Asia Rugby updated their annual fixture calendar as Sri Lanka ready themselves to overcome their first hurdle in a week’s time. The Asia Rugby Championship Division 01 is scheduled to take place next week, with a whole lot of action set to follow as the other important tournaments lie ahead.
Sri Lanka has big dreams of working their way up into the top 3 in Asia in all categories (National, Junior, and Sevens), and for that to come true, the Tuskers have to gear up to conquer all the tournaments lined up.
Starting their quest on the 29th of this month, Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) will be occupied until the end of this year as the Asia Rugby Under 19 Division 1 tournament is set to commence on the 14th December 2019. The games in between those two dates will play a vital role in Sri Lanka’s rankings.
The Asia Rugby Fixtures:
| Date | Competition | Host | Venue |
| May 29th -Jun 1st | ARC Div. 1 (SL, SIN, PHL, TAI) | Chinese Taipei | Taipei Municipal Stadium |
| Aug 10th -11th | Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy
Asia Rugby Women’s Sevens Trophy |
Jakarta | TBC |
| Aug 17th -18th | Asia Rugby Under 18 Boys Sevens | China | Kunming |
| Aug 24th -25th | Asia Rugby Under 20 Sevens
Asia Rugby Under 20 Women’s Sevens |
TBC | TBC |
| Aug 31st – 1st Sep | Asia Rugby Sevens Series Leg 1
Asia Rugby Women’s Sevens Series Leg 1 |
Korea | Namdong Asiad Stadium |
| Sep 14th – 15th | Asia Rugby Sevens SeriesLeg 2
Asia Rugby Women’s Sevens Series Leg 2 |
China | Huizhou |
| Sep 28th – 29th | Asia Rugby Sevens Series Leg 3
Asia Rugby Women’s Sevens Series Leg 3 |
Sri Lanka | Racecourse Stadium |
| Nov 23rd – 24th | 23-24 Asia Rugby Men’s 7s Qualification Tournament For The Games Of The XXXII Olympiad In Tokyo In 2020 | Korea | Namdong Asiad Stadium |
| Nov 29th – 1st Dec | Asia Rugby Under 18 Girls Sevens | India | Bhubaneswar |
| Dec 11th – 14th | ARU19 Div. 1 (Thailand, Philippines , Sri Lanka & China) | TBC | TBC |
Last year was a fairly disastrous year for SLR as the Sevens, XV’s and Junior teams dropped down in rankings. After securing the 3rd place in the Asia Rugby Sevens format for many years, Sri Lanka was stripped down to 4th place as a result of 3 losses in the 3rd leg of the 2018 Asia Rugby Sevens Series.
Read: Sri Lanka Rugby stripped off their place in Asia
The Junior Tuskers have been in the top Division of Asia playing against giants like Hong Kong and South Korea for the past few years. But, last year, the team failed to keep up after putting on a disappointing show and losing out to South Korea. As a result, Sri Lanka was relegated and will play in the Division 1 category this December.
Read: Sri Lanka broken and RELEGATED
The Sri Lanka XV’s team wasn’t the most consistent team either – the Tuskers had been winning and dominating the Division 1 segment until 2015, but faced a downward spiral ever since. Thereon, the team has been struggling to get back on top and dropped down in rankings yearly. Earlier this month, Sri Lanka was defeated by Malaysia in a test match, which saw the Tuskers plummet down to 44th Place in the overall World Rugby rankings marking a serious issue.
Read: How a Flower stole a Tusker’s spotlight!
However, Sri Lanka will look to bounce back and redeem themselves in the upcoming encounters and tournaments. It was quite clear by the Dialog Rugby League that the players have upped their game as the concluded club season was the one of the most competitive leagues we’ve seen in the recent past. But, SLR will have to be mindful that, as we progress – other teams are progressing too.
