Sri Lanka national rugby sevens team
Sri Lankan men's rugby sevens team
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The Sri Lanka national rugby sevens team, also known as the Tuskers, represents Sri Lanka in men's international rugby sevens. The team is administered by Sri Lanka Rugby and competes in Asian and international sevens competitions, including the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and regional tournaments.
| Union | Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Tuskers |
| Coach | Peter Woods[1] |
| Captain | Srinath Sooriyabandara[2] |
| World Cup Sevens | |
| Appearances | no |
Sri Lanka has a long history in Asian sevens rugby and has competed at the Hong Kong Sevens since the 1980s.[3] In 1989, rugby commentator Bill McLaren referred to Sri Lanka's Hong Kong Sevens side, mentioning players such as Kothalawala, Ekanayake and Lakshantha.[4]
History
Early international sevens
Sri Lanka became a regular participant in Asian invitational sevens tournaments during the late twentieth century, particularly through appearances at the Hong Kong Sevens. The team also participated in multi-sport events after rugby sevens was introduced to the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games programmes.
Asian and Commonwealth Games
Sri Lanka has competed in every Asian Games rugby sevens tournament since the sport appeared at the Games in 1998. The team's best Asian Games finishes came in 2014 and 2018, when Sri Lanka reached the semi-finals and finished fourth.
The team has also appeared in every Commonwealth Games men's rugby sevens tournament from 1998 to 2022. Sri Lanka recorded its first Commonwealth Games sevens wins at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, finishing 13th.
2026 CASA Rugby Sevens title
In May 2026, Sri Lanka won the men's title at the inaugural Central Asia and South Asia Rugby Sevens tournament, commonly known as the CASA 7s, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The competition was scheduled for 16–17 May 2026 and was sanctioned by Asia Rugby and World Rugby.[5]
Six men's teams took part: Sri Lanka, India, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan.[5] Sri Lanka went unbeaten in the league stage, defeating Kyrgyzstan 54–5, Mongolia 43–5, Pakistan 41–0, Uzbekistan 29–5 and India 33–12.[6][7]
In the final, Sri Lanka defeated India 31–10 to become the first men's CASA Sevens champions.[8][9][7] The victory was part of a Sri Lankan double at the tournament, as the Sri Lanka women's team also won the women's title by defeating Kazakhstan 27–0 in its final.[8][2]
2026 Howard Hinton Sevens Shield title
Later in May 2026, Sri Lanka travelled to France for the Howard Hinton Sevens tournament, with the tour described as part of the team's preparations for upcoming Asian Sevens competitions and the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.[10]
Sri Lanka won the Shield Championship at the tournament after defeating Pyla Sevens Rugby 28–21 in the Shield final. The team had trailed 7–21 at half-time before scoring three unanswered converted tries in the second half.[11] Earlier, Sri Lanka defeated Euskadi 22–15 in the Shield semi-final, after losing 24–19 to Mauritius in the Bowl qualification match.[11]
Peter Woods return
In June 2026, Sri Lanka Rugby appointed New Zealander Peter Woods as head coach of the national sevens team ahead of the Asian Sevens Series in Sri Lanka and China and the Asian Games in Japan. Woods had previously coached the Sri Lanka sevens team from 2016 to 2018, including during the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games cycle.[1]
Players
2026 Howard Hinton Sevens squad
Sri Lanka named a 12-member touring squad for the 2026 Howard Hinton Sevens in France. Srinath Sooriyabandara captained the side, with Janidu Dilshan named vice-captain.[10]
- Srinath Sooriyabandara
- Janidu Dilshan
- Chathura Widanalage
- Akash Madusanka
- Kavindu De Costa
- Kavindu Perera
- Ramitha Himash
- Ravindu Anjula
- Suranga Thennakoon
- Diluksha Dange
- Gayan Perera
- Chemod Muthunayaka
Tournament history
Summer Olympics
| Olympic Games record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | L | D |
 2016 |
Did not qualify | |||||
 2020 | ||||||
 2024 | ||||||
| Total | 0 titles | 0/3 | - | - | - | - |
Asian Games
| Asian Games record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | L | D |
 1998 |
Group stage | 7th | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
 2002 |
Classification | 6th | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
 2006 |
Classification | 6th | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
 2010 |
Quarter-finalist | 6th | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 2014 |
Semi-finalist | 4th | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
 2018 |
Semi-finalist | 4th | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 |
Classification[a] | 10th | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | Semi-finalist | 7/7 | 34 | 13 | 21 | 0 |
Commonwealth Games
| Commonwealth Games record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | L | D |
 1998 |
Plate finals | 14th | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
 2002 |
Bowl quarter-finals | =13th | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
 2006 |
Bowl quarter-finals | =13th | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
 2010 |
Bowl quarter-finals | =13th | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
 2014 |
Shield final | 13th | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 2018 |
Pool stage | 15th | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 |
13th-place play-off | 14th | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 0 titles | 7/7 | 31 | 3 | 28 | 0 |
Hong Kong Sevens
Sri Lanka has participated in the Hong Kong Sevens since the 1980s. In 1984, Sri Lanka won the Bowl competition at the tournament, while Fiji defeated New Zealand in the Cup final.
| Year | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Bowl winner | Sri Lanka won the Bowl competition. |
| 2007 | Pool stage | Sri Lanka played in Pool A with Fiji, Scotland and Portugal. |
| 2008 | Pool stage | Sri Lanka played in Pool B with England, Samoa and Canada. |
| 2009 | Pool stage | Sri Lanka played in Pool C with New Zealand, Australia and Zimbabwe. |
| 2014 | Pool stage | Sri Lanka played in Pool A with Fiji, Wales and Kenya. |
Sri Lanka Rugby Sevens
| Year | Cup | Plate | Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | South Korea | Malaysia | India |
| 2000 |  Chinese Taipei | Japan | Thailand |
| 2001 | Chinese Taipei |  Denmark |  Czech Republic |
| 2002 |  Portugal | South Korea |  Hong Kong |
| 2003 |  Kenya |  Sri Lanka |  Arabian Gulf |
| 2004 | Japan | Sri Lanka |  Kazakhstan |
| 2005 | Japan | Sri Lanka | Arabian Gulf |
| 2006 | South Korea | Thailand | Malaysia |
| 2007 | Hong Kong | China | India |
| 2008 | Malaysia | Kazakhstan |  Singapore |
| 2009 | Japan | Thailand |  Pakistan |
| 2010 |  Fiji Barbarians |  New Zealand Legends |  Germany |
| 2015 | Japan | South Korea |  United Arab Emirates |
| 2016 | Hong Kong | Japan | — |
CASA Rugby Sevens
| Year | Host | Result | Final | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 |  Tashkent, Uzbekistan |
Champions | Sri Lanka 31–10 India | Inaugural CASA 7s men's tournament; Sri Lanka finished unbeaten. |
Howard Hinton Sevens
| Year | Host | Result | Key matches | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | France |
Shield champions | Shield final: Sri Lanka 28–21 Pyla Sevens Rugby Shield semi-final: Sri Lanka 22–15 Euskadi Bowl qualifier: Sri Lanka 19–24 Mauritius |
Sri Lanka won the Shield Championship after recovering from a 7–21 half-time deficit in the final. |
See also
Notes
- Sri Lanka competed as neutral athletes under the Olympic Council of Asia flag.