Rugby team in last 8 despite losing to Korea

Despite suffering heavy defeats in all three league matches, the Indian men's rugby team on Monday qualified for the quarter-finals of the Asian Games as only nine teams are in the fray.

India, who were thrashed 43-5 by Korea in the opening pool B match yesterday, were today drubbed 61-0 by China and 42-12 by sub-continental rivals Sri Lanka to finish at the bottom of the group.

Yet, they qualified for the quarter-finals and will play the winners of pool B at the University Town stadium on Tuesday.

The women performed no better, and were steamrolled by Japan 31-0 for their second straight preliminary league defeat after being thumped 50-0 by Kazakhstan.

Against both China and Sri Lanka, India looked clueless.

Captain Lu Zhuan scored four tries and converted all of them to finish with 28 points for China and helped his team notch up the biggest margin of victory in the tournament. The winners led 35-0 at the halfway stage of the mismatch.

Indian captain Nasser Hussain was honest after the humiliating defeat and said the team had to improve its tackling.

"We need to improve our tackling as we missed too many tackles. We need to put our bodies on line," he said.

He also rued the many mistakes that his team committed which made China's job easier.

He was hopeful the team would put it across lower ranked Lanka and finish the league with at least one victory but it was belied as Playmaker Srinath Sooriyabandara piloted the Lankans to their first win in the tournament.

The pint-sized player scored two tries and assisted in Lanka getting two more to lead the Lankan charge.

Aniruddha Wilwara accounted for Lanka's remaining two tries.

India scored consecutive tries through Hrishikesh Pendse and Gautam Dagar in the closing stages of the first half but when play resumed Sooriya set up Saliya Hadapangodage for another successful try.

The Lankans finished third in the group and would take on the second-placed team from the other group for a place in the semis.

Pool A has Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and Mongolia while Pool B comprises China, Korea, Sri Lanka and India.