The 54th Mercantile Rugby Sevens 2026 concluded at CR & FC, with Link Natural successfully defending their Cup title after defeating John Keells Holdings (JKH) 28–17 in an exciting final.
Men’s Cup Segment
Link Natural Products Retain Title with Victory Over JKH
Link Natural Products successfully defended their Cup title, defeating John Keells Holdings (JKH) 28–17 in an entertaining final.
JKH made an electric start, with Viduna Amaneth opening the scoring. However, Link Natural responded emphatically, producing a devastating first-half spell with four unanswered tries. Gayan Perera started the comeback before Suranga Tennakoon created space for Gamunu Chethiya to cross shortly after the restart.
Link Natural continued to build momentum as Janindu Dilshan intercepted close to the try line to score before crossing again in the final move of the first half to complete his brace. Srinath Sooriyabandara converted all four tries, giving Link a commanding 28–5 lead at half-time.
JKH faced an uphill task in the second half but showed resilience, with Pasindu Bandara adding another try. Jayathu Rajarathne crossed late in the game, but Link’s first-half dominance proved decisive as they secured a 28–17 victory to retain the Cup title.
Cup/Plate Knockout Results
The Cup/Plate knockout stages began with Sampath Bank edging Brandix 24–19, while Link Natural Products produced a commanding 57–0 victory over Hayleys PLC.
In the semi-finals, JKH defeated Sampath Bank 33–14 to book their place in the Cup final, while Link Natural edged CDB Finance PLC (A) 19–14.
Results:
- Quarter-final: Sampath Bank 24–19 Brandix
- Quarter-final: Link Natural 57–0 Hayleys PLC
- Semi-final: JKH 33–14 Sampath Bank
- Semi-final: CDB Finance PLC (A) 14–19 Link Natural
- Fifth-place playoff: Brandix 19–12 Hayleys PLC
- Plate Final: CDB Finance PLC (A) 22–12 Sampath Bank
- Cup Final: Link Natural Products 28–17 JKH
Women’s Tag Rugby
Sampath Bank Crowned Women’s Champions
Sampath Bank were crowned women’s champions after finishing at the top of the league standings. Their final against CDB Finance PLC ended in a 0–0 draw, with Sampath Bank claiming the title on the strength of their league-stage performance.
In the other decisive fixture, Commercial Bank secured third place with a 10–5 victory over Commercial Credit.
Results:
- Commercial Credit 0–10 CDB Finance PLC
- Sampath Bank 0–0 CDB Finance PLC
- Third-place playoff: Commercial Bank 10–5 Commercial Credit
- Final: Sampath Bank 0–0 CDB Finance PLC
Men’s Bowl Segment
Seylan Bank Claim Bowl Title
Seylan Bank emerged as Bowl champions after producing a convincing 26–5 victory over Hatton National Bank (HNB) in the final.
Seylan Bank secured their place in the final with a 24–5 win over High Octane in the semi-finals, while HNB booked their spot after defeating The Core 2.0 31–5.
Results:
- Semi-final: HNB 31–5 The Core 2.0
- Semi-final: Seylan Bank 24–5 High Octane
- Final: HNB 5–26 Seylan Bank
Men’s Shield Segment
Commercial Credit Edge Foresight Engineering to Win Shield
Commercial Credit were crowned Shield champions after edging Foresight Engineering 10–5 in a closely contested final.
Commercial Credit secured their place in the final with a 17–12 victory over AIA Insurance in the semi-finals. Foresight Engineering advanced after recording a 31–7 win against Hemas Group.
Results:
- Semi-final: Commercial Credit 17–12 AIA Insurance
- Semi-final: Foresight Engineering 31–7 Hemas Group
- Final: Commercial Credit 10–5 Foresight Engineering
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