kong China): China prevailed in a high-stakes encounter, edging out Hong Kong China to set up a blockbuster Cup Final clash against Japan.

Placement Finals & Championship Finals

Men’s Division

• 7th Place Final (UAE 40 – 0 Korea): UAE closed out their campaign on a high note, putting on a dominant offensive display to shut out Korea and claim 7th place.
• 5th Place Final (Sri Lanka 33 – 5 Malaysia): Host nation Sri Lanka thrilled the home crowd with a comprehensive five-try performance, securing 5th place on Srinath Sooriyabandara’s final appearance.
• 3rd Place Final (China 21 – 12 Thailand): China bounced back from their semifinal defeat to overcome Thailand in a hard-fought match to secure the bronze medal.
• Cup Final (Japan 28 – 14 Hong Kong China): Japan delivered a brilliant performance in the grand final, outscoring Hong Kong China 28–14 to lift the Leg 02 trophy.

Women’s Division

• 7th Place Final (Singapore 17 – 12 UAE): Singapore edged out UAE in a tight, thrilling encounter to lock in 7th place.
• 5th Place Final (India 19 – 12 Thailand): India earned a impressive victory against Thailand to claim a hard-fought 5th place finish.
• 3rd Place Final (Kazakhstan 14 – 5 Hong Kong China): Kazakhstan put on a resilient defensive display to defeat Hong Kong China and take 3rd place.
• Cup Final (Japan 14 – 7 China): In a tense, high-stakes final, Japan edged out China 14–7 to claim the women’s Leg 02 championship

Asia Rugby Sevens Series 2026 – Final Standings

Men’s Final Series Standings

Women’s Final Series Standings