Fiji win Hong Kong in style

Fiji came up trumps on a spectacular Day Three in Hong Kong, defeating New Zealand 21-7 in a fierce Cup final that brought the approval of the 40,000 fans in attendance. The win is Fiji’s fourth in five years at the flagship tournament on the HSBC Sevens Series, and their third Cup victory of the 2015-16 season, pushing them just ahead of chief rivals New Zealand and South Africa for top spot on the table.

For the Americas the final day of the competition was not as fruitful. The USA’s unbeaten record came to a screeching halt against South Africa in the Cup quarter final. They took out some frustration against Wales in the Plate semi, but looked deflated and were shut-out by England in the Plate final.

Canada had a forgettable day at the office. With the rain teeming down they struggled against Samoa, dropping another against their likely Olympic qualifying challengers. A comfortable win over Portugal was undone by a loss to Russia, who came from behind to lift the Shield thanks to an end-to-end team effort finished by Vladislav Lazarenko in extra time.

On the other hand Argentina held up their end of the bargain, winning all three of their matches to finish the weekend on a high and take home the Bowl. A tough scrap against France in the semi final was sandwiched in between dominant wins over Russia and finally Scotland to finish with four consecutive victories after their slow start on Day One.

The Core Qualifiers bracket ended as expected with Japan coming through unscathed to earn their full-time position on the 2016-17 HSBC Sevens Series. Hong Kong did their best to please the home crowd, defeating Germany in the semi before giving the champions their biggest test in the final, but ultimately the result was never in doubt.

Singapore hosts the next stop on the circuit next weekend. With only three stops remaining both the USA and Canada look firmly wedged into their 5th and 13th spots respectively. Argentina are 11 points behind the Eagles in 6th and will be more concerned with fending off England, who are creeping up behind in 7th.

DAY THREE RESULTS

BOWL QUARTER FINALS
France 45 – 0 South Korea
Argentina 22 – 0 Russia
Canada 10 – 19 Samoa
Scotland 5 – 0 Portugal

CUP QUARTER FINALS
New Zealand 19 – 7 Wales
USA 0 – 28 South Africa
Fiji 12 – 10 Kenya
England 5 – 14 Australia

CORE SEMI FINALS
Hong Kong 17 – 7 Germany
Zimbabwe 0 – 22 Japan

SHIELD SEMI FINALS
South Korea 7 – 29 Russia
Canada 19 – 5 Portugal

BOWL SEMI FINALS
France 7 – 14 Argentina
Samoa 14 – 19 Scotland

PLATE SEMI FINALS
Wales 0 – 27 USA
Kenya 0 – 33 England

CUP SEMI FINALS
New Zealand 12 – 7 South Africa
Fiji 34 – 5 Australia

CORE QUALIFIER FINAL
Hong Kong 14 – 24 Japan

SHIELD FINAL
Russia 19 – 14 Canada

BOWL FINAL
Argentina 26 – 0 Scotland

PLATE FINAL
USA 0 – 19 England

BRONZE FINAL
South Africa 14 – 12 Australia

CUP FINAL
New Zealand 7 – 21 Fiji