It is said that it is harder to defend a title successfully than to win it, and no one knows this better than Samoa.
The Samoans come to Hong Kong as champions after they shocked Fiji 27-22 in last year's decider, but face an uphill battle if they are to repeat the feat this time around.
Five players from last year's successful team will be missing because of injury and commitments to their clubs in Europe, while in the IRB Sevens so far, the side have struggled.
Their best display was reaching the Wellington Sevens final last month where they were narrowly beaten 22-17 by New Zealand after a try in the dying seconds by the Kiwis.
However, they have yet to recapture the form of last season that saw them win not only in Hong Kong but in Wellington too. They lie fourth in the series standings and coach Rudolf Moors is hoping a punishing recent training camp will help his side get back to winning ways.
Before arriving in Hong Kong, Moors pushed his squad to the limit during training on Maninoa Beach, Siumu, Samoa where his players underwent intense strength training, which included carrying two 20kg sand bags above their heads while jogging a 100m set course for seven minutes. They then repeated the dose with 40kg sand bags.