Sri Lanka rout India after sluggish start to qualifiers for Rugby Asiad. – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE. (eLanka Sports Editor)
Five years in Rugby wilderness did have an impact on Sri Lanka’s standards, but they steadied to rout India 45-10 at the Asian region top tier Rugby qualification at the Racecourse ground in Colombo.
Political interference and issues off the field relegated Sri Lanka Rugby to the sidelines while the country struggled for redress.
With the air cleared now, they have to qualify to play in the Asiad featuring powerhouses Japan, Chinese Taipei, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and other top nations in the region.
The win over India catapulted them into the final with Kazakhstan and indications suggest that Sri Lanka, who has been a fierce competitor in the past, can regain their lost mojo in the fifteen man game.
Political interference and power struggles with administrators in sport is now commonplace in the beleaguered Island nation pushing them back when in full stride. This setback was no different, ending in the former Sports Minister being sacked to restore normalcy or whatever it means in that part of the sporting world.
With a rugby history that spans around 120 years, Sri Lanka have had their glory days especially in 1974 when they stormed into the final of the Rugby Asiad before being beaten by Japan in the final.
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As expected, the hiatus had an effect on the home nation against India as they struggled to find fluency early in the game. It gave the visitors their only moments of glory an a fleeting possibility of an upset when the fired over an early penalty to snatch the lead.
It was to be their last hurrah as Sri Lanka took control with slick moves in the backline backed by a solid effort by their speedy forwards as they ran in three quick tries to give them a 21-3 lead at the short break before sealing their superiority in the second session.
India were by no means disgraced in defeat throwing everything at the Lankans with a courageous defensive effort that rattled their more accomplished opponents.
But the quality of rugby dished out overall by the winning Lankans will not send tremors through the top nations as it was mostly a disjointed and opportunistic performance that will need plenty of fine tuning to compete with the best. Cohesive rugby will be key to them going forward.
In fairness, the conditions underfoot was not conducive for fast open rugby. A Soggy, heavy surface and a wet ball challenged the handling skills of both teams. Under the tough circumstances, the rugby dished out was not the worst.
India made matters worse by missing crucial tackles as the Sri Lankan back line in particular made probing inroads and found gaps and defensive lapses that helped them exaggerate the winning margin.
Tarinda Ratwatte, Murshin Zubair, Charitha Chaturanga and winger Dikkumbura stood out with their exceptional talent.
Sri Lanka lifted the weight of uncertainty after India snatched the lead with a well coordinated driving maul in the 15th minute that had the Indians back peddling and saw Fulasthi Dassanayake sneak away untouched to score.
Another try minutes later gave Sri Lanka the ascendency and the tide quickly changed in the home team’s favour.
India enjoyed territorial advantage despite the score difference but lacked the skill and ability to match the Sri Lankan backline that always looked dangerous in possession.
Sri Lanka now face Kazakhstan in the final and will join the top tier of the Asian circuit at the next Rugby Asiad to follow.
