The Sri Lanka Tuskers men’s rugby team delivered a spirited but inconsistent campaign to finish fourth in the first leg of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series, after a narrow 22-17 defeat to China in the bronze medal playoff on Sunday.
Despite a rocky start—suffering a heavy 38-7 loss to Japan—the Tuskers bounced back with emphatic pool stage wins over Thailand (24-7) and Singapore (34-7), qualifying for the Cup semifinals as the best second-placed team across all pools.
Standout performances came from Shaahid Zumri and Dinal Ekanayake, whose pace and agility were instrumental in Sri Lanka’s attacking play.
In the semifinals, Sri Lanka raced to a commanding 19-0 halftime lead against Hong Kong but collapsed in the second half, conceding 33 unanswered points in a dramatic turnaround that exposed defensive frailties and lack of depth.
The third-place playoff against China proved to be a tense, high-energy encounter. After trailing 17-5 at halftime, Sri Lanka clawed their way back to level the scores at 17-17, only to concede a decisive try following a restart error, handing China the win and the bronze medal.
Meanwhile, in the fifth-place playoff, UAE overcame Malaysia 26-17.
Women’s team battles to ninth place
Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan women’s team endured a tough group stage, suffering heavy defeats to China (44-0), Malaysia (24-14), and the UAE (41-0).
However, they rallied strongly on the final day, beating Indonesia 24-17 and Singapore 7-0 to claim ninth place.
In the women’s final, Japan stunned hosts China 24-19 with a last-gasp try, overturning a 19-0 halftime deficit to clinch the first leg of the Asian Women’s Championship.
Hong Kong China took third place with a narrow 19-17 win over Thailand.
Leave a comment