Sri Lankan rugby team for World Cup Sevens Qualifier

Ranjeeva Seneviratne

The Sri Lanka Sevens rugby team will take part in the Rugby World Cup Sevens Qualifying Tournament in Hong Kong on October 4 and 5, 2008.

The Lankan Sevens Rugby team will also take part in the Singer-Sri Lankan Sevens in Nittawela on September 6 and 7, 2008 which would give them the much needed exposure and should stand them in good stead when they compete in the Rugby World Cup Sevens Qualifier in Hong Kong.

Sri Lanka fared disastrously in the Hong Kong Sevens worked off from March 27 to 31, 2008 in which they lost all three Group matches to Samoa (7-35), England (7-47) and Canada (0-53) before being knocked out in the Bowl quarter-finals losing to Russia (10-35).

The Sri Lankan 15-a-side team will also be involved in the Asian Division one tournament in Chinese Taipei from November 5 to 9, 2008 in which they will compete against China, Singapore and host nation Chinese Taipei with the winners of the tournament being promoted to the Asian Nations Tournament in which Asia's top five teams Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan and Arabian Gulf are taking part.

The Caltex 'A' Division League Rugby Tournament will conclude on July 20 which will be followed by the most prestigious tournament in club rugby - the Clifford Cup knock-out tournament for the Caltex Trophy which will be worked off from July 25 to August 2, 2008.