Sri Lanka Rugby in no hurry to replace Lee
Sri Lanka 15s have not played since May 2019 - File pic
Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) is not in a rush to hunt for a new national coach as Asia Rugby (AR) is yet to assess the possibility of recommencing its regional competitions.
SLR president Lasitha Gunaratne commenting on reports of Sri Lanka 15s and 7s coach Matt Lee’s exit after his one-year contract ended in March, told the Sunday Times that the New Zealander was directly involved with Navy Sports Club and not the national system.
“We recruited him (Lee) because our national sides did not have a coach for the expected international tournaments conducted by the AR. But he was more or less in direct contact with Navy SC and SLR offered him the contract after discussions,” Gunaratne said.
Lee had coached CH&FC in the 1990s earlier before he returned to take over Trinity College albeit on a brief stint and was later recruited by SLR in March 2019. Under Lee, Sri Lanka played the Asia Rugby Division I Championship in Chinese Taipei and finished third out of four teams behind Philippines and Singapore. Sri Lanka lost to Philippines 22-39 but bounced back to thrash Chinese Taipei 72-17 in the 3rd Place Playoff.
Later Lee was also handed over the responsibilities of the national 7s side, but Sri Lanka finished fifth overall in the Asian Sevens Series, while losing the opportunity of reaching the Olympic qualifications. Lee also on took charge of Navy SC during the 2019/20 Dialog Club Rugby season.
“There is no rugby happening around the world. In Sri Lanka we cannot expect anything to happen until August. Without any activity it’s pointless to have a national coach, so we did not renew the existing contract of the national coach or appoint a replacement. We will however, keep a tab on the situation before appointing a new coach,” said Gunaratne.
Sri Lanka is likely to appoint a local coach for both 15s and 7s or two separate coaches for each version, according to sources.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic halted all rugby activities around the globe as well as in the Asian region. The Asia Division I Championship was scheduled to be played during April 29 and May 2, with Sri Lanka, Singapore, Philippines and UAE in contention, but was postponed indefinitely.