16.05.2015
Hong Kong scored a last minute try to snatch this game away from Korea. The Koreans suffered a red card during the game and a yellow later in the game. This created opportunities that Hong Kong took. The win was not enough to force Korea off the second place on the table.
Sri Lanka, winner of Division 1, has decided not to challenge Hong Kong for a place in ARC Top 3 2016.
09.05.2015
Philippines v Sri Lanka in Manila (ARC Division 1, Final)
Referee:
Preview
Sri Lanka and the Philippines were the two teams that were demoted to Division 1 following the revamping of the Asia Rugby Championship. So it is no real surprise that they square off to find the winner of Division 1. My understanding is that the winner has the right to challenge, or not, the last placed team in the ARC Top 3. As from 2016, as I understand it, that challenge will be compulsory.
When these two teams met last year Philippines won by one point, a controversial second conversion attempt of a last minute try.
Historically Philippines has the better record and with the home advantage I expect them to win.
Previous Encounters
17.05.2014 Philippines 26-25 in Colombo (WCQ Asia; Asia 5 Nations)
21.04.2012 Philippines 28-18 in Manila (WCQ Asia; Asia Nations Div.1)
GWC Rugby Rankings
Asia Table: Philippines 4th, Sri Lanka 7th
World Rugby Ranking Points
Sri Lanka 46.95, Philippines 45.57
Prediction: Philippines by 13 points. Score 33-20
TEAMS
Philippines Team list not available
Sri Lanka Squad
Randika Alwis (Army Sports Club)
Suhiru Anthony (Navy Sports Club)
Dinusha Chathuranga (Navy Sports Club)
Kavindu de Costa (Havelock Sports Club)
Shehan Dimithri (Kandy Sports Club)
Ganuka Disanayaka (Havelock Sports Club)
Sharo Fernando (Navy Sports Club)
Sandun Herath (Havelock Sports Club)
Kishore Jahan (Kandy Sports Club)
Shahsika Jayawardane
Fazil Marija, Capt. (Kandy Sports Club)
Jason Melder (Havelock Sports Club)
Riza Mubarak (Navy Sports Club)
Achala Perera (Navy Sports Club)
Dulaj Perera (Havelock Sports Club)
Lavanga Perera (Kandy Sports Club)
Dushmantha Priyadarshana (Havelock Sports Club)
Kanchana Ramanayaka (Colombo Rugby & Cricket Club)
Danushka Ranjan (Havelock Sports Club)
Nigel Ratwatte (Kandy Sports Club)
Henry Terence (Navy Sports Club)
Buwanaka Udangamuwa (Kandy Sports Club)
Roshan Weeraratne (Kandy Sports Club)
Dulanjala Wijesinghe (Army Sports Club)
Sean Wijesinghe
Kazakhstan v Singapore (Playoff 3rd-4th)
Referee:
Preview
The stakes are high as the losing team will be relegated to ARC Division 2. It will be a case of the strength of the Kazakh forward pack verses the fleet footed Singapore backs. It’ll be close.
Previous Encounters
09.05.2009 Kazakhstan 22-19 in Singapore (Asia 5 Nations)
08.06.2006 Kazakhstan 29-0 in Singapore (Asia Tournament, Tier 3)
22.11.2002 Singapore 30-14 in Bangkok (Asia Champ., Div.2, Playoff 3rd-4th)
GWC Rugby Rankings
Asia Table: Singapore 5th, Kazakhstan 8th
World Rugby Ranking Points
Kazakhstan 48.91, Singapore 44.54
Prediction: Singapore by 4 points. Score 26-22
TEAMS
Singapore Squad
1 Alvin, Ho Yao Wei (Wanderers RFC) 2 tests
2 Robertson, James (Singapore Cricket Club) 4
3 Leong Rong Xian, Reiner (Oldham RFC) 4
4 Muhammad Hasif Bin Azman (Wanderers RFC) 5
5 Tan Soon Heng, Gaspar (Bedok Kings RFC) 20
6 Lee Chang You (Oldham RFC) Debut
7 Lee Yew Loong, Gabriel (Singapore Cricket Club) 12
8 Julian Albert (XV Gaulois) 4
9 Roberts, Matthew (Wanderers RFC) 5
10 Nick Rose (Wanderers RFC) Debut
11 Mohamed Ashraf Nasser (Saint Andrews RFC) 7
12 Alexander Richard (Bucks RFC) Debut
13 Etheredge, Simon (Singapore Cricket Club) 3
14 Mc Feely, Peter (Singapore Cricket Club) 9
15 Mohammad Suhaimi Bin Amran (Singapore Cricket Club) 11
16 Kay Teck Yuan, Jonathan (Singapore Cricket Club) 1
17 Marah Muhammad Fahmy (Oldham RFC) 2
18 Mohammad Saifuludin Khalid (Wanderers RFC) 1
19 Edward Carne (Dorking RFC, England) 1
20 Graham Stewart (Wanderers RFC) Debut
21 Thomas Child (Wanderers RFC) Debut
22 Groen, Nicholas (Bedok Kings RFC) 10
23 Samuel, Lau Biyong (Bedok Kings) 3
24 Tiah Nan Hong (Wanderers RFC) Debut
25 Mickael Benkimoun (XV Gaulois) Debut
Adapted from http://www.singaporerugby.com/2015/05/s ... u2015.html
Kazakhstan squad not available
Kazakhstan v Singapore in Manila (ARC Div.1, Playoff 3rd-4th)
06.05.2015
Sri Lanka 35, Kazakhstan 14 in Manilla (ARC Div.1, Semi-final 1)
Philippines 20, Singapore17 in Manilla (ARC Div.1, Semi-final 2)-After extra time
Review. Copied directly.
The Philippines and Sri Lanka booked their spots in the Asia Rugby Championship Division I final after opening wins over Singapore and Kazakhstan respectively today at the new Philippine Sports Stadium outside of Manila.
The Philippines and Sri Lanka booked their spots in the Asia Rugby Championship Division I final after opening wins over Singapore and Kazakhstan respectively today at the new Philippine Sports Stadium outside of Manila.
Sri Lanka were made to work hard for their 35-14 win over Kazakhstan, despite having a man advantage for most of the match after Kazakhstan hooker Rustam Kurbanov was shown a red card for stamping after 20 minutes.
Sri Lanka had opened the scoring with two quick tries. Wing Lavanga Perera scored in the 7th minute followed by centre Danushka Ranjan two minutes later. Fullback Riza Mubarak converted the first to push the second seeds to a 12-0 lead after ten minutes.
Kazakhstan rallied for a massive effort despite being reduced to 14 men – and later 13 – when flanker Daulet Akymbekov was sin-binned moments after Kurbanov was ejected.
Sri Lanka could only manage one more try in the first half with Ranjan crossing over to complete an early brace. Mubarak added the conversion to bring the score at the break to 22-7 after Kazakhstan captain Serik Zhanseitov pulled his side back from the brink with a try from in close in the 30th minute. Fullback Ivan Olkhovskiy added the extras for his side.
Kazakhstan struck first in the second half with prop Ruslan Galiyev again scoring off of set piece play where the bulky Kazakh forwards gave them a natural advantage over the fleet Sri Lankans. Olkhovskiy’s conversion closed the deficit further to 22-14.
But the experienced Sri Lankans maintained their composure better in the second half, making Kazakhstan pay for any indiscipline. Sri Lanka slotted two penalties late in the half through Kanchana Ramanayaka and Dulaj Perera to push ahead to 28-14. Perera crossed over for a final try in the last minute. Ramanayaka’s conversion brought the final score to 35-14 and sent Sri Lanka on to the final.
Sri Lanka coach Johan Taylor commented on the result saying, “It wasn’t perfect but the main goal was to win and we achieved that, so we will look at the positives and erase the negatives from this afternoon.
“I thought our handling was pretty good and we did reasonably well in our scrums and lineouts against a bigger Kazakhstan pack. We did well in those three areas and I’m fairly happy with our performance,” Taylor added.
