We're not done yet, insists England after loss to Samoa
England suffer a big loss against Samoa but coach vows to return stronger, while South Africa also take a beating at the hands of Argentina
England and South Africa will have their backs to the wall today as they fight to get into the Cup quarter-finals after losing their opening games yesterday.
England will meet old enemy Scotland with the pressure on their shoulders after Samoa knocked the stuffing out of them in a powerful and consummate performance which stunned most of the packed stadium on the opening night of the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens.
The 38,530 fans, most of them rooting for England, were shell-shocked after the Pacific Islanders stormed to a 28-7 victory, made even more emphatic by the fact that England never put a foot into their opponent's half before the break.
If this didn't fall into the category of a 'shock result' - England have fared dismally for most of the season barring their Wellington Cup title - then South Africa's demise at the hands of Argentina certainly was.
Argentina, with their trademark ironclad defence holding firm, kept the more-fancied South Africans to a scoreless first half before running in three tries after the break to rush to a 21-0 win. The other top seed in the remaining two pools, New Zealand and Fiji, emerged unscathed.
But England coach Ben Ryan, seeking his first Cup title in seven visits, refused to be downbeat.