HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series: bronze for Hong Kong’s men keeps core series hopes alive, as women end on high
- Jevon Groves’ side shake off heavy defeat at hands of Tonga in semi-final to win third-place play-off
- Hong Kong’s women beat Mexico 15-12 to win third game in a row and claim ninth place
Hong Kong’s men have left themselves an uphill task to qualify for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series after finishing third at the challenger event in South Africa on Saturday.
Jevon Groves’s side were hammered 33-0 by eventual winners Tonga in the semi-final at the Markotter Stadium in Stellenbosch, but recovered to beat Belgium in extra time in the third-place play-off.
With a second tournament next weekend, Hong Kong could still win the Challenger Series and qualify for a four-team tournament in London next month.
“We are disappointed in our performance this weekend,” Groves said. “We were outplayed by Tonga. We couldn’t control possession and we missed our tackles.
“We started poorly and we couldn’t make it up against them. Mostly, we are disappointed because we felt well prepared in terms of what we expected Tonga to do, but we just failed to stop it.”
Having conceded five tries to against Tonga, Hong Kong made hard work of the game against Belgium, which went deep into extra time after a match that went back and forth from the start.
Julien Berger gave Belgium the lead after two minutes, before James Christie made the most of his side’s man advantage and scored twice to put Hong Kong 14-7 up at half-time.
Despite being a man down for the second time, the European side drew level again through Tornike Megrelