RUGBY | HONG KONG SEVENS
Fiji win third consecutive title at the Hong Kong Sevens
Fiji have won their third consecutive Hong Kong Sevens title after blowing away South Africa 22-0 in the final.
This marks Fiji’s first tournament victory on the World Series this year. The result means that the Olympic Champions take the second place in the rankings, ahead of England, while South Africa remains in the top spot.
Barber: “It was just a matter of time”
Fijian coach, Gareth Barber admitted his side were extremely pleased to get a victory under their belts. “With the quality of players we have here, I'm very aware that we should be winning cups. I'm also aware that Ben (Ryan) did a great job and that we needed to keep the pressure on South Africa at the top of the table. It was just a matter of time before we could get it done.”
“These guys are gold medal winners for a reason. My job is to keep bringing that through with things like this,” said Barber after beating South Africa in the final.
Fiji: unbeaten all weekend.
The Olympic Champions began the tournament with a crushing 36-0 over Japan. Their second test ended with a 17-17 draw against Wales. Fiji’s last pool c game was a close 17-14 win over New Zealand.
In the quarter finals, the champions faced Canada, beating them by a convincing 29-12. While in the semifinals, Fiji achieved a wide 33-12 victory over Australia.
Blowing away final
Fans packed Hong Kong Stadium as Fiji and South Africa ran out for the last game of the tournament.
In the opening, Captain Osea Kolinisau broke down field to set up Sevuloni Mocenacagi to score the first points of the match. The second try came a couple of minutes after, as Mesulame Kunavula bustled over after a strong Fijian carrying.
After the half time break, Kalione Nasoko made a superb move to score underneath the sticks. Shortly afterwards Nasoko struck again to seal the win. The match ended 22-0 for Fiji.
South Africa must await another year to try to achieve their first sevens title in Hong Kong. However, the Blitzboks are still in the top of the Series ranking’s table with 145 points, while Fiji reaches the second spot with 122 leaving England on third with 113.
The next stop of this year’s World Rugby Sevens Series will begin next Saturday, with the core teams of the competition traveling to Singapore for the eighth round of the Series.