The second semi final was a thrilling encounter with fourth seeds Singapore pushing the hosts and top seed Philippines through two ten-minute periods of sudden death extra time before the result was finally confirmed.
Singapore enjoyed the early run of play, posting a 10-0 lead at halftime after tries from flanker Alexander Cook and winger Tom Child. The hosts meanwhile left several scoring opportunities begging as their handling deserted them for large stretches in the first stanza.
The Volcanoes first try didn’t come until early in the second half when flanker Terry Carroll capitalized on a man advantage after Singapore centre Graham Harkness was sent to the sin bin. Captain Oliver Saunders added the conversion to close the gap to 7-10.
But the Volcanoes then conceded their brief advantage as no 8 Ashley Heward was binned for failing to wrap in the tackle. Harkness returned from his spell in the bin to help spark Singapore’s first try of the second half, figuring in a nice flowing move that eventually put prop James Robertson over for the try. Scrumhalf Suhaimi Amran added the extras to push Singapore out to 17-7 with 20 minutes remaining.
The game came into its own in the last quarter with both sides pushing desperately for the win. Reserve wing Alex Aronson entered the match in the 60th minute for the home side and would prove to be the difference maker.
Aronson coolly slotted his first penalty in the 32nd minute to close the gap to 17-10 and was again on the spot in the 40th minute to cap some good work in close by the Volcanoes with a nice jinking run that brought the hosts to within two points of Singapore. Aronson converted his own try to level the scores as regulation time expired, sending the game into extra time.
Singapore attacked furiously in the first ten minutes of extra time but the Philippines defence held fast, leaving the score still drawn through 90 minutes and pushing the match into a second ten-minute golden point period.
Inspired by a large and vocal audience, the Volcanoes finally found some space against a brave Singapore defence with a series of sustained attacks that forced Singapore to concede a penalty. Aronson converted the penalty from just outside the Singapore 22 metre line to give his side a memorable win and send them through to the final against Sri Lanka on Saturday (18.00 Philippines time).
Although Singapore staked its claim today and were in contention to the last the final will be a fitting affair as the Philippines and Sri Lanka were both part of the former Asian Five Nations Top Five format last year.
In 2014, the Volcanoes pipped Sri Lanka 27-26 – benefiting from successfully being able to re-take a conversion of another last-gasp try after Sri Lanka had prematurely charged a failed first attempt to eke out an away win in Colombo and finish fourth behind Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea.
In 2015 both Sri Lanka and the Philippines were relegated due to the revamped format where the premier Division is now reserved for the top three sides - Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea, playing on a home-and-away format.
Fittingly the two sides will again face off to see who can claim boasting rights as the top Asian team outside of the premier competition.
http://www.arfu.com/news/2015/05/top-5- ... division-i
Saturday’s Fixtures
Sri Lanka v Philippines (Final)
Kazakhstan v Singapore (Playoff 3rd-4th)
6 –9 May
Image thanks to https://www.facebook.com/PhilippineRugby
Philippine Sports Stadium.
Image thanks to https://www.facebook.com/PhilippineRugby
The Asia Rugby Championship Division 1 is being played in Manila.It has come as a surprise that this is the only ARC tournament that is not round robin.
Sri Lanka and the hosts The Philippines are the favoured teams. Singapore are always strong. Kazakhstan were strong a few years back but their standard has slipped.
Day two on Saturday will see the winners playoff for the Division 1 title whilst the two losing teams will fight it out to avoid relegation.
Games Day One
Sri Lanka v Kazakhstan
Referee:
Last Five Encounters
06.04.2013 Sri Lanka 49-18 in Colombo (WCQ Asia; Asia Nations Div.1)
15.05.2011 Kazakhstan 34-18 in Almaty (Asia 5 Nations)
10.11.2007 Kazakhstan 24-17 in Colombo (Asiad Cup)
08.05.2007 Kazakhstan 71-6 in Almaty (Asia Nations Div.2)
12.11.2005 Sri Lanka 24-12 in Almaty (WCQ Asia D3 playoff, 2nd leg)
The rivalry between these two nations goes back to 2002.
GWC Rugby Rankings
Asia Table: Sri Lanka 7th, Kazakhstan 8th
World Rugby Ranking Points
Kazakhstan 48.91, Sri Lanka 46.95
Prediction: Sri Lanka by 15 points. Score 41-26
TEAMS
The Sri Lanka 15s squad:
Randika Alwis (Army Sports Club)
Suhiru Anthony (Navy Sports Club)
Dinusha Chathuranga (Navy Sports Club)
Kavindu de Costa (Havelock Sports Club)
Shehan Dimithri (Kandy Sports Club)
Ganuka Disanayaka (Havelock Sports Club)
Sharo Fernando (Navy Sports Club)
Sandun Herath (Havelock Sports Club)
Kishore Jahan (Kandy Sports Club)
Shahsika Jayawardane
Fazil Marija, Capt. (Kandy Sports Club)
Jason Melder (Havelock Sports Club)
Riza Mubarak (Navy Sports Club)
Achala Perera (Navy Sports Club)
Dulaj Perera (Havelock Sports Club)
Lavanga Perera (Kandy Sports Club)
Dushmantha Priyadarshana (Havelock Sports Club)
Kanchana Ramanayaka (Colombo Rugby & Cricket Club)
Danushka Ranjan (Havelock Sports Club)
Nigel Ratwatte (Kandy Sports Club)
Henry Terence (Navy Sports Club)
Buwanaka Udangamuwa (Kandy Sports Club)
Roshan Weeraratne (Kandy Sports Club)
Dulanjala Wijesinghe (Army Sports Club)
Sean Wijesinghe
Stand by
Ashoka Jayalal (Army Sports Club)
Hirantha Perera
Rohan Theagarajah (Havelock Sports Club)
Reserves
Rahul de Silva (Colombo Rugby & Cricket Club)
Anuradha Herath (Colombo Rugby & Cricket Club)
Ganidu Lakshan
Kazakhstan Squad not available
Philippines v Singapore
Referee:
Preview
Singapore spent a week in Perth preparing for this game. They played Western Force ‘A’.
