Fiji scores back-to-back titles in Hong Kong

Fiji made it two HSBC Sevens Series Cup wins in a row on Sunday when they defeated Kenya to win the Hong Kong Sevens. It was a repeat of the Cup Final in Vancouver and again the Fijians proved a class apart, finishing the tournament undefeated with a two-point victory over South Africa in the Semi Final their only real cause for concern. It is also Fiji’s fourth consecutive win in Hong Kong and puts them just three points behind South Africa on the overall table.

The Blitzbokke would finish in 3rd place, defeating New Zealand in the Bronze Final. For both teams reaching the final four was a laudable achievement given they had entered second-string sides with their top players sent to the Gold Coast early to prepare for the Commonwealth Games.

Argentina meanwhile finished in 5th spot with a narrow defeat of the USA to end their tournament. The Pumas were no match for Fiji in the Quarter Finals and edged Spain in the 5th Place Semi Final to secure vital rankings points. With Australia’s below-strength side stumbling it means Argentina have moved up into 4th place overall.

The Eagles escaped in 6th spot despite a bitterly disappointing performance against New Zealand in the Quarter Final. They regrouped somewhat to defeat Scotland but injuries to Danny Barrett, Martin Iosefo, and Perry Baker threw them off course against Argentina. All three are expected to be fit to play in Singapore in two weeks’ time.

Canada struggled to find form in the knock-out stages. A blowout win over South Korea was to be expected but they had problems with Russia and then fell completely flat against France in the Trophy Final. They will now need to regroup during the week before the big weekend in Australia.

 

 

 

TROPHY QUARTER FINALS
Samoa 0 – 38 France
England 14 – 17 Australia
Wales 7 – 15 Russia
Canada 45 – 0 South Korea

CUP QUARTER FINALS
FIJI 40 – 14 Argentina
South Africa 38 – 5 Spain
USA 7 – 35 New Zealand
Kenya 19 – 12 Scotland

13th PLACE SEMI FINALS
Samoa 33 – 10 England
Wales 49 – 5 South Korea

TROPHY SEMI FINALS
France 24 – 12 Australia
Russia 12 – 19 Canada

5th PLACE SEMI FINALS
Argentina 14 – 12 Spain
USA 19 – 15 Scotland

CUP SEMI FINALS
Fiji 26 – 24 South Africa
New Zealand 12 – 21 Kenya

13th PLACE FINAL
Samoa 5 – 33 Wales

TROPHY FINAL
France 33 – 7 Canada

5th PLACE FINAL
Argentina 14 – 12 USA

BRONZE FINAL
South Africa 29 – 7 New Zealand

CUP FINAL
Fiji 24 – 12 Kenya