Sports
Concerns for Sri Lanka ahead of Asian Rugby Division 1 series
By A Special Sports Correspondent
Sri Lanka looks to end an ambitious wait in Division 1 rugby of the Asian Men’s 15-a-side rugby tournament when they scrum down with Pakistan and Qatar at home (Colombo) in a tri-nation tournament scheduled to be held from April 28 to May 5.
Sri Lanka are in Division 1 of the tournament and will need to come out winners if they are to move up a notch and earn promotion to the Men’s Asian Rugby Tournament (also known as the Asia Top Four Tournament) which now features South Korea, Malaysia, UAE and last year’s winners Hong Kong China.
There is also a Men’s Division II tournament which features Asia’s lower rung teams. In the year 2022, Pakistan won the Division II tournament and qualified for the Division I tournament where they received a mauling the following year (2023); Pakistan suffering two thumping defeats at the hands of UAE who recorded a 95-0 and a 93-3 victory in a two-match series. UAE then moved up to the Men’s Asia Rugby Tournament and will be playing against Asian giants like Malaysia, Hong Kong China and South Korea in this year’s (2024) blockbuster Asian tournament.
Hong Kong China, loaded with expatriates, are hot favourites to win this segment once again. This team showed its class and prowess in 15-a-side rugby when they demolished South Korea 30-10 and Malaysia 88-9 last year. For the record Japan doesn’t play in this Asian tournament and earns direct entry to the Rugby World Cup.
The irony for Sri Lanka is that they once played in the Men’s Asia Rugby Tournament in past years and gave teams like South Korea and Hong Kong China (Then Hong Kong) a run for their money. And this was not very long ago. The Covid pandemic and then the subsequent bans on Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) by World Rugby, Asian Rugby and its very own ‘Ministry of Sports’ in Sri Lanka spelt doom for rugby in the island. The lowest patch in the country’s rugby history was recorded when the islanders had to seek entry to make the line-up of teams at the Asian Games ‘Rugby Sevens’ event last year under the Olympic Council Association Flag. Sri Lanka had no national rugby identity at this tournament and finished in 10th place; just ahead of Philippines which finished 11th. Sri Lanka also missed out on at least one top Asian Sevens rugby tournament due to the ban.
Now the national men’s rugby team of Sri Lanka has a massive task of working its way up the ladder in the Asian Rugby segment. Still the national rugby pool has not been named. There is only speculation doing the rounds with the names of coaches in the likes of Sanath Martis, Nilfer Ibrahim and Dushanth Lewke being floating in the air as possible choices for the position of head coach. It is also interesting to see whether SLR will appoint a full time ‘national coach’ (For a selected period of time) or pick a ‘Sri Lanka coach’; as a stop gap measure and only for this series.
According to informed sources the players for this Asian series would be handpicked by a national technical committee and their names will be sent to the national selection committee who in turn will send in their recommendations to the SLR executive committee for approval. This list will have to be ratified by the Minister of Sports. There are concerns in the air too because the tournament dates (According to the Asian Rugby official website) has been fixed from April 28 to May 5. The only factor standing in favour of Sri Lanka is that the cream of the island’s players has been actively playing rugby during the past couple of months. This is largely thanks to the hyperactive domestic inter-club league rugby tournament, which spanned from December 2023 to March this year.
Given the form that the Sri Lankan players are in, the challenge that the islanders must overcome doesn’t seem overwhelming at all. The only challenge that they might encounter comes from Qatar. Pakistan is a side carrying a bundle of hopes in the Asian rugby circuit, but their participation on the Colombo tournament is quite uncertain given the volatile political condition in Pakistan. Unconfirmed reports state that in the event Pakistan makes itself unavailable, Sri Lanka would play a two match series against Qatar before a winner is found and promoted to the Asian Rugby Tournament; for the 2025 edition of the tournament.
