Opinion | Lankans herald dawn of new era

With my Sri Lankan hat on, I sat cheering wildly in the press box at the Havelocks Sports Club in Colombo as the home team smashed their way past Kazakhstan, 49-18, to secure a berth in next season's Asian Five Nations Top Five rugby union competition. There are times, especially in sport, when you are allowed a little excess and watching Sri Lanka romp past Kazakhstan, Thailand and Taiwan to book their seat at the top table aroused ardent emotions.

It is the same when I watch Hong Kong athletes, too, as I have spent almost 30 years in my adopted home. I suppose I will have to be truly neutral when Hong Kong take on Sri Lanka in the Top Five next year, assuming that we (Hong Kong) remain among the elite.

The Top Five competition kicks off this Saturday. Perennial champions Japan, last year's runners-up South Korea, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and newcomers the Philippines will vie to remain in the top group so that they are in contention next year when the tournament will double as the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup.

Trevor Gregory, the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union chairman, observed after the game in Colombo that "a sleeping giant" had been awoken. He was referring to Sri Lanka's emphatic performance, which has been honed by foreign coaches - South African Ravin du Plessis and former England sevens captain Ben Gollings. The pair have instilled structure and discipline into the island-nation's natural and instinctive style of play. Gollings remarked "everyone always knew Sri Lankans could play rugby but it was just a matter of everything coming together and playing with consistency".

And things have been coming together ever since Asanga Seneviratne assumed the top position at the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union. The former Sri Lankan flyhalf has worked his magic and pulled together the various factions that had split the game in the past.

All the clubs have now thrown their support behind the new president and this has paid immediate dividends. Even though Du Plessis had been in charge for just three months, he had the full support of the establishment and clubs, and this worked in his favour and to the benefit of the country.