Previous Encounter
15.04.2012 Philippines 37-20 in Manilla (WCQ Asia; Asia Nations Div.1)
GWC Rugby Rankings
Asia Table: Philippines 4th, Singapore 5th
World Rugby Ranking Points
Philippines 45.57, Singapore 44.54
Prediction: Philippines by 12 points. Score 30-18
TEAMS
Philippines
15. Gareth Holegate (Alabang Eagles) 27, 3
14. Jeff Gregson (Broadstreet RFC, England) 26, 3
13. Timothy Bweheni (Alabang Eagles) 28, 2
12. Justin Coveney (West Red Sparks, Japan) 29, 16
11. Harry Morris (Alabang Eagles) 30, 10
10. Oliver Saunders, (Capt.) (Easts RFC, Sydney, NSW) 28, 15
9. Jake Letts (Alabang Eagles) 27, 23
8. Steven Howorth (Cornish All Blacks RFC, England) 24, 10
7. Benjamin Mudie (Alabang Eagles ) 24, Debut
6. Terry Carroll (Northern Outlaws, Noosa, Queensland) 23, 6
5. Ashley Heward (Burgess Hill RFC, England) 21, 4
4. David Feeney (Manila Nomads) 30, 7
3. Matthew Bellenie (Brighton RFC, England) 25, 7
2. Michael Duhig (Brothers OBRC, Queensland) 29, 17
1. Austin Dacanay (Tampa Krewe RFC, Florida, USA) 38, 22
Replacements
16. Masayuki Sekiguchi (Alabang Eagles) 33, 1
17. Philip Abraham (Abu Dhabi Harlequins RFC, UAE) 31, 10
18. David Robinson-Polkey (Maungarua RFC, New Zealand) 26, 7
19. Fred Morris (Pavours RFC, England) 28, 6
20. Christopher Anderson (Manila Nomads) 31, 4
21. Cleo Gomez (Gordon RFC, NSW) 26, 7
22. Daniel Matthews (Eastwood RFC, Sydney, NSW) 22, Debut
23. Alexander Aronson (CBRE Mavericks) 24, 8
Head Coach: Stu Woodhouse
Information thanks to Jake Letts, Philippines RFU
Team list from https://www.facebook.com/PhilippineRugby
Singapore Squad
1 Alvin, Ho Yao Wei (Wanderers RFC) 2 tests
2 Robertson, James (Singapore Cricket Club) 4
3 Leong Rong Xian, Reiner (Oldham RFC) 4
4 Muhammad Hasif Bin Azman (Wanderers RFC) 5
5 Tan Soon Heng, Gaspar (Bedok Kings RFC) 20
6 Lee Chang You (Oldham RFC) Debut
7 Lee Yew Loong, Gabriel (Singapore Cricket Club) 12
8 Julian Albert (XV Gaulois) 4
9 Roberts, Matthew (Wanderers RFC) 5
10 Nick Rose (Wanderers RFC) Debut
11 Mohamed Ashraf Nasser (Saint Andrews RFC) 7
12 Alexander Richard (Bucks RFC) Debut
13 Etheredge, Simon (Singapore Cricket Club) 3
14 Mc Feely, Peter (Singapore Cricket Club) 9
15 Mohammad Suhaimi Bin Amran (Singapore Cricket Club) 11
16 Kay Teck Yuan, Jonathan (Singapore Cricket Club) 1
17 Marah Muhammad Fahmy (Oldham RFC) 2
18 Mohammad Saifuludin Khalid (Wanderers RFC) 1
19 Edward Carne (Dorking RFC, England) 1
20 Graham Stewart (Wanderers RFC) Debut
21 Thomas Child (Wanderers RFC) Debut
22 Groen, Nicholas (Bedok Kings RFC) 10
23 Samuel, Lau Biyong (Bedok Kings) 3
24 Tiah Nan Hong (Wanderers RFC) Debut
25 Mickael Benkimoun (XV Gaulois) Debut
Management
Head Coach - Afeaki Inoke Unaanga
Assistant Coach - Forrester, James
Assistant Backs Coach - Mee, Casey Jonathan
Manager – Yazid Rosli
Head Physio - Walter, Joan Margaret
Physio – Sam Brennan
Adapted from http://www.singaporerugby.com/2015/05/s ... u2015.html
17.05.2014
Japan v Korea in Incheon (Asia Five Nations)
Sri Lanka v Philippines in Colombo (Asia Five Nations)
Preview
Sadly there is not a lot at stake in the above two nations. Next year’s Asia Elite will only consist of Japan, Hong Kong and Korea. Sri Lanka and the Philippines will be in the First Division along with the top Division 1 teams from this year.
Predictions
I can’t see Korea getting anywhere near Japan after their 30-point loss to Hong Kong last weekend. Hong Kong are probably a 20-30 point scoreline below Japan on a good day so I’m predicting an easy win to Japan.
Japan by 30 points.
Sri Lanka and The Philippines will be a lot closer. Sri Lanka gets the nod as they are playing at home. Sri Lanka by 20 points
03.05.2014
Japan v Philippines in Makatai (WCQ Asia; Asia 5 Nations)
Sri Lanka v Hong Kong in Colombo (WCQ Asia; Asia 5 Nations)
Briefly
There should not be any surprises from round two of this competition. Japan is the outright favourite to both take the title and gain automatic progression to the 2015 Rugby World Cup Finals. The real tussle will be for second place with Korea and Hong Kong the contenders. For the other two teams it will be a matter of survival.
The Philippines were whipped 0-108 by Hong Kong last week. They had ,by Philippines standard, a very inexperienced side especially up front. This situation will continue today against Japan. Their top players are not expected to arrive and take up their positions until the later games. To keep Japan to under 100 points will be nothing short of a miracle. Japan’s main hurdles to overcome is the travel, the heat in Manilla and what looks like a below standard venue and ground. (Can’t find the picture of the ground I saw on one of the forums)
Hong Kong will have a slightly more difficult encounter when they travel to Colombo. They have introduced a few fringe players giving all their squad a run in the first two days. This will be in Sri Lanka’s favour. Sri Lanker will be a lot wiser having got that first game over with and will be tougher playing on their home turf.
Predictions
Japan by 95 v Philippines
Hong Kong by 30 v Sri Lanka
Teams
Japan
1-Masataka Mikami (Toshiba Brave Lupus, 15 caps) 2-Hiroki Yuhara (Toshiba Brave Lupus, 13 caps) 3-Kensuke Hatakeyama (Suntory Sungoliath, 50 caps) 4-Justin Ives (Canon Eagles, 16 caps) 5-Shoji Ito (Kobelco Steelers, 18 caps) 6-Hendrik Tui (Suntory Sungoliath, 18 caps) 7-(c) Michael Leitch (Toshiba Brave Lupus, 29 caps) 8-Hayden Hopgood (Kamaishi Sea Waves, 0 cap) 9-Atsushi Hiwasa (Suntory Sungoliath, 30 caps) 10-Yu Tamura (NEC Green Rockets, 17 caps) 11-Kotaro Matsushima (Suntory Sungoliath, 0 cap) 12-Ryoto Nakamura (Suntory Sungoliath, un cap) 13-Daishi Murata (Suntory Sungoliath, 0 cap) 14-Yoshikazu Fujita (Waseda, 12 caps) 15-Ayumu Goromaru (Yamaha Jubilo, 33 caps)
Remplaçants:
16-Yusuke Nagae (Toyota Shokki Shuttles, 15 caps) 17-Takeshi Kizu (Kobelco Steelers, 22 caps) 18-Hiroshi Yamashita (Kobelco Steelers, 29 caps) 19-Hitoshi Ono (Toshiba Brave Lupus, 77 caps) 20-Kyosuke Horie (Yamaha Jubilo, 0 cap) 21-Keisuke Uchida (Panasonic Wild Knights, 4 caps) 22-Yasuki Hayashi (Panasonic Wild Knights, 0 cap) 23-Toshiaki Hirose (Toshiba Brave Lupus, 18 caps)
Head Coach: Eddie Jones
http://www.japonrugby.net/le-xv-japonais-face-aux-philippines-2014.php
![2010-Philippine-National-Mens-15s[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv23JAY0VHLJR7vfMt7VQQeHsr0GDK0s8LqHr9CjCv09UOrt0OU0YJZQQsjy8pzPsuU03c7fCiTk0BFpRqRunGoizk76afwbFBDjxTUT2Jqr0nYQrsjMDlhpbcPjAb1jX27z8YRWTxdwM/s1600-h/2010-Philippine-National-Mens-15s%25255B1%25255D%25255B3%25255D.jpg "2010-Philippine-National-Mens-15s[1]")
Philippines
1. Robinson-Polkey, David Paz
2. Dacanay, Austin Garnica (Vice Captain)
3. Sinclair, Philip
4. Feeney, David
5. Howorth, Stephen Pagtalunan
6. Anderson, Christopher
7. Bweheni, Timothy
8. Bennetts, Samuel Tuplias
9. Letts, Jake Robrigado
10. Saunders, Oliver Abalos (Captain)
11. Stern, Kenneth Capinpin
12. Coveney, Justin Villazor
13. Saunders, Matthew Abalos
14. Morris, Harry Dionson
15. Aronson, Alexander Norona
16. Power, Glenn Morados (FR)
17. Mitra, Fergus (FR)
18. Melrose, Daniel Apale (FR)
19. Heward, Ashley Matias
20. Seeto, Darran Centillas
21. Gomez, Cleo Ferrer
22. Atandi, Evans
23. Hamilton, John Nebrija
‘No. 7 Tim Bweheni makes his first cap for the Volcano 15s (Volcano #105). He's been a talent on the 7s squad and played matches against HK 'A'. I believe he used to be a wing so openside is an interesting position to see him, I've seen some wings move to the pack before with good results because these guys can cover a lot of ground. Unfortunately, for the forward pack, if you thought they had issues last week well they're gonna in even deeper waters Saturday.
