It was somewhat a disappointing day for the Tuskers as they had to work hard even with the underdogs Iran and Malaysia. More than that the agony of losing to Hong Kong after leading 12 – 05 in the first half was hard to stomache. Srinath Sooriyabandara had a calf strain in the first match against Iran and was found fit for the rest of the games. Coach Matt Turner made some tactical changes in the starting lineup for all three matches. Sri Lanka will play Philippines at 9.02 am SL time tomorrow and if they win will take on Japan in the semi-final at 12.08 pm SL time.
Sri Lanka v Hong Kong (match no.3)
Tuskers stunned the home crowd with tries in quick succession when they led 12 nil with one minute to the half time. They maintained the ball possession brilliantly and advanced in territory from their own yard. Richard Dharmapala went under the post receiving the ball from Gayan Weerarathne. Hong Kong struggled in the first 5 minutes with handling issues and capitalizing the possession. Then came Dhanushka Ranjan’s scintillating 75m try, from inside the 22m fended off two defenders to make those yards. With a few seconds to go, the hosts hit back with a try to reduce the margin.
HT : SL 12 – 05 HK
Ranjan was replaced by the former captain Fazil Marija from the bench and Anurudda Wilwara who started, was replaced by Sandun Herath. Wilwara could not have his usual impact although Nigel Ratwatte, Gayan Weerarathne, Srinath Sooriyabandara made some desperate tackles in the first half. It was all Hong Kong in the last seven minutes. Tuskers defense wobbled as they ran out of steam to stall Hong Kong after the break as the home side went on to pile up another three tries.
FT: SL 12 – 27 HK
“We are very aware Sri Lanka will score some tries against us no matter how well we play, They are probably the strongest attacking team in the Asia sevens series” Rowan Varty Hong Kong winger
Sri Lanka v Malaysia
Tuskers beat Malaysia convincingly in the final leg of the Asia sevens series in Colombo. Yet another fabulous start as Richard Dharmapala scored under the post soon after the kick off. Shenal Dias impact was well seen in the kick off retention. Dias made a glamorous attempt as he collected the ball in the air and ran 30m and passed to Gayan Weerarathne to score in the left flank. Dharmapala once dummied his pass and scored his second try under the post but Malaysia hit back with a try just before the breather.
HT : SL 17 – 05 MAL
Bad discipline had Sri Lanka losing momentum as Anurudda Wilwara received a yellow card followed by Dharmapala. It was 7 v 5 for two minutes and Malaysia spread the ball out wide and narrowed the gap. The Tusker’s defense was excellent with five men on the park despite giving away a try. Hirantha Perera coming from the bench made a solid running try.
FT SL 24 – 10 MAL
Sri Lanka 31 – 10 Iran
A pheonominal first half as the Tuskers scored four tries in the first half. Fazil Marija kicked off the game for the Tuskers with Shenal Dias chasing in for the high ball contest. Iranians showed great handling skills with ball in hand for the first two minutes but were not able to score any tries. However, Sandun Herath scored the first try receiving Marija’s pass followed by Dhanushka Ranjan’s try under the post. Ranjan with his dancing footwork scored his second try and Gayan Weerarathne put the icing on the cake with a superb try before the half time. Marija converted two tries and missed two.
HT: SL 24 – 00 Iran
A win for the Iranians in the second half as they scored two tries to Sri Lanka’s one try. After Shenal Dias went off and Hirantha Perera came on to the field there were a few issues receiving the high balls as it was not his usual position. Iran showed great character with powerful burst and scored the first from a lineout and the second from a turnover scrum in the 5m.
Meanwhile Sri Lanka women lost in their opener against Hong Kong 36 – 05. Only the skipper Thanuja Weerakkodi managed to score a try. In their second game lost heavily to the favourites Japan 48 – 00. Kazakhstan ladies tested Japan in their game as Japan’s converted try save them from losing the game 7 – 5. Sri Lanka women’s decision making, passes and off loads was a little panicky but it was solid in the last game against Guam. Sandeepa Hemakumari and Anusha Attanayake scored two tries each from two corners. Dasuni Gimhani who had terrible knock on her neck against Guam was stretchered to the hospital after the play was stopped for 8 minutes. It was found not be a serious injury but she is said to still be under observation. They will play against China at 7.07 am SL time and Kazakhs at 9.50 am SL time.
