Rugby: Tuskers fail to impress as Hong Kong eye berth in Japan at Olympic 7s Qualifiers

Sri Lanka will face the Philippines in the third Cup quarter-finals today, after finishing second in Pool 'C' of the Asia Rugby Men's Olympic 7s Qualifiers on the first day, Saturday (23) in Incheon, South Korea. 

Both the Tuskers and the Volcanoes finished the first day with a win and a loss, but relatively the Philippines outfit looks stronger than the Sri Lankans. 

Even if the Lankans overcome Philippines, they are set to meet Hong Kong in the Cup semi-final, and a loss means they will play in the Plate semi-final against Afghanistan. 

On Saturday, Sri Lanka made a fine start by beating Afghanistan, a low tier team, by 26-5. 

The Tuskers four-try win was less appealing against a meagre side, yet they were comfortable with an easy win to start with. 

The tries came from Buddhikma Priyaratne, Danush Dayan, Reeza Raffaideen and Sachith Silva, while Kevin Dixon put over three of them to rake up 26 points. 

The Afghans scored from a solitary off Abdul Bari. 

But Sri Lanka were thrashed comprehensively in their second game against South Korea. 

The hosts won the game by a commanding 44-7, after laying a strong foundation. 

They led 29-0 at halftime, totally taming the Tuskers at their own will and fully dominating the show. 

Jeong Min Jang scored four out of the eight tries that were scored by the Koreans as Seong Bae Lee, Hyunsoo Kim, Junyoung Bang and Yeosik Jeong braced one each. 

Two of them were converted by Lee. Sri Lanka's solitary try came just before the final whistle from Vimukthi Rahula as Dixon added the extra points. 

Sri Lanka finished second in Pool 'C' behind South Korea, who ended up undefeated in two games. 

Afghanistan failed to record a win, however they managed to keep their opponents at bay, not allowing to score against much as expected. 

Hong Kong are the obvious favourites to win the Olympic Qualifiers, with Japan automatically qualifying as the hosts. 

Hong Kong impressed at both their outings, winning both games by heavy margins and identical scores of 54-0 from Pool 'A'. 

Malaysia stands at second place with a win and a loss, while Chinese Taipei lost both games to finish at bottom. 

China topped Pool 'B' undefeated with two wins, while pushing the impressive Philippines to second place. 

The Volcanoes won a game and lost one, while Singapore, though impressive, lost both games after good fights. 

Sunday's lineup: Cup semi-finals: South Korea vs Malaysia, China vs Singapore, Sri Lanka vs Philippines, Hong Kong vs Afghanistan. 

Saturday's results: South Korea beat Afghanistan 19-0, Philippines beat Singapore 21-12, Malaysia beat Chinese Taipei 26-19, Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan 26-5, China beat Singapore 33-12, Hong Kong beat Malaysia 54-0, South Korea beat Sri Lanka 44-7, China beat Philippines 26-15, Hong Kong beat Chinese Taipei 54-0, Afghanistan beat Chinese Taipei 35-12 (Playoff final).