Six-a-side school cricket is set to make a high-profile return to Moratuwa when the Old Boys’ Association of Prince of Wales’ College stages the Prince of Wales’ College 150th Anniversary Inter-School Sixes Cricket Tournament on August 29 and 30 at the De Soysa Stadium.
The two-day tournament is one of the major sporting attractions of the College’s historic 150th anniversary celebrations and
will bring together 16 leading school cricket teams for a knockout competition.
The tournament is aimed at reviving the excitement of six-a-side cricket, a format renowned for its fast pace and spectator-friendly nature, which has not featured regularly in major inter-school competitions in recent years.
The Old Boys’ Association believes the 150th anniversary provides the ideal opportunity to bring the format back to the forefront while celebrating Moratuwa’s deep-rooted passion for cricket.
Cricket has long held a special place in the hearts of Moratuwa’s residents, while Prince of Wales’ College boasts a proud cricketing tradition that has produced several outstanding players who have gone on to represent Sri Lanka at the highest level.
The organizers expect more than 5,000 cricket enthusiasts from Moratuwa and surrounding areas to witness the tournament over the two days, turning the event into a major festival of school cricket.
The opening ceremony on August 29 is scheduled to be attended by Kusal Mendis, one of the leading cricketers produced by Prince of Wales’ College and a member of the Sri Lankan national team.
The tournament will feature 16 schools, including Royal College Colombo, St. Joseph’s College Darley Road, Thurstan College Colombo, S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia, Dharmasoka College Ambalangoda, Prince of Wales’ College Moratuwa, Moratu Maha Vidyalaya, D.S. Senanayake College Colombo, Sri Sumangala College Panadura, Richmond College Galle, Mahanama College Colombo, St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa, St. Peter’s College Bambalapitiya, Wesley College Colombo, Ananda College Colombo and Mahanama College Panadura.
With the competition being played on a knockout basis, the compact format is expected to produce plenty of attacking cricket and give emerging players an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of a large crowd.
Apart from the competitive aspect, the tournament is also intended to promote sportsmanship, friendship and fellowship among the participating schools.
The tournament will conclude on August 30 with a ceremonial awards presentation, with the participation of Eran Wickramaratne, distinguished invitees, representatives of participating schools, past pupils and members of the cricketing community.
The Old Boys’ Association has also expressed its appreciation to the corporate sector and event sponsors whose support has helped make the tournament possible.
Their contribution, according to the organizers, reflects the continuing partnership between Prince of Wales’ College, its alumni and the corporate community in supporting educational, sporting and development initiatives.
The six-a-side tournament is therefore expected to provide not only two days of entertaining school cricket, but also a fitting sporting celebration of 150 years of Prince of Wales’ College.
India 503/9 decl (Devdutt Padikkal 117, Dhruv Jurel 115; Asitha Fernando 4-106, Prabath Jayasuriya 2-132) drew with Sri Lanka 290 (Sonal Dinusha 103, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 80; Prasidh Krishna 3-52, Manav Suthar 3-85) and 429/9 f/o (Sonal Dinusha 133*, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 92; Ravindra Jadeja 3-94, Manav Suthar 3-121)
American golfer Matt Gogel has been suspended for six months for betting on golf tournaments, the PGA Tour has said.
The 55-year-old competes on the PGA Tour Champions circuit which is reserved for professional golfers aged 50 and older.
Gogel did not bet on events in which he was participating but admitted to unknowingly violating PGA Tour policy by placing “small recreational wagers” in 2024 and 2025.
“I would never knowingly violate the integrity of the game of golf,” Gogel said in a statement.
“I made an honest mistake and I look forward to playing in 2027 on the PGA Tour Champions.”
He had two top-10 finishes across 18 PGA Tour Champions events in 2026 and was most recently in action during the Rogers Charity Classic in Calgary, Alberta where he finished tied 30th last week.
Gogel, who has earned more than $760,000 (£559,000) in prize money from Champions events, won the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 2002 – his only victory in 179 starts on the PGA Tour.
His suspension came into effect on 23 August and lasts until 22 February.
[BBC Sports]
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