Hong Kong beats China to win Shanghai 7s; Next stop Mumbai

Sri Lanka team wins Plate beating Thailand 22-7

Hong Kong beat hosts China 40-10 to win the weekend’s HSBC Asian Sevens Series’ (HSBC A7s) Shanghai Sevens and underline their growing status as one of the top teams in Asia.

In the other silverware matches, the Ben Gollings-led Sri Lanka team won the Plate beating Thailand 22-7, while Malaysia outlasted Singapore in an extra-time Bowl final 19-14.

Chinese Taipei marked its highest ever finish in an HSBC A7s event after beating South Korea in the 3rd/4th place final 26-7.

In the Shanghai Cup final, two tries each from outstanding fly-half Jamie Hood and centre Lee Jones allowed Hong Kong to dominate China and finish the second leg of the Series on an emphatic and unbeaten note.

The victory will push Hong Kong to the top of the HSBC A7s standings with one more ranking leg remaining – next month’s Mumbai Sevens where Japan will be back after missing out in Shanghai due to extenuating circumstances after withdrawing from the tournament amid political tensions in Sino-Japanese relations.

Japan’s absence gave Hong Kong carte blanche to stamp their authority and they took if with both hands winning all six matches at the Yuanshen Stadium to ease to their first title this season. Japan won the opening leg in Borneo.

 “This is our first ranking tournament win in two years. Now if we finish anywhere above Japan in Mumbai, that will be enough to give us the overall crown,” said a pleased Hong Kong national coach Dai Rees.

Hong Kong began the day winning their remaining pool game against the United Arab Emirates, 42-0. Understudy to Hood, Ben Rimene was in impressive form scoring a brace of tries and adding another 12 points with the boot to aggregate 22.

Two tries from Alex McQueen spearheaded Hong Kong’s 40-7 rout of Taiwan in the semi-finals. The final was also all one-day traffic as China failed to find an answer to stop the rampaging Hong Kong outfit who ran in a total of six tries. Hood was named best and fairest player of the tournament.

 “Jamie was superb. We were missing our magician Keith Robertson but Jamie has showed we have moved on. He has come in and slotted in brilliantly,” said Rees.

It all points to a winner-take-all shindig between Hong Kong and Japan at the Mumbai Sevens from 12-13 October after the Asian Rugby Football Union decided that the defending champions would not be penalised for staying away from Shanghai. Japan will now be awarded points for Shanghai - an aggregate of the total points won in Borneo and Mumbai - which means if they were to win the third leg in India’s financial capital, they will retain their crown.

 “If we make the semi-finals in Mumbai, we will be assured of finishing in the top two in Asia which was our original goal. But we are also in with a good chance of finishing number one now and that will enable us to go to the London Sevens which is also our aim now,” Rees added.

The winners of the HSBC Asian Sevens Series will have an added incentive after the International Rugby Board this week announcing that they would earn a spot against the 15 core teams at the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. This could also result in an automatic berth at the qualifying competition for core team status at the season-ending London Sevens, the final leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series.

Chinese Taipei maintained their strong form after winning the Plate at the opening event of this year’s HSBC A7s, the Borneo Sevens, to finish in third place overall in Shanghai. Chinese Taipei resoundingly defeated South Korea 26-7 in the 3rd/4th place play-off to mark their highest ever finish in an HSBC A7s event.

Captain Chu Chi Wei said, “The first few games we were a bit nervous, even through to today. But in the last game our confidence and energy were there for us, and this allowed us to play the way we had hoped coming into the tournament.”

Sri Lanka was another team demonstrating continued improvement from tournament to tournament after winning the Bowl in Borneo. Sri Lanka beat Singapore (41-0) and the UAE (45-0) in the final pool stages to book their spot in the Plate final against Thailand.

The Lankans didn’t give up a step in moving up a grade from Borneo and handed Thailand a 22-7 defeat to secure their second piece of silverware from as many HSBC A7s events.

 “We are very pleased to win the Plate in Shanghai. Ben [Sri Lanka coach Ben Gollings] is really helping us improve a lot. We won the Bowl in Borneo, now the Plate in Shanghai and we keep getting better. Why not the Cup in Mumbai,” said an ebullient Sri Lanka captain Fazil Marija.

Malaysia and Singapore renewed their classic rugby rivalry in the Bowl final with Malaysia holding on to a narrow 14-7 lead up to the final seconds when Singapore’s Bryan Ng broke through the Malaysian defence to try in the corner. A beautiful conversion by Suhaimi Amran leveled the scores and sent the final into sudden death extra time, but the Malaysians were not to be denied as Mohammad Izwan crossed the line to put Malaysia in the clear 19-14. The HSBC Asian Sevens Series now rolls into Mumbai for the third ranking event on this year’s Series and the penultimate Series event on 13-14 October at Bombay Gymkhana.

The Mumbai Sevens has attracted 16 teams making it the largest event played to date on the HSBC Asian Sevens Series.