by A Special Sports Correspondent

Sri Lanka stamped it’s class in the Asia Men’s Division 1 rugby tournament when it crowned itself as the winner of ‘Cup Championship’ by beating Kazakhstan 45-7 in a lopsided contest in the presence of an appreciative Saturday crowd at the Race Course in Colombo.

The winners played the game wide and used speed and quick-silver footwork to rake up seven tries. Kazakhstan didn’t have a plot for the game and waited in vain for the Sri Lankans to run into them and start a physical encounter. The Sri Lankans chose otherwise and as a result finished off their opponents clinically and all that was achieved with a relatively young side.

The Kazakhstan side saw their goal line being cracked open at regular intervals; five of the Sri Lankan tries coming in the first half. The winners led 31-0 at half time.

What caught the visiting team to Sri Lanka off guard was the will of the Islanders to run the ball at every given opportunity. Back division players Zubair Dooray, Thenuka Nananyakkara, Adeesha Weerathunga, Tharinda Ratwatte and winger Dinal Ekanayake crossed the Kazakhstan goal line in the first half. Ratwatte was in a class of his own and scored the team’s third try with a show of individual brilliance. He also kicked right three conversions to swell the host teams score in the first half.

Kazakhstan was never out of the game and tried their best to keep pace with the fast-running Sri Lankans. Skipper and number eight Magamodov played hard in the lose and also contributed with a try in the 56th minute of the game. He scored at a time when the Sri Lankans were inside their ‘22’ and defending stubbornly to save their goal line. With that try being converted the Kazakhstan side saved their face because if not for that touchdown they would have been staring at an empty scoreboard after the game.

Before that try by Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka earned their sixth touchdown through the hard running half back Heshan Jansen who thundered his way over the line with the game into its 41st minute. About 19 minutes from the end Sri Lanka took off many of their hard-working players and gave the players on the bench some game time. The final try for Sri Lanka came off the efforts of Sachith Silva.

In the third-place playoff Qatar got the better of India with a score of 34 points against 25. India looked hopeless in the first half and trailed 26-6 at the ‘breather’. India fought back strongly and found the art of scoring tries in the second half, but their comeback into the game was recorded too late.

The tournament was conducted by Sri Lanka Rugby on behalf Asia Rugby.