Who will clip the Eagles wings?

The Sri Lanka Super Sevens second leg rolls into Colombo this weekend with 7 teams competing to stop the Eagles who have eyes firmly set on a second championship in as many years.

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Will the Mobitel Eagles retain their title or will they be de-throned this weekend as the second edition of the Sri Lankan Super 7’s draws to an end following the Colombo Leg.

Defending champions Mobitel Eagles take Kandy leg

Defending champions of the Sri Lanka Super 7s series Mobitel Eagles continued their dominance in the franchise format of the game…

First Leg

The Mobitel Eagles ended the first leg played in Kandy as winners, beating underdogs Softlogic Warriors 19-5 in the final. Both teams paired in the same group in the pool stage, finished at either ends of the table, having an excellent and a horrible day at the office.

The Eagles coasted through to the franchise cup quarter finals, finishing the first day unbeaten, topping pool B, beating the Kings, Dragons and Warriors.

The Warriors faced a torrid time on day one, going down to the likes Dragons, Kings and the Eagles, finishing at the foot of pool B.

Cargills Gladiators was the other top team, ending day one with 2 wins and a solitary loss at the hands of Ezy Wolves – who ended at the foot of pool A –

The Wolves had a mixed day one, losing to the Walkers Vipers and the much fancied Etisalat outfit – a team which boasted a whole host of stars -. Beating pool toppers Gladiators was the highlight although this was the first outing for the franchise’ as a team.

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Day two promised much more as all teams sought to put the misery and delight of day one behind them as each team was just three wins away from bagging the first leg.

The Warriors stunned the Gladiator faithful, beating pool A toppers in the cup quarterfinal in the first franchise game on day 2, kicking the tournament wide open.

Meanwhile the Eagles were made to work for their 7-5 win against the Wolves, even though the two teams finished at opposite ends of the table.

The Eagles semi-final against an Access Kings – A team which boasted big name players – took a similar effort and scoreline as the Mobitel outfit were pushed to the limit but managed to hold on for a 5-7 win.

The Walkers Vipers punished the KBSL Dragons in the quarter final but fell short as the Warriors put in a warrior like performance to hang on for a 20-14 semi final win, setting up a second showdown in as many days against the Eagles.

The Eagles were denied an early try in the final as the Warriors scored the first of the game, taking a five point lead but that was all the points they managed to get in the final as the Eagles soared high, scoring three tries resulting in a 19-5 win, bagging 30 points heading into the second (Colombo) leg, sitting handsome at the top of the table.

Eagles and Science Triumph in Kandy – The Breakdown

What would be in store this weekend?

Teams took longer than expected to gel in the first leg but the Eagles and Warriors hit their straps at the correct time.

The disappointments of the first leg was undoubtedly the Etisalat outfit and the Gladiators outfit as the duo finished in 7th and 8th position respectively. Winning the tournament is highly unlikely but mathematically possible however they will require the first three from the first leg to finish in the bottom half of the table which is highly unlikely.

For the Kings, Vipers Wolves and Dragons, placed 3,4,5 and 6 respectively, will be seeking for a much improved performance this weekend, having had the time to review and work on tactics and plans for this weekend.

Missed tackles in the game of 7’s is a cardinal error as many teams were made to pay for slip-up. However all teams would undoubtedly have worked on aspects of the game such as defending in one straight line, minimizing errors and learning from last weekend and will come raring to go this weekend, putting their bodies on the line.

Sri Lanka Super 7’s 2017 Colombo Leg – Day 1

Teams will be hoping squad changes will be minimum but a tweak here and there could help as teams still search for the right combinations. However if things do not go to plan teams will be in jeopardy of sinking further down the table.

Pool “A”

Mobitel Eagles
Walkers CML Vipers
EZY Wolves
Cargills Gladiators

Pool “B”

Softlogic Warriors
Access Kings
KBSL Dragons
Etisalat Panthers

Day one Fixtures