Scrumhalf Jake Letts will extend his caps record to 21 caps (all consecutive) out of 22 Volcano tests. Prop/hooker Austin Dacanay right behind with his 20th cap tomorrow.
Flyhalf Oli Saunders was on trial with Saracens, don't know he's still in their sights or not. 11 Harry Morris makes first 15s appearance since 2010, has played tons of 7s for Volcanoes. He has either 7 or 8 caps, missing a team sheet from a game. Rest of backline is same. It is a very good backline, if they can get clean, quick ball. I know Eddie Jones is very respectful of their backline.
Evan Atandi (2011 U18 Volcanoes head coach) if he gets on would make his first cap, as would John Hamilton, become Volcano numbers 106 and 107.’
Thanks to Martin Dunham at http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4221&start=450
Probable Sri Lanka squad to play with Hong Kong
Props: Shehan Dimithri (Navy) and Terence Henry (Havelock)
Hooker: Namal Rajapaksa (C)(Navy)
Locks: Sharo Fernando (Havelock) and Suhiru Anthony (Navy)
Third row: Danushka Perera (Navy), Yoshitha Rajapaksa (Navy) and Dushanth Lewke (CR & FC)
Scrum Half: Roshan Weeraratne (Kandy)
Fly half: Fazil Marija (Kandy)
Centres: Apisai Naqaliva and Joseph Dunn (Fiji)
Wingers: Sandun Herath (Havelock) and Nuwan Hettiarachchi (Navy)
Full back: Waqavulagi Emori (Fiji)
Reserves- Heshan Kalhara, Bilal Hassan, Sudharshan Muththanthri, Hasith Perera, Srinath Sooriyabandara, Chanaka Chandimal, Dinusha Chathuranga and Lee Keegel.
http://www.thepapare.com/index.php/rugb ... -hong-kong
Hong Kong Squad for Sri Lanka:
1. Leon WEI, Hon Sum, 2. Thomas BOLLAND, 3. James COOPER, 4. Jack DELAFORCE, 5. Paul DWYER, 6. Nicholas HEWSON (Captain), 7. Matt LAMMING, 8. Pale TAUTI, 9. Jamie HOOD, 10. Chris MCADAM, 11. Rowan VARTY, 12. Jake PHELPS, 13. Lloyd JONES, 14. Tom MCQUEEN, 15. Tom MCCOLL, 16. Alex NG, Wai Shing, 17. Steve NOLAN, 18. Alex HARRIS, 19. Bill BRANT, 20. Alex BADDELEY, 21. Peter MCKEE, 22. Alex MCQUEEN, 23. Nick WHEATLEY.
26.04.2014
Hong Kong 108, Philippines 0 in Hong Kong (WCQ Asia; Asia 5 Nations)
Korea 59, Sri Lanka 3 in Seoul (WCQ Asia; Asia 5 Nations)
Briefly
The above results confirm for me the outdated arrangement for Elite rugby in Asia. Teams like Hong Kong, Korea and Japan are way above the level of the other teams. It is time for a fresh arrangement.
I would envisage Korea and Hong Kong joining the Pacific Nations Cup with Japan. I would place Hong Kong ‘A’, Japan Development XV and Korea ‘A’ into a new Asia Nations Division 1
Whilst Japan had a bye they used the gap in the calendar to put on a less than convincing display, going down to a Asia Pacific Dragons XV 29-35 in Osaka in a Non-test international game.
26.04.2014
Hong Kong v Philippines in Hong Kong (WCQ Asia; Asia 5 Nations)
Korea v Sri Lanka in Seoul (WCQ Asia; Asia 5 Nations)
Preview
Japan is at very short odds to take out this championship for the fifth year in a row and remain undefeated in that time. In doing so they should occupy the Asia 1 position at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Up for grabs is second place. Traditionally that should be fought out between Korea and Hong Kong. It has only been in the last two seasons that we have seen Korea climb back to being the No.2 side in Asia.
Korea faces newly promoted Sri Lanka at home in what should be a comfortable win for them. It will be interesting to see what standard the Sri Lankans bring to the field.
The Philippines survived their first year at the Elite level of Asian rugby. They have continued to improve and have brought in players from USA and Australia. I would expect Hong Hong to be too strong at home for the visitors.
Predictions
Hong Kong by 60 v Philippines
Korea by 30 v Sri Lanka
01.11.2013
Poland v Sri Lanka in Colombo (IRB Serendib Tri-Nations)
02.11.2013
England v Australia at Twickenham
New Zealand v Japan in Tokyo
Ukraine v Sweden in Kiev (WCQ Europe R4: ENC 1B)
Belgium v Tunisia in Tubize (Friendly)
Lithuania v Malta in (Vilnius) (ENC 2A)
Croatia v Switzerland in Split (ENC 2A)
Denmark v Israel in Odense (ENC 2B)
03.11.2013
New Zealand Maoris v Canada in Toronto
Briefly
The crazy world of test rugby in November begins on Saturday with the England-Australia test kicking off at Twickenham. New Zealand plays Japan in Japan on their way to Europe. Belgium plays Tunisia in a friendly whilst the other games are all ENC matches.
I will be away on a short holiday this weekend. The next update will be Monday evening.
26.10.2013
Venue: Colombo Racecourse Ground
Referee:
Preview
This tournament is another Cross-Continental clash of nations who have a similar IRB ranking. We have seen in 2012 such tournaments in Namibia and for the last two years in the United Arab Emirates. The other nation competing is Poland. That means Europe, Africa and Asia are represented.
The IRB Ranking points are Poland 55.64, Sri Lanka 49.88 and Madagascar 48.04.
Needless to say that none of these nations has played the other previously. All three nations are in which a chance still to qualify for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Madagascar were promoted to the Africa Cup 1A division in 2012 and retained its place in that division in 2013, losing to Zimbabwe 18-38 but defeating Uganda 48-32. By remaining in Division 1A they have a chance at grabbing the Africa 2 place at the World Cup Finals.
Sri Lanka were promoted to Asia 5 Nations in 2014 after emphatically winning the Asia Nations Division 1 this year, defeating Chinese Taipei 39-8, Thailand 45-7 and Kazakhstan 49-18. By this promotion they now have a chance at obtaining the Asia 2 position.
Poland plays in the European Nations Cup Division 1B which is the second Tier in European rugby. They are at present battling for the top place in ENC 1B which would mean a World Cup playoff against either Netherlands or Israel.
So to this match. It will be difficult to predict but the home side will have a definite advantage.On paper neither side has been able to call upon their full squad for this tournament so it could go either way.
Prediction: Sri Lanka by 7 points
TEAMS
Sri Lanka Squad
Front Row
Namal Rajapaksa (Navy SC) (Captain)
Eranga Swarnathilake (Navy SC)
Achala Perera (Kandy SC)
Bilal Hassan (Navy SC)
Henry Terance (Havelock SC)
Ananda Jayalal (Army SC)
Duminda Pullikuttiarachi (Navy SC)
Dushmantha Priyadarshana (Havelock SC)
Second Row
Hasitha Perera (Up Country Lions)
Sajith Saranga (Navy SC)
Sathya Ranatunga (Navy SC)
Flankers
Sharo Fernando (Havelock SC)
Danushka Perera (Navy SC)
Ishan Noor (Colombo Rugby & Football Club)
Rohitha Rajapaksa (Navy SC)
Scrum Halves
Rehan Weerakoon (Navy SC)
Kavindu de Costa (?)
Fly Halves
Niroshan Fernando (Havelock SC)
Fazil Marija (Kandy SC)
Dave Anand (Navy SC)
Centers
Lavanka Perera (?)
Dinusha Chathuranga (Navy SC)
Pradeep Liyanage (Kandy SC)
Lee Keegal (?)
