Sri Lanka Rugby national sevens and fifteen’s coach Matt Lee has parted ways with Sri Lanka Rugby following the end of his contract this month after a year in office.
The New Zealand national Lee arrived in the country as the national fifteens coach last year ahead of the Asia Division I Rugby Championship and later was handed over the national sevens responsibilities as well.
Later he also took up the coaching duties at Navy Sports Club for the 2019/20 season that ended in March.
Matt Lee, whose association to Sri Lanka goes back two decades to when he took up CH & FC, is an individual who knew the dynamics of the local rugby arena having been a close follower of the sport in the country.
Read more: From fifteens to sevens; Matt Lee takes on national duties
However, his 12-month stint didn’t add too much to his resume with Sri Lanka not performing to expectations. Matt Lee was in the forefront in restarting the national fifteen’s program that was shut down in 2018 and the team ended up winning only against Chinese Taipei.
Later, taking up the sevens side, Sri Lanka finished 5th overall in the Asia Sevens Series. The Olympic qualifier that followed also saw Sri Lanka claiming 5th overall.
Read more: Sri Lanka takes 5th place
With the exit of Matt Lee, Sri Lanka now has an opening for a new national sevens and fifteens coach that will be needed to be filled before the international calendar resumes.
The Asia Rugby international calendar was put on hold owing to the COVID19 pandemic. The Asia Division I Championship was set to be played at the end of this month but was postponed indefinitely.
