Sri Lanka ready to ‘make some noise’ in Asia rugby clash with Hong Kong, Ratwatte says
Sri Lanka captain Tharinda Ratwatte says his side are ready to serve notice that they will be a force to be reckoned with
Sri Lanka captain Tharinda Ratwatte said his side were coming to “make some noise” ahead of their Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship clash with Hong Kong on Sunday.
Back in the top tier of the competition after more than a decade, the Tuskers are considered significant underdogs for the game at Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground against a Hong Kong side who are unbeaten in the championship since 2018.
But after hammering Malaysia 59-19 in a promotion play-off, and running South Korea close in Colombo last weekend, Ratwatte said his side were ready to put “everybody on notice that Sri Lanka is back, and we are a force to be reckoned with”.
“Whether it’s this year, next year, the year after that,” the fly half added. “We have come back to the ARC after several years, and for us, we are coming here to make some noise, and we want to put everyone on notice on that.”
The last time the two sides met in Hong Kong was in 2006, when the home side won 45-14 in a 2007 World Cup qualifier, while an Asian Five Nations clash in 2014 in Sri Lanka, which the visitors won 41-10, helped send the Tuskers down into Division One.
It has been a long road back since then, and while Ratwatte acknowledged there was still something to “sort out in terms of our rugby union side”, he said the country was moving in the right direction.