The Tuskers went down to an in-form Japanese team as they finished day 1 of the 1st Leg of the Asia Sevens Series with a win and a loss.
Playing their second game against Japan, the men’s outfit were defeated 21-0 after the Tuskers failed to hold on to the ball in the breakdowns, paving the way for the more physical Japan.
Katsuyuki Sakai was the first to break open the defense lines after Sri Lanka defended bravely for the first few minutes. Sakai scored on the far corner and later converted the angled kick.
Sri Lanka’s efforts to make inroads to break Japan’s gain line failed with both Naveen Henakankanamage and Srinath Sooriyabandara gifting possession away. Naoki Motomura of Japan later found space in the midfield to cruise through to the second converted score.
Halftime: Sri Lanka 0 – Japan 14
Sakai who was in sublime form, repeated his try scoring feat in the second half, scoring in the second minute of play to making sure that Japan’s victory was assured.
The quick-footed Sooriyabandara used all the tricks in his book to get a score for his team but was unable to do so. Japan played it safe in the last few minutes, ensuring that they got a win at the end of the day, taking the game 21-0 win.
Full time: Sri Lanka 0 – Japan 21
Breakdown:
Tries by Katsyuki Sakai (2), Naoki Motomura. Conversions (3) Katsyuki Sakai
Sri Lanka will play Chinese Taipei tomorrow(15th) at 9.20 a.m. local time. If Sri Lanka manage to win their final game, they will qualify for the Cup semifinals.
Sri Lanka vs China
A convincing performance by the Sri Lanka Rugby Men’s 7’s team saw them overhaul China 31-0 in their series opener in the 1st leg of the Asia Sevens Series a short while ago.
Sri Lanka took flight to the 1st leg of the Asia Sevens Series at the Hong Kong Football Club with a revamped outfit with Srinath Sooriyabandara given the captaincy reins.
Under 20 cap Dinuk Amerasinghe who was awarded the national jersey last week had a dream debut, when he warded off two players to score Sri Lanka’s opener early in the 1st half.
The Tuskers took their time to settle into the game with the experienced Kavindu Perera and Gayan Weeraratne organizing the attack around the youngsters. Sudam Sooriyarachchi was the next to go past the white line when the Tuskers were awarded a 10-meter scrum. Sooriyarachchi converted the try he scored as Sri Lanka took a 14-0 lead at halftime.
Sri Lanka’s star from the Asian Games, Kavindu Perera brought on some flair early in the second half when he opened up the Chinese defense to allow Srinath Sooriyabandara to sprint to the try line.
Brought in as a replacement in the second half, it was Buddhima Piyarathane who got his chance, scoring when he came out with his stepping routine for the team’s fourth. Kevin Dixon added the extras.
With the final buzzer gone, Sri Lanka’s replacements were still on the hunt for points with Adeesha Weerathunge and Kevin Dixon piercing the Chinese defense. Their effort reaped the reward when Dixon finished a wonderfully worked set piece on the far corner.
Full time score: Sri Lanka 31(14) (5T 3C) – China 0(0)
Breakdown:
Sri Lanka – Tries by Dinuk Amerasinghe, Sudam Sooriarachchi, Srinath Sooriyabandara, Buddhima Piyarathane & Kevin Dixon
Conversions: Srinath Sooriyabandara, Sudam Sooriyarachchi & Kevin Dixon
