Sri Lanka win Plate title but lose three slots
View(s):ARFU Under-20 Rugby 7sAn underperforming Sri Lanka side had to settle in with the Plate championship at the ARFU Under-20 Sevens Rugby Series after beating Thailand 21-15 in Hong Kong yesterday. Recording their third win of the competition the young Tuskers scored from three converted tries while giving Thailand the opportunity to score thrice through unconverted tries, in a closely contested Plate final. Sri Lanka’s best performance came against Kazakhstan with a 35-5 win in the Plate semi-final after they were forced into this segment with the 19-24 loss against Chinese Taipei in the Cup quarter-finals.
Sri Lanka, competing from Pool ‘B’ alongside Malaysia, China and the United Arab Emirates, were placed third in the group after a win and two defeats. Their first outing against Malaysia was outstanding on Friday. The youngsters won the Pool ‘B’ game by 31-14 but the unexpected were up on the cards later on the day.
China beat Sri Lanka 33-14 but UAE’s performance to hand the Islanders a 12-17 defeat was a total surprise. Sri Lanka took on Chinese Taipei, the second seed team from Pool ‘A’ only to lose the game in a close battle. From then Sri Lanka regrouped to perform better and pocket the Plate championship.
Unbeaten Hong Kong went on to win the Cup championship beating Malaysia 52-7 in the final. China beat Chinese Taipei 33-12 to secure the third place playoff. Kazakhstan recorded a thrilling 24-21 win against the UAE to win the seventh place playoff.
Last week, in the first leg of the ARFU Under-20 Sevens championship, Sri Lanka settled in as the second place losing to Hong Kong in the Cup final 15-29. But injuries forced the team to make replacements thus pushing them down by three places to fifth after the second and final leg.