Minnows dazzled by the big guns
Fired up by the prospect of making their Hong Kong Sevens debut against world champions Fiji in the opening match, the Madagascar players were then given an extra boost before kick-off when they met one of their heroes - celebrity actor Jackie Chan.
But the thrill of meeting Hong Kong's most famous face was short-lived as Fiji showed them star quality of another kind. Waisele Serevi and his men exploited their opponents' dazzled state, running in five tries in a first-half blitz - adding three more in the second - and starting their tournament according to plan with a 52-7 win.
'We didn't realise where we were for the first few minutes,' said Madagascar captain Mboazafy Rakotoarivelo. 'This was a huge experience for us. Meeting Jackie Chan before the game gave us power. He is very, very famous in our country. We see his movies every week. He was going to visit our country in 2005, but he had to cancel.
'We tried to do our best against Fiji, and we will try to show something more spectacular next time. We are still confident. This match only makes us more motivated.'
The slightly built Indian Ocean islanders recovered their composure for the second half and, much to the delight of the crowd, managed to score their first IRB Sevens try through Jacquot Harinirina.
Coach Berthin Rafalimanana said the team were determined to give the fans something to cheer.
'The public gave us a big welcome which was wonderful,' said Rafalimanana. 'It was a great surprise. We really wanted the public to enjoy the game and get behind us. We tried our best in the second half to make something happen. We missed two chances to score in the first half. When we scored the try in the second half we were so happy that the fans were with us, supporting us.'
The pool A underdogs, invited to the Sevens because the island is celebrating 100 years of rugby, now aim to make their mark by winning their remaining pool matches against Kenya and Russia today.
'We were determined to cause an upset against Fiji and we thought we could win,' said the coach. 'But you really need special skills. We can only improve.
'We want to win all the games we play now. We were very confident before Fiji, and they are the best team we have ever played, for sure. We did well, and now we are still confident for the next two pool matches. We will do our best and be on top of our game.'
In the other pool A match, Kenya waited until the second half against Russia before hitting their stride. The Africans came from 10-5 down to win 26-10.
