Fiji won a tense final against South Africa 26-24 to claim their first Hong Kong Sevens title in 10 years yesterday.
The Fijians turned on the style in a flamboyant first half before clinging on as South Africa agonizingly put a last-gasp conversion wide.
Fiji took the last of 10 previous Hong Kong titles in 1999 and also lifted the 2005 World Cup, while three-time finalists South Africa are still searching for their first win.
PHOTO: AP
Coach Iliesa Tanivula brought a new-look squad to Hong Kong, axing his overseas-based stars who crashed out in this month’s World Cup quarter-finals.
“Back home we were written off by our fans but it worked in our favor,” Tanivula said. “There were no expectations. It gave us motivation to do better. Fijians around the world didn’t give us a chance, but all credit to the boys, I take my hat off to them.”
Two tries from Emosi Vucago and another from Osea Kolinisau put Fiji 19-0 up before South Africa’s Renfred Dazel and Robert Ebersohn pulled it back to 19-12 at half-time.
PHOTO: AFP
Seremaia Burotu skipped past three tackles to score early in the second half, but indiscipline nearly cost Fiji dearly as both Nasoni Roko and Vereniki Goneva were sin-binned.
South Africa scored through Vuyo Zangqa and then Lionel Mapoe after the hooter to give them a chance to force extra time. But captain Mzwandile Stick pushed the vital conversion attempt right.
“We lost the game in the first half. Too many missed tackles and against a team like Fiji, that’s going to cost you,” South Africa coach Paul Treu said. “I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t stick to our plan because the tournament was there for the taking.”
PHOTO: AP
With the win, Fiji go third in the Sevens World Series standings behind South Africa and England, with three tournaments to go.
Fiji also stunned England 10-7 with a late try in the quarter-finals and convincingly beat Kenya 24-7 in the semis.
“I’m utterly disappointed,” England coach Ben Ryan said. “Sevens is like that — it’s on the turn of a coin, a change of advantage. One decision and the game changes.”
South Africa downed Australia in the quarter-finals before beating Samoa 29-3 in the last four.
But defending champions New Zealand were left waiting for their first title of the season after being shocked 10-7 by Kenya in the quarter-finals.
In the second-tier Plate final, Tonga landed a conversion after the hooter to beat Canada 14-12, while Portugal downed Uruguay by the same score for the Bowl trophy.
The Hong Kong Sevens began in 1976 and has become a mainstay of expatriate life in the former British colony.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
LONG TIME COMING: With the addition of Marcus Smart, the Washington Wizards finally held a team to under 100 points, the last team this season to do so The Detroit Pistons on Monday won their seventh straight game in the NBA with in-form Cade Cunningham making 32 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a 106-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Pistons, who are in the playoff position, moved to 32-26, their best record at this stage of a season for 17 years. It was an all-round effort from Detroit with Tobias Harris adding 20 points and Jalen Duren making 19 rebounds along with his 12 points. It was a tight contest until Detroit pulled away late in the third quarter to tie their longest winning streak since the 2014-2015
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
RSS