Coach Woods praises Lankan rugby sevens team

“I am really satisfied about my young team when they became plate champions of the first leg of the Asian Rugby Sevens Tournament as they finished in fifth position, – Sri Lanka Rugby Sevens coach Peter Woods.

Japanese team won the Cup championship when they beat hosting Hong Kong team by 19-12 in the final played at Kings Park Sports Complex, Kowloon, Hong Kong on September 2. The Sri Lankan team participated in ‘B’ category and they won three matches out of six including three preliminary matches under the captaincy of Sudarshana Muthuthanthri.

“I am happy about the performances of our players. Our players participated in Sri Lanka Super Sevens and Mercantile Services Championships before they come to Hong Kong. Some key players did not participate in this tournament due to injuries, as we did not have enough time for recovery. However we won three matches out of six. It is 50 percent. It is a big thing,” Woods said.

“We have to improve many sections and have to overcome our mistakes before the second leg, that means the Korean Rugby Sevens. This championship is a good opportunity for our young players. They gained great experience from Hong Kong Sevens.

I think it is very useful for upcoming Korean Sevens Championship”, he stated.

“It was sad not included players like Danushka Ranjan and Chanaka Chandimal for the first leg. They all practiced very hard and wanted to do their best for the country. Danushka was in fine form, but had to withdraw from the squad at the last moment on medical grounds. Hopefully we expect some of injured players will join the squad at the second leg in Korea, Woods further said.