Wingers
Sadun Herath (Havelock SC)
Chamara Dabare (Havelock SC)
Fullback
Riza Mubarak (Navy SC)
Nuwan Hettiarachi (Kandy SC)
Adapted from http://www.rugby.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=421:sl-squad-announced&catid=28:serendib-cup&Itemid=352 and http://www.rugby.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=373&Itemid=345
Madagascar Squad
Marson Vonjiniaina Andriamananjara (FT Manjakaray)
Christian Andrianjaka (US Ankadifotsy)
Nirina Jacky Bayard (Iarivo RC)
José Rakoto Harison (3FB)
Juliot Mahavy (UASC)
Dimbiniaina Jean Willy Rabemanjara (UASC)
Romuald Rafaralahy (3FB)
Michale Raharijaona (TFM Ankasina)
Serge Rajoelina (FT Manjakaray)
Benjaniaina Rakotoarivelo (TFM Ankasina)
Hasina Rakotoarivelo (US Ikopa)
Alain Rakotonirina (3FB)
Tolotra Mampionontsoa Rakotoson (COSFA)
Deraniaina Rakotozafy (STM)
Tolotra Ramaromiantso (3FB)
Rodolphe Randriamanantena (COSFA)
Guy Rolland Randriamiarana (US Ikopa)
Tahiana Hery Zo Randrianarisoa (3FB)
Haja Randrianambinina (3FB)
Herizo Rasoanaivo (Iarivo RC)
Tiana Nirina Ravelomanantsoa (Iarivo RC)
Tolotra Claudio Ravelonomenjanahary (US Ankadifotsy)
Bernard Razafindranaivo (3FB)
Maminandrasana Solomampionona (US Ankadifotsy)
TEST RUGBY FEATURE MATCH No.1
Kazakhstan v Sri Lanka (WCQ Asia; Asia Nations Division 1
06.04.2013
Media release for Sean Moore, Asia RFU
Chance for spot in final Rugby World Cup 2015 Asian qualifier up for grabs at HSBC A5N Division One championship in Colombo
[Colombo, Friday, 5 April]: With the stakes sky-high, Kazakhstan coach and former captain Timur Mashurov is mulling coming out of retirement and donning his boots for Saturday’s HSBC Asian Five Nations (HSBC A5N) Top 5-or-bust encounter against Sri Lanka.
Mashurov, who last captained Kazakhstan in 2011, has been forced into the decision after lock-forward Anton Makarenko was suspended for three weeks for a dangerous tackle on a Chinese Taipei opponent which earned him a red card during Wednesday’s 42-10 victory.
“We only travelled with 24 players and cannot bring anyone in from Almaty in time. As a contingency, I have included myself in the squad and most probably will play at No.8 if required,” said Mashurov underlining the importance Kazakhstan is placing on winning this final game in the HSBC A5N Division One competition.
Kazakhstan not only has to win, but they have to win handsomely by scoring a minimum of four tries, to secure the all-important bonus point, and at the same time they have to prevent Sri Lanka from picking up a bonus point themselves – by either finishing within seven points of Kazakhstan or scoring four tries themselves.
Asanga Seneviratne, president of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union commented on the importance of tomorrow’s game saying, “If we lost and still progressed on standings points alone, we will take it. But our aim is to win and earn promotion to the Top Five next year in a Sri Lankan rugby style. That’s the sort of mood our players are in.”
SLRFU President Asanga Seneviratne speaking at today's press confernece. TPE coach Chang Wei-Cheng is on his left and Sri Lanka coach Ravin duPlessis is on his right.
Sri Lanka head the four team tournament – Thailand and Chinese Taipei meet in a relegation battle – with 12 points after the opening two matches, having secured vital bonus points in both wins over Taipei (39-8) and Thailand (45-7). Kazakhstan is second on six points and need the maximum six points (five points for the win and a bonus point) to draw level with Sri Lanka.
If both teams are tied on points, the decision as to who will be promoted into the elite division for next year’s World Cup qualifying campaign will be decided on the head-to-head result, leaving Kazakhstan in with a chance.
“There is no reason why we cannot get back to the Top Five,” Mashurov said. “We have got used to the heat of Colombo and the players are confident.”
Recent history favours Kazakhstan. On the last two occasions they have met, the Central Asian republic has won both games, beating Sri Lanka in a Top Five encounter in 2011 (34-18). Sri Lanka’s only win over Kazakhstan was in 2006, when they won a World Cup qualifying match.
But Sri Lankan coach Ravin du Plessis believes the home fans and conditions will help boost the hosts who have been in sizzling form having scored 11 tries, all but one from their backs.
The only try scored by a forward has come from skipper and openside flanker Yoshitha Rajapaksa whose inspired leadership has given momentum to the team.
“Playing in front of your own fans will help the team. If they are not stimulated by that excitement, then they shouldn’t be playing the game,” said South African du Plessis.
With a proud 100-year-plus history of the game, Sri Lanka one of the founder-members of the Asian Rugby Football Union – which is celebrating its 45th year this year – will be intent on giving the fans a reason to cheer.
And Du Plessis believes his team has the right ingredients for victory. “Speed is our greatest asset and we have the ability to run the ball from anywhere and attack from anywhere.
“But we need an 80-minute performance. In both our previous two games, we have played well in patches. We need to finish it off now,” Du Plessis added.
Top table guests L to R Timur Mashurov (KAZ), Chang Wei-cheng (TPE), Asanga Seviratne (SLRFU Pres), Ravin duPlessis (SRI), Tanyavit Kuasing (THA).
The original ARFU Asian Champions Trophy is presented to the winners of the HSBC A5N Division I.
Prediction: Sri Lanka by 5 points
Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan set up HSBC A5N Division I Showdown
Press release via Sean Moore ASRFU
[Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 3 2013]: Sri Lanka kept their World Cup dreams alive and stayed on course towards reaching the HSBC Asian Five Nations (HSBC A5N) Top Five competition – Asia’s World Cup qualifiers - next year with a convincing 45-7 win over Thailand on Wednesday.
The hosts made it two-from-two and kept their unbeaten run alive in the HSBC A5N Division One competition, but more importantly secured their second consecutive bonus point running in six tries, which keeps them on top of the four-team standings with maximum points (12 points) from their two matches.
“We have one more step to take before we can start celebrating,” said Sri Lanka captain and openside flanker Yoshitha Rajapaksa. “But I’m happy with the way we are playing. It was a much-improved performance from our opening game.”
An exhilarating display of open rugby from Sri Lanka’s fleet-footed backs, who accounted for all of the tries, plus a dominant pack which ruled the set pieces, gave Sri Lanka the freedom to rule unhindered at Havelocks Sports Club.
If their opening 39-8 win over Chinese-Taipei was a Jekyll-and-Hyde performance – the side only coming alive in the second-half with five tries – the Thailand performance was complete, although the home team seemed to take the foot off the pedal once they scored their fourth try and was ensured of a bonus point.
Winger Sandun Herath and centre Pradeep Liyanage grabbed a brace each while scrum-half Roshan Weerarathna and winger Chamara Dabare also dotted down for a try apiece as Sri Lanka gave the capacity crowd of 4,800 a feast of running rugby. Fullback Reza Mubarak was also in fine form with the boot, collecting 15 points from three penalties and three conversions.
“Our backs played well and used the possession very well. Our target was to get the bonus point and we knew we had to score tries,” said Rajapaksa.
Sri Lanka cruised past Thailand in Rd 2 of the HSBC A5N Division I competition.
A change in strategy off the pitch helped Kazakhstan regain its confidence and composure on the pitch as they bounced back from their opening game shock loss to Thailand with a convincing 42-10 victory over Chinese-Taipei in the opening match of the day.
Fullback Maxim Lifontov gave a master-class in goal-kicking as he knocked over six penalties and two conversions to collect a personal haul of 22 points as Kazakhstan overcame the torrid temperatures of Colombo.
Kazakhstan fullback Maxim Lifontov paced his team to victory today over Chinese Taipei with 22 points.
Unlike in their opening game, Kazakhstan warmed up in the air-conditioned comfort of their dressing room and only came out minutes before the kick-off fresh and intent on wiping out the memories of their first-ever defeat by Thailand in international rugby on Sunday last.
