Sri Lanka defeated both Indonesia and Philippines in two contrasting games to secure top spot in Group ‘C’ in the HSBC Asian 7s Series tournament held in Singapore.
Fazil Marija’s last ditch try was the highlight of the Lankan performance today, as the captain showed sheer determination to help the Lankans defeat the Volcanoes.
Sri Lanka v Indonesia
Forward Jason Dissanayake scored the first try of the game for the Lankans who had their sights set on grabbing the overall third place spot in the HSBC Asian 7s Series. As the half progressed, Sadun Herath gave the Tuskers a comfortable lead after a good chase and dive to score his first of the game.
Saliya Kumara added the third for Sri Lankan with an adventurous run from his own half as he took on a few defenders with force to break through. Debutant Lavanga Perera scored his first for the Tuskers with a wonderful run after capitalizing on an initial mistake by the Indonesians as the Lankans led 26-0 at half time.
Herath completed his double with another speedy run on the left flank to signal a bright second half start for the Lankans. Sudarshan Muthuthanthri and Jason Dissanayake added two more tries as the Lankans managed to rout the Indonesians 43-0.
Sri Lanka v Philippines
Sri Lanka had their toughest test in the group stage in their second game against Phillippines. The Tuskers who routed Indonesia early on in the day started the game at a much slower pace as both teams fail to add any points on the board in the first five minutes.
It was wonder-kid Srinath Sooriyabandara who broke the shackles for the Tuskers when he squirmed his way past defenders to score the first try of the game on the right flank. Sooriyabandara has been the most consistent player for the Tuskers throughout this season’s HSBC Asian 7s series with a large number of tries under his belt.
He added another to his tally, after the initial good work to recover the ball was done by the Lankan defense. Sooriybandara who uses his superior acceleration to good effect was a tough man to catch once given the necessary space as the Tuskers led 12-0 at half time.
Philippines found their momentum in the second half, with a quick fire try off a penalty. The Lankans were put on the back foot as the Volcanoes added two more to their tally to take the lead for the first time in the game.
However, it was Fazil Marija who sealed the deal for his country, with a captain’s run covering over fifty metres for his first try of the tournament. The Tuskers defeated the Volcanoes 17-15 in a nail biting encounter to secure top spot in Group ‘C’.
