Opinion | Sevens debut a national farce
Both the men's and women's rugby finals in Shenyang should become case studies in how not to introduce fans to a new sport
Sadly in rugby sevens, the referee can turn out to be the most important person on the field, as proven in the gold-medal match at the National Games on Tuesday.
Hong Kong were up against Shandong and leading 12-0 with one minute to go until half-time when things began to quickly unravel. Former captain Simon Leung Ho-yam picked up a yellow card for a marginal high tackle and was asked to take a two-minute break in the sin-bin.
For a sport trying to make a mark on the mainland, the final stages of the National Games were a complete disaster. It was the worst advertisement for rugby
Soon after the break, winger Salom Yiu Kam-shing was put in the clear by skipper Rowan Varty and had an easy run for the try-line. But the Argentine referee blew and awarded a penalty to Shandong in open play, leaving the Hong Kong players bemused. Later, they felt the penalty was given for obstruction - Varty who was late-tackled after passing the ball being the victim for apparently obstructing the tackler.
With a penalty count that ended 24-2 against Hong Kong, it was inevitable the final result read 14-12 to Shandong. Eight of these penalties came in the last two minutes. Shandong's winning try was a travesty itself, with a player knocking on at the base of a ruck. He picked up and drove over to score. The referee did not see the knock-on.
Hong Kong's dominant scrum was the focus of the referee's ire. He penalised Hong Kong for pushing the opponents off the ball, for crooked feeds etc. With all these hurdles, it was a wonder the result was so close. Conceding penalties in sevens is a no-no, being subjected to 24 is tantamount to suicide.
It is like asking the players to turn up blindfolded. Sadly in this case, it was the referee who was myopic. He seemed to be playing to the gallery - a large partisan gathering - and did a stellar job.