“We have been training early in the morning, at six am, and trying to avoid staying in the sun as much as possible. I think we are also getting used to the heat and it showed in a much-improved performance today,” said Kazakhstan coach Timur Mashurov.
Kazakhstan led 26-0 at the break thanks to a much-improved performance from the forwards led strongly by flanker Oleg Guselnikov (who played at scrumhalf in the loss to Thailand last Sunday) and No.8 and skipper Serik Zhanseitov.
Two early penalties from Lifontov settled nerves before tries from centre Alexandr Zakharov, flyhalf Daulet Akymbekov and captain Zhanseitov extended the lead with Lifontov adding a conversion and another penalty.
The pick of the opening half burst was the last try by Zhanseitov who was on hand to complete a lovely break by lock Grigoriy Ivanchenko who peeled from the back of a lineout 40 metres out. A powerful burst down the middle caught the defence napping before an inside pass sent Zhanseitov untouched to the tryline.
Kazakhstan captain Serik Zhanseitove led his team back into contention at the HSBC A5N D1 Rugby championship in Colombo.
Akymbekov grabbed his second try soon after the break to ensure Kazakhstan would get a vital bonus point for scoring four tries. Lifontov then took over, knocking over every opportunity as Kazakhstan eased off, intent on keeping their energy levels.
Chinese-Taipei scored two consolation tries through Chung Po-yan and Ho Ming-hsien despite losing winger Chen Chifi-kang to a red card. Down to 14 men, the pressure eased off on Kazakhstan as they rang in the changes to give their top players a rest.
“Our idea from the outset was to secure a bonus point by scoring four tries and I’m happy we did it with the minimum fuss,” said a pleased Mashurov.
But he was less than pleased to see influential lock forward Anton Makarenko picking up a red card for a spear tackle on Taipei’s Chuan Wen-hao. Makarenko is set to miss the next match against Sri Lanka on Saturday.
“It will be a huge loss. He is a key player and a ball-winning forward,” said Mashurov. “But we are now in a position to win this tournament. Our fate is in our hands.”
The winner of Division One will earn promotion to the elite HSBC A5N Top Five competition next year.
Sri Lanka top the standings on 12 points (five points for each win plus two bonus points for scoring four or more tries in their matches); Kazakhstan is on six points (five for the win plus a bonus point for scoring over four tries today); Thailand is on five points from their opening win over Kazakhstan while Chinese Taipei has yet to get on the table.
Both Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan have a chance to be promoted to next year’s Top 5. A straight win for Sri Lanka over Kazakhstan will see them promoted, while Kazakhstan need to a bonus point win over the hosts this Saturday (April 6) while holding Sri Lanka without a bonus point to be promoted.
World Cup Qualifying Asia
03.04.2013
Kazakhstan 42, Chinese Taipei 5 in Colombo (WCQ Asia; Asia Nations Div. 1)
Sri Lanka 45, Thailand 7 in Colombo (WCQ Asia; Asia Nations Division 1)
Briefly
Day 2 results saw a complete turnaround of fortunes. Kazakhstan played its way back into tournament winners contention. They stepped up a notch or two against Chinese Taipei and set up a virtual final with Sri Lanka come Saturday.
Thailand could not repeat their Saturday performance against hosts Sri Lanka.
It’s all set up for Saturday. All games are crucial. Sri Lanka v Kazakhstan in a final with the winner (Kazakhstan will need to defeat Sri Lanka by greater points though) going in to Asia 5 Nations in 2014 and a crack at a place in the 2015 Rugby World Cup finals.
Thailand and Chinese Taipei will play to remain in Division 1 or be relegated to Division 2. Chinese Taipei’s task will much more difficult than Thailand as Thailand has a win in hand. Without doing the maths Chinese Taipei would need to win by about 40 points to avoid relegation.
Round II of the HSBC A5N Division I / Rugby World Cup 2015 Asian Qualifiers set for kick-off in Sri Lanka
Captains of the four teams in Sri Lanka
[Hong Kong, April 2, 2013]: The second round of the 2013 HSBC Asian Five Nations (HSBC A5N) Division I championship kicks off tomorrow at Havelocks RFC in Colombo, Sri Lanka as Kazakhstan take on Chinese Taipei and hosts Sri Lanka face surprise first round winners Thailand.
Thailand upended Kazakhstan 33-10 in the opening match of this year’s HSBC A5N Division I raising the stakes for the top seeds in this year’s tournament Kazakhstan.
The world was a different place back in 2007, the last time Kazakhstan visited Sri Lanka for the former Asian Rugby Football Tournament. The island nation was struggling to put down the separatist Tigers, one reason why Asian powers like Japan stayed away from the last edition of the biennial Asian Rugby Football Tournament, which has since been supplanted by the annual HSBC Asian Five Nations now in its sixth year.
“We won that last Asian Championship and we will forever be known in history as the last team to do that,” said a proud Timur Mashurov, coach of the class of 2013, but captain back in 2007.
“Yes, Japan stayed away, but a win is a win,” Mashurov grinned cheekily. “We are happy to be the last champions.”
If only life was as simple for his team today. Kazakhstan face a do-or-die battle against Chinese-Taipei on Wednesday at the Havelocks Sports Club, a position they are in thanks to their opening day loss to Thailand in the four-team competition in Colombo.
Playing in searing hot conditions, Kazakhstan stumbled to a shock defeat at the hands of un-fancied Thailand who defeated the Central Asian team for the first time in their history.
“The heat was the problem and it will be our biggest obstacle against Chinese-Taipei too,” Mashurov said. “Against Thailand, my players were making mistakes simply because they were exhausted. Twice we knocked on the ball inside the Thai try-line area. All we had to do was to touch down and we could have sealed the result. But we were tired and made mistakes.”
The stark change in conditions is underlined by the fact that it is presently minus zero and snowing in Kazakhstan, who were demoted from the Top Five competition last year and are desperate to get back into the company of the big boys for the final stage of Asia’s Rugby World Cup qualifiers which will be contested in the Top 5 in 2014.
“We came from one extreme to the other. No wonder my players struggled,” said Mashurov.
Although the conditions are likely to be overcast, Mashurov can expect the heat to be on again. As such Kazakhstan will change its game plan for Chinese-Taipei.
“We will do our arm-up inside the dressing room and try to keep out of the sun as much as possible. We made the mistake of warming up for 30 minutes before the Thailand game out on the pitch and that sapped our energy levels,” Mashurov said.
Kazakhstan, who is fielding eight debutants in the 23-man squad, will also try and keep the game with their heavier forwards, keeping it as tight as possible.
“We have to win this match with a bonus point, and then everything can be solved against Sri Lanka on Saturday. We haven’t lost to them in recent years and I’m confident we can win again. I will remind the boys of our win here in 2007,” said Mashurov still hopeful that the early setback hasn’t dented his team’s chances of winning this tournament and winning promotion to the Top Five next year.
Kazakhstan will be hoping that Sri Lanka, who secured a bonus point in their 39-8 win over Chinese-Taipei last Saturday, will knock off Thailand on Wednesday. And if Kazakhstan wins handsomely against Chinese Taipei, it could all point to a titanic battle for top honours on the final day between the hosts and Kazakhstan.
But Sri Lanka will have to be wary of the buoyant Thais with skipper and No. 8 Chatree Wannadit confident of another giant-killing act.
“We are a fit and young side, our average age is only 23. Most of the players come from the Armed Forces and take pride in their fitness. The heat is not a problem, it is even hotter in Thailand, so we will be up for it against Sri Lanka,” Wannadit said.
Thailand will once again rely on their terrier-like defence to hound out mistakes and then use the speed of their backline to make inroads. But the biggest danger for Sri Lanka will be Thai fullback Warongkorn Khamkoet, one of five players from the Thai Navy in the team, whose goal-kicking is a huge threat.
“He is our key,” said Wannadit. “He can kick penalties from anywhere on the field.” Khamkoet’s left foot knocked over four penalties and two conversions in the victory against Kazakhstan. Sri Lanka will have to watch out for him.
