Defending champions Fiji were given a fright by Georgia in their bid to defend the Rugby World Cup Sevens title on Thursday, before eventually running out 26-10 winners.
Main title contenders New Zealand, South Africa and England also notched up wins.
When Fijians Neumi Nanuku and Napolioni Nalaga both scored after just two minutes of play, it looked as if the floodgates might open at Dubai’s Sevens Stadium.
PHOTO: AFP
But it was not to be as Georgia fought back and gave the South Sea Islanders a taste of their own medicine, the outstanding Merab Kvirikashvili bagging a double, the second a wonderful dinking run rounded off by touching down his own chip over the defense.
Fiji, boasting five players from the squad that claimed the title four years ago in Hong Kong, eventually wrapped up the match with two second-half tries from 31-year-old Montauban flyer Vilimoni Delasau and Peni Rokodiva.
New Zealand, reigning champions of the IRB’s World Series Sevens circuit, which is separate from this World Cup, demolished a flatfooted Italy 42-0, with captain D.J. Forbes to the fore and Viliame Waqaseduadua scoring a double.
Tonga beat the tournament hosts, the Arabian Gulf, 19-0 in Pool A’s other game.
England overcame a sluggish start against Hong Kong to run away 42-5 winners, Ben Gollings, the leading points scorer in IRB Sevens history, contributing 22 points, while full international Tom Varndell also bagged a brace of tries.
Kenya beat Tunisia 29-7 in Pool E’s other, all-African match.
South Africa, joint leaders of the IRB World Series along with England, survived a sin-binning to beat a hard-working Japan 26-5. Canada notched up a 33-14 win over Scotland in Pool C’s other game.
Three second-half tries, including one from France international winger Julien Malzieu, were enough for the French team to overcome a 10-7 halftime score to register a 26-17 win over a strong US team and keep the pressure up on Fiji in Pool B.
Malzieu, who started for France’s full national team against Ireland and Wales in this season’s Six Nations, set up a try for Rida Jahouer in the second minute with his first touch.
But the US team hit back with tries from Kevin Swiryn and Chris Wyles. France then scored two quick-fire tries though Laurent Ferreres and Malzieu.
Todd Clever, currently playing for the South African Lions Super 14 franchise, was then sin-binned and France wrapped up the game with a further try from Vincent Deniau.
“I’d forgotten how hard sevens is,” Malzieu said. “We were lucky, but we also have no pressure and no expectations on us.”
Wales overcame a jumpy start to beat Zimbabwe 31-5, but coach Paul John was left less than impressed when Japanese referee Taizo Hirabayashi blew up before the hooter had sounded and with the Welsh side in the ascendency.
In a Pool that also includes Argentina and Uruguay, John said: “The points difference in a pool could be very important in this competition. But we’re still happy to have notched up a win.”
Argentina, winners of the last IRB World Series tournament in San Diego last month, won a hard-fought match against Uruguay 19-7.
In Pool D action, Australia overcame a spirited Portugal side 24-12, while Samoa looked impressive while racking up a comprehensive 35-5 win over Ireland, Rupena Levasa scoring a hat-trick.
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler, he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene. Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” — but the struggle is far from over. Despite a promising potential domestic market, the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades. “I have done all kinds of jobs [on the side]... Because in the end, it is very
No team in the CPBL can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday. A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi’s first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday. This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early last month, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome’s overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the
With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free-kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra-time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the game they love. “I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo, which was invented there in 1946