6 days ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong 1 win from Rugby World Cup spot after rout of Sri Lanka
Hong Kong's men are one win from qualifying for a World Cup for the first time, after a comfortable 78-7 victory over Sri Lanka at Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground on Sunday.
A dominant forward display was more than enough to overcome sloppy mistakes against a team returning to the Asia Rugby Emirates Men's Championship for the first time in more than a decade.
Luke van der Smit's hat-trick of tries from No 8 and his man-of-the-match award rather summed up a game that was largely over from the moment Calum Scott finished off a driving maul with 11 minutes gone.
Van der Smit's second made it 14-0, and his third moments before the final whistle put the exclamation mark on a thoroughly one-sided affair.
In between those scores, full back Matt Worley also ran in three tries, Paul Altier bagged a brace, while forwards Josh Hrstich and Pierce MacKinlay-West also crossed, as did wing Harry Sayers.
Sri Lanka got on the board on the stroke of half-time for their only try, with wing Pasindu Bandara benefiting from a looping pass from captain Tharinda Ratwatte, who then added the extras from in front of the posts.
