Scotland make History in London

The record-setting continued on Day Two of the grant finale of the 2015/16 HSBC Sevens Series on London on Sunday. Scotland upset South Africa in a pulsating Cup final that saw Dougie Fife score twice in the dying moments of the match – the second with time up on the clock – to claim a first ever event title for the Scots in their first ever final appearance.

Scotland had earlier come from behind to beat the Eagles in the Cup semi, and again it was Fife who spurred the win with two tries at the death to steal the win. It was a bitter pill for Mike Friday, who had watched his charges smash New Zealand by a record 42-14 score in the Cup quarters on the back of a four-try performance by Perry Baker.

The USA closed out their 2015/16 season on a high with a Bronze final victory over HSBC Series champions Fiji. It was a strong return to form for the team who had been in a mini-slump, and Friday conceded that he was frustrated despite the 3rd place finish. The Eagles could – and should – have made the final but for a few brief mental lapses against Scotland.

A try on full-time by Javier Rojas nearly gave Argentina a chance to win in extra time, but the conversion sailed wide with South Africa coming away from a razor-thin decision with the two-point win. The Pumas routed France in the Plate semi before falling to New Zealand in their final game. Their 6th place finish in London is just enough to keep them ahead of the USA for 5th place on the overall Series standings.

Canada cruised by a Brazilian team reduced to only eight able-bodied players in the Bowl quarter final but again met their match in arch-nemesis Wales in the Bowl semi. With a 17-7 lead at the break Canada were in good shape, only to concede two unanswered tries in the second half to come up painfully short and bring an end to a forgettable season.

The day could not end soon enough for poor Brazil, who were decimated by injuries and forced to dig deep just to complete their remaining fixtures. Tries by Moises Duque and Andre Silva were rare moments of consolation as they dropped both matches in convincing fashion.

Elsewhere Portugal failed to overcome Russia, finishing in the bottom of the 15 core teams and in doing so have lost their status as Series regulars. Japan will take their place, having won the Core Qualification tournament in Hong Kong.

All eyes now turn to the Olympics, set to take place starting August 9 in Rio de Janeiro. One spot remains to be decided, with a final qualification tournament taking place in Monaco on June 19.

DAY TWO RESULTS

BOWL QUARTER FINALS
Canada 19 – 7 Brazil
Kenya 19 – 21 Wales
Russia 17 – 22 Samoa
Australia 17 – 12 Portugal

CUP QUARTER FINALS
South Africa 21 – 19 Argentina
France 7 – 40 Fiji
New Zealand 14 – 42 USA
England 0 – 17 Scotland

SHIELD SEMI FINALS
Brazil 5 – 38 Kenya
Russia 26 – 7 Portugal

BOWL SEMI FINALS
Canada 17 – 21 Wales
Samoa 21 -22 Australia

PLATE SEMI FINALS
Argentina 31 – 5 France
New Zealand 35 – 10 England

CUP SEMI FINALS
South Africa 26 – 21 Fiji
USA 17 – 24 Scotland

SHIELD FINAL
Kenya 31 – 7 Russia

BOWL FINAL
Wales 24 – 19 Australia

PLATE FINAL
Argentina 14 – 29 New Zealand

BRONZE FINAL
Fiji 19 – 26 USA

CUP FINAL
South Africa 26 – 27 Scotland