Hong Kong pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of World Sevens yesterday with a last-gasp victory against world champions Wales.
Meanwhile, it was business as usual for emerging favorites New Zealand and Fiji as a lackluster Samoa, widely tipped to win at the start of the tournament, showed they have room for improvement.
The quarter-finals lineup today is: Fiji vs South Africa in a repeat of last year’s final, Kenya vs New Zealand, Samoa vs the US, and England vs Australia.
PHOTO: AFP
The hosts of the showpiece Hong Kong Sevens sent a rapidly-filling 40,000-capacity stadium wild as Anthony Haynes crossed for a converted try to give the underdogs a 21-19 win described by their Welsh coach Dai Rees as a career high.
“That was absolutely outstanding,” Rees said after the final whistle. “We did what we came out here to do, we put Wales under pressure and we were fantastic. That has probably got to be one of the highlights of my career, beating Wales with a Hong Kong team in Hong Kong Stadium.”
Hong Kong, who had lost 45-0 to England on Friday, traded tries with Wales in a tight game and were 19-14 down with less than two minutes to go when Haynes popped up to cross the line.
PHOTO: AFP
The hosts could hardly be credited with consistency, however, and the fairytale ended as they limped out 40-7 losers to Japan in their final group game, putting the top-tier cup and plate knockout phase beyond reach.
France defeated Taiwan 63 to 12, as did Scotland, 42 to 5.
Organizers hope the world-renowned Hong Kong Sevens, where thousands of fans roar on 24 teams over three days of rugby, will reinforce interest in the sport ahead of its Olympic debut in Brazil in 2016.
New Zealand enjoyed an emphatic 36-0 win over France with two tries each from DJ Forbes and Zar Lawrence and proved they do resilience as well as flair with a hard-fought 22-5 win against a spritely Scotland.
“I thought we played pretty well,” Kiwis coach Gordon Tietjens said after the France win. “We had all the possession and kept the ball, which is the key in sevens rugby.
“I’m pretty happy overall,” he said. “France are an unpredictable team — we’ve had some close contests with them in the past.”
Portugal looked like they were there to make up the numbers as Fiji demolished them 45-7 but were a different side when they put Thailand to the sword with a 50-0 drubbing.
Fiji, meanwhile, staked their own claim as the team to beat when they followed their win over Portugal with a convincing 38-12 victory over the US.
The up-and-coming Americans had earlier shown the kind of form that saw them reach the final of the Adelaide leg of the series, with a blistering 62-0 demolition of Thailand featuring five tries from 26-year-old winger Kevin Swiryn.
England, the only serious challenge from Europe to the Pacific nations, impressed with a 45-0 win over Japan. Ben Gollings cemented his stature as the top sevens points scorer in history with a characteristic turn of pace in the midfield for the game’s opening try.
He was pivotal again, contributing three conversions and some sublime passing, as England turned over the tournament’s big disappointments, Wales, 26-5.
Argentine Joaquin Tuculet looked equally impressive as the Pumas trounced Italy 42-0 but it was an altogether closer affair as the ever-improving China lost to Canada by a single try, going down 12-7.
South Africa underlined their threat with a 40-7 victory over Korea before beating Kenya while Australia went from strength to strength with easy wins over Tonga and Canada.
Samoa, widely tipped to take the cup, maintained their perfect record but failed to impress in either of Saturday’s outings, beating an out-of-sorts Russia 24-12 and then eking out a labored 21-14 victory over Argentina to qualify for Sunday’s semi-finals.
The showpiece Hong Kong event is the sixth stop on the eight-leg Sevens World Series with further tournaments to come in England and Scotland.
The Samoans, Fiji and series leaders New Zealand have shared the spoils in the five events played on the tour before Hong Kong, with the Kiwis on 96 points, leading the Samoans by two. In October, the International Olympics Committee voted to include rugby sevens in the 2016 Rio Games. Bernard Lapasset, chairman of the International Rugby Board, on Saturday ruled out the full 15-a-side game following suit.
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