The hosts overcame a dreary first-half against Taipei in their opener before turning on the style by running in five tries. Fly-half Fazil Marija was the pick of a dangerous backline scoring a couple of opportunistic tries.
It was the first competitive game for the Sri Lankan players in five months. The country’s domestic season would have been in full swing but the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union has pushed back the start to later in the year – September – so as to fall in line with other Asian teams like Japan and Hong Kong who come into the HSBC Asian Five Nations charged up following the end of their own domestic seasons.
With one game under the belt, and a good result too, Sri Lanka with the crowds behind them, will be keen to make it two from two.
“Our goal is very simple. To play in the Top Five next year and be part of the World Cup qualifying campaign,” said skipper and openside flanker Yoshitha Rajapaksa.
Tomorrow’s matches will see Kazakhstan and Chinese Taipei face off at 14.00 followed by Sri Lanka v Thailand at 16.00.
03.04.2013
Kazakhstan v Chinese Taipei in Colombo (WCQ Asia; Asia Nations Division 1)
Preview
Kazakhstan crashed in their opening game against newly promoted Thailand. The Kazakhs were completely outplayed by Thailand. Their hopes in reaching Asia 5 Nations division for 2014, although not completely dashed, certainly became a lot more difficult. The equation is that Kazakhstan must win their remaining games and hope that both Sri Lanka and Thailand lose their next two games.
Chinese Taipei could well experience a Kazakhstan backlash. They held Sri Lanka in the first half but ran out of steam and let their defence slip in the second. They could well find Kazakhstan far too strong up front.
Previous Encounters
07.11.2007 Kazakhstan 29-0 in Colombo (Asiad Cup)
11.06.2006 Chinese Taipei 20-18 in Singapore (Asia Tournament, Div.3)14.12.1998 Chinese Taipei 27-11 in Bangkok (Asia Games, Div.2)
GWC Rugby Rankings
Asia Table: Kazakhstan 6th, China Taipei 9th
IRB Ranking Points
Kazakhstan 48.60, Chinese Taipei 42.80
Prediction: Kazakhstan by 13 points
Teams Not available
Sri Lanka v Thailand in Colombo (WCQ Asia; Asia Nations Division 1)
Preview
Thailand will be very confident of causing another upset in this tournament when they take on host nation Sri Lanka. They will have to over come a well organised Sri Lankan team.
Last Five Encounters
11.04.2009 Sri Lanka 51-17 in Dubai (WCQ Asia R1; Asia Nations Div.1)
04.06.2005 Sri Lanka 48-38 in Bangkok (WCQ Asia Div.3A)
18.11.2002 Thailand 72-0 in Bangkok (Asia Champ. Div.2, Sect.2)
20.05.2001 Sri Lanka 46-17 in Colombo (Asia Plate)
25.06.2000 Thailand 38-28 in Aomori (17th Asia Championship)
These two teams first met in 1976. Thailand winning 23-16 at the 6th Asia Championship, held in Kuala Lumpur.
GWC Rugby Ranking
Asia Table: Thailand 5th, Sri Lanka 8th
IRB Ranking Points
Sri Lanka 47.99, Thailand 46.12
Prediction: Sri Lanka by 4 points
Teams Not available
World Cup Qualifying Asia Round 1
31.03.2013
Thailand 33, Kazakhstan 10 in Colombo (WCQ Asia Nations Div.1)
Sri Lanka 39, Chinese Taipei 8 in Colombo (WCQ Asia Nations Div.1)
Sri Lanka and Thailand open HSBC Asian 5 Nations 2013 with Division I wins.
Top seeds Kazakhstan fall to shock defeat against 4th-seed Thailand
[Colombo, Sri Lanka, March 31 2013]: A stirring second-half display gave hosts Sri Lanka the perfect start to its campaign to win promotion to the Top Five in the HSBC Asian Five Nations (HSBC A5N) next season as they crushed Chinese-Taipei 39-8 in their match on Sunday.
Sri Lanka led 6-3 at the break but turned on the style in the second half running in five tries as they over-powered their opponents in the opening game in the HSBC A5N Division One competition in Colombo.
“We haven’t played test rugby for a long time and it showed in the first half. But we settled down after the break and stuck to our game plan and it worked,” said pleased skipper Yoshitha Rajapakse.
The country’s president Mahinda Rajapakse and First Lady Shiranthi Rajapakse were among the 4,800-strong crowd that vociferously cheered the home team that included two sons from the First Family – Yoshitha and elder brother and parliamentarian Namal Rajapakse.
A dreary first-half ended with the only points coming from the boots of Sri Lanka’s fullback Riza Mubarak and Chinese-Taipei flyhalf Wang Chi-pin. But the crowd came alive when winger Chamara Dabare began the second half in outstanding fashion when he powered his way past two defenders with an angular run to score Sri Lanka’s first try.
Yoshitha Rajapakse then added a second from close range, burrowing over to extend the lead before flyhalf Fazil Marija added a scintillating brace and Sri Lanka took total control with substitute Sumedha Malewana scoring the fifth try.
Mubarak knocked over two penalties and three conversions with sub Roshan Weeraratne adding another. Chinese-Taipei’s Chuang Ming-che scored a late consolation try. Sri Lanka was the only team in today’s competition to notch a bonus point on the competition table for scoring four or more tries.
“We made too many mistakes at the breakdown. It was disappointing,” said Chinese-Taipei skipper Lu Wei-fan.
Sri Lanka’s South African coach Ravin du Plessis said: “We played well in patches. I thought we left too many points on the park in the first half in particular as we were dominating territorially. A win is a win but we have plenty of work to do.”
In the opening game, Thailand turned in a giant-killing act stunning top seeds Kazakhstan 33-10 to emerge as dangerous outsiders for promotion to the Top Five next year.
The winner of this four-team tournament earns promotion to the elite company of Asian rugby and sees their Rugby World Cup qualification campaign continue into next year’s final stages.
In 2013, the Division I and Top 5 competitions are doubling as Asia’s qualifiers for Rugby World Cup 2015 as the winning team from Division I will advance to next year’s Top 5 and a chance for outright qualification as Asia’s sole entrant to RWC 2015. Similarly the bottom placed team after the Top 5 campaign (starting on April 20) will be demoted to Division I next season and see their Rugby World Cup dream come to an end.
Image thanks to http://www.rugbyworldcup.com
Kazakhstan, who were pre-tournament joint-favourites with hosts Sri Lanka to clinch the promotion berth, struggled to cope with the searing heat of a Colombo afternoon. But coach Timur Mashurov refused to blame the conditions for his team’s capitulation.
“We made too many errors, especially our ball handling which was very poor. We were naive with the ball in hand and our decision-making was very poor,” said a disappointed Mashurov. “The conditions were hot, but we can’t use that as an excuse for it was the same for Thailand too.”
The 2.00 pm kick-off seemed to have an early adverse effect on Kazakhstan coming off their winter but the heavier forwards led by captain and No. 8 Serik Zhanseitov won the Central Asian team a number of clear chances which were spurned through faulty handling.
Thailand led 17-0 at the break thanks to two tries against the run of play by centre Sirichai Daothaisong and winger Topong Boonlon. Daothaisong capitalised on a good 70-metre run by fullback Warongkorn Khamkoet after Boonlon had forced a turnover with a big hit on centre Ildar Abdrazakov who spilled the ball a metre from the Thai tryline.
Boonlon then dotted down just before the break, completing a quick counter-attack which began once again inside their own 22. Winger Pichit Yingcharoen added a third try midway through the second half as Thailand extended their lead.
With goal-kicking fullback Warongkorn Khamkoet in impeccable form with the boot, Thailand punished the frequent errors by Kazakhstan as Khamkoet knocked over four penalties and two conversions to finish with 16 points.
“This is a great win for us. It is the first time we have beaten Kazakhstan in the Asian Five Nations and coming in the first game of the tournament, it is a massive boost for our confidence,” said delighted Thai coach Tanyavit Kuasint.
