From riches to rags
Double trouble for Sri Lanka; relegated to lower division
South Korea edged out Sri Lanka 29-26 in a crucial game
While the defending champions Hong Kong qualified for the World Under-20 Rugby Championship to be held in Brazil, one of its partakers, Sri Lanka, earned more questions than answers at the Asian Division I Under-19 Rugby Championship held in Chinese Taipei.
With three straight defeats, the Gemunu Chethiya led Junior Tuskers not only were relegated to the lower division in the Asian Junior competition but were given the ultimate slap on the face when the leader of the pack was reprimanded by the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) for an off-the-field incident.
Sri Lanka had to play their final match of the three against South Korea sans Chethiya, who is said to have ‘misbehaved’ with an employee of the team hotel — the Taipei Fullerton Hotel in the 11th floor, minutes before the team was set to leave for the venue. The Junior Tuskers were craving for a win after two earlier defeats at the hands of hosts Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong, and a win was likely against South Korea, who were almost having a bad patch in the competition as Sri Lanka.
An immediate suspension on Chethiya by the team management minutes prior to the game, probably took away a possible chances of not only winning the crucial match, but also remaining in the division for yet another season. However the Sri Lankans, playing without their skipper, were edged out 26-29 by South Korea, who finally saved their face.
Adding woes to the string of defeats Sri Lanka had to bow out disgraced, with a scar on to its reputation of as the oldest Rugby Union in Asia with a history of 140 years.
The off-the-field incident prompted the organisers, ARFU in alerting Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR), while apologizing to the host Union on the bloke’s misappropriate conduct. In Sri Lanka, the Schools Rugby Association is set to conduct an inquiry while the affiliation is keen that the parent Union, the SLR, should also conduct one since the player has left school and is currently drafted to play in the ongoing Dialog Rugby League Championship.
Coming back to the competition, Hong Kong recorded a convincing 38 points to 5 win over host Chinese Taipei in the deciding match played at the Taipei Municipal ground last weekend. The championship which got underway on December 15 saw Hong Kong begin the championship in an inauspicious and shocking 13-17 defeat to Korea but they got their act together as they thumped the hapless Sri Lanka by 48 points to 15 in the second match.
Host Chinese Taipei who was the only unbeaten side before they came into this game was no match for the burly Hong Kong side which in the end turned out to be a one sided affair. The Hong Kong side showed their prowess as they took a comfortable 21-5 lead at the breather and accumulated their points through four goals and two tries to a solitary try scored by the host side.
The heroes of the side were Toby Jurecka who scored two tries and Paul Altier who contributed 13 points that included a try and the four conversions that he booted over while Oliver Overman, Callum Tam and Liam Doherty were the others who made contributions.
Host Chinese Taipei though starting off the championship in style with two successive wins had to satisfied with the third place due to the heavy defeat they underwent to Hong Kong as Korea with their close win against Sri Lanka 29-26 pipped the host side to take the second place.
Sri Lanka’s whose three defeats saw them being relegated to the lower division and their place will be taken by Singapore who emerged champion in the Under-19 Division One Championship which was played concurrently at the Bang-Bon Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Singapore recorded a close 19-15 win against host Thailand and the championship saw four teams Singapore, Philippines, China and host Thailand in the fray for promotion to the top division.
Hong Kong along with Japan will now compete in the World Under-20 Rugby Championship scheduled to be held at Estadio Martins Pereira, San Jose Campos, Brazil from July 9 to 21.
Sri Lanka’s whose three defeats saw them being relegated to the lower division and their place will be taken by Singapore who emerged champion in the Under-19 Division One Championship which was played concurrently at the Bang-Bon Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Singapore recorded a close 19-15 win against host Thailand and the championship saw four teams Singapore, Philippines, China and host Thailand in the fray for promotion to the top division.
Hong Kong along with Japan will now compete in the World Under-20 Rugby Championship scheduled to be held at Estadio Martins Pereira, San Jose Campos, Brazil from July 9 to 21.