Round one’s results see Sri Lanka top the tournament table on six points, five for the win plus a single bonus point for scoring four or more tries. Thailand is one off the pace with five points while Kazakhstan and Chinese Taipei are on one point each.
The next matches will see Sri Lanka play Thailand (16.00 local time) and Kazakhstan face off against Chinese Taipei (14.00 local time) on Wednesday 3rd of April at Havelocks RFC in Colombo.
The HSBC ARFU Coaching Tour is underway as well in Sri Lanka with clinics held for 600 youngsters already after only two days of the Tour.
The HSBC ARFU Coaching Tour will conduct activities in every province in Sri Lanka in the week ahead with over 6,200 participants, (the great majority of them new to rugby), registered to take part.
After reaching nearly 12,000 (11,800) youth in 2012, ARFU is targeting to engage over 20,000 youth in 2013. Participants in the coaching programme come from a wide variety of schools, youth-focused charities and social organisations with a focus on engaging first-time participants in rugby.
Following the Tour’s stop in Sri Lanka the HSBC ARFU coaches will be visiting Jakarta next week and conducting clinics for 1,000 local youth.
For more information please visit: www.asian5nations.com
About HSBC and Rugby
HSBC is a long-term investor in Rugby in Asia and around the world. As well as being the title sponsor of the Sevens World Series, Asian 5 Nations and Asian Sevens Series, the bank is co-title sponsor of the Hong Kong Sevens from 2012. HSBC is the Principal Partner of all the Hong Kong rugby teams, and the British & Irish Lions, who will play in Hong Kong in 2013 en route to Australia. The bank is also the title sponsor of the Waratahs Super 15 team in Australia, the Penguin International Coaching Academy and the Cobra 10s tournament in Malaysia.
Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU)
ARFU was founded in 1968 with eight member unions. In the past decade its membership has trebled to 28 full and associate member unions ranging from Kazakhstan in the north to Indonesia in the south and Lebanon in the west to Guam in the east. ARFU covers a territory of over 44 million sq. kilometres and more than three billion people. ARFU is the sanctioning body for the HSBC Asian 5 Nations, which every four years acts as the qualifying event for the Rugby World Cup, and the HSBC Asian Sevens Series, which was held for the first time in 2011. ARFU also offers organized international competition for women and youth across Asia.
ENDS
For enquiries regarding the HSBC Asian 5 Nations or interviews with the participating teams, please contact Sean Moore, Tournament Operations Manager, on sean.moore@elitestep.com or +852 9095 8889.
For more information on HSBC and Rugby, please contact Eric Chiu of Fast Track on eric.chiu@fasttrackagency.com.
31.03.2013
Kazakhstan v Thailand in Colombo (WCQ Asia Nations Div.1)
Sri Lanka v China Taipei in Colombo (WCQ Asia Nations Div.1)
Preview
This is a vital tournament which will decide who is promoted to the Asia 5 Nations elite division for 2014. The 2015 Rugby World Cup finalists will come from the elite division in 2014.
Kazakhstan was the team relegated from the Asia 5 Nations in 2012 whilst Thailand was promoted from Division 2.
Squads
![18[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFlIgJU4YNq0LOMVUAWREqSZAplTgMKc_vI4WpSZcsFeFamcpvPOlEyI4cwjD14mecQ5JdAAEL8f9Xe9USmKw3-kvW_U-GOdJRKe38ydK8xwQwm_jSj4bUPc14UwlPmuy-dPgv0JD3Wc/s1600-h/18%25255B1%25255D%25255B2%25255D.gif "18[1]")
Sri Lanka-The only one I can get!
1 Yoshitha Rajapaksa (Captain), 3rd Row, SL Navy SC
2 Fazil Marija (Vice Captain), Fly Half , Kandy SC
3 Henry Terence , Prop Forward, Havelock SC
4 Dushmantha Priyadarshana, Prop Forward, Havelock SC
5 Kishore Jehan, Prop Forward , Kandy SC
6 Sathya Ranathunaga , Prop Forward , SL Navy SC
7 Namal Rajapaksa , Hooker , SL Navy SC
8 Anuranga Walpola , Hooker , Kandy SC
9 Dinesh Sanjeewa , Lock Forward , Kandy SC
10 Shenal Dias , 2nd Row , Havelock SC
11 Hasitha Perera , Lock Forward , Upcountry Lions
12 Sajith Saranga , Lock Forward , Upcountry Lions
13 Sayuru Anthony , 3rd Row , SL Navy SC
14 Sharo Fernando , 3rd Row , Upcountry Lions
15 Sumedha Malewana , 3rd Row , SL Navy SC
16 Roshan Weeraratne , Scrum Half , Kandy SC
17 Rehan Weerakoon , Fly Half , SL Navy SC
18 Dinusha Chathuranga , Center , SL Navy SC
19 Chula Susantha , Center , SL Navy SC
20 Gayan Weeraratne , Center , Kandy SC
21 Pradeep Liyanage , Center , Kandy SC
22 Chamara Dabare , Winger , Havelock SC
23 Sandun Herath , Winger , Havelock SC
24 Mohamed Sheriff , Full Back , Havelock SC
25 Riza Mubarak , Full Back , SL Navy SC
Stand By :
1 Jason Dissanayake , Lock Forward , Vidyaratha College
2 Uchitha Jayasooriya , Hooker , Upcountry Lions
3 Ishan Noor , 2nd Row , CR & FC
4 Niroshan Fernando , Fly Half , Havelock SC
5 Saliya Handapangoda , Winger , SL Navy SC
6 Eranga Swarnathilake , Prop Forward , SL Navy SC
7 Achala Perera , Hooker , Kandy SC
8 Charith Senaviratne , Center , Air Force
http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4221&start=15
![19[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghW3aNsTCm-z08LLihSDBfsWU4IxNcMDAFhBCJMcGMWSLd78DRWv9nozM9Q-dlb7xBXYMh1GQC9ol_BEq66drhZSg39MCS3WRBa24D3-9Al1PD0T7ej2ToLY5UwEpqw3DQSsdRavw9yKQ/s1600-h/19%25255B1%25255D%25255B2%25255D.gif "19[1]")
Kazakhstan Thailand China Taipei
Kazakhstan v Thailand in Colombo (WCQ Asia Nations Div.1)
Preview
In this encounter a lot will depend upon the strength of the Kazak side. I’d expect them to be vigorous and strong in the forwards. Thailand, in the past, has been a very good attacking side. Chalk and cheese? I would expect the Kazakhstan side to be too strong up front.
Previous Encounters
03.11.2007 Kazakhstan 69-21 in Colombo (Asiad Cup)
28.10.2004 Thailand 37-36 in Hong Kong (19th Asia Championship)
12.10.2003 Kazakhstan 56-17 in Kazakhstan (Asia Tournament)
20.11.2002 Thailand 31-24 in Bangkok (18th Asia Championship)
GWC Rugby Rankings
Asia Table-Kazakhstan 5th, Thailand 10th
IRB Ranking Points
Kazakhstan 51.28, Thailand 42.90
Prediction: Kazakhstan by 19 points.
Sri Lanka v China Taipei in Colombo (WCQ Asia Nations Div.1)
Preview
Two of the original members of the Asia Rugby Union clash in this important encounter. In recent years Sri Lanka has dominated the Chinese side and I can’t see that situation changing for this game.
Previous Encounters
15.04.2012 Sri Lanka 36-8 in Manilla (WCQ Asia Nations Div.1)
14.04.2010 Sri Lanka 37-7 in Singapore (Asia Nations Div.1)
08.04.2009 China Taipei 36-24 in Dubai (WCQ Asia Nations Div.1)
15.11.2008 China Taipei 35-23 in Tainan (Asia Nations Div.1)
13.10.2002 China Taipei 56-18 in Pusan (Asia Games)
GWC Rugby Rankings
Asia Table-Sri Lanka 7th, China Taipei 8th
IRB Ranking Points
Sri Lanka 47.60, China Taipei 43.19
Prediction: Sri Lanka by 18 points
Posts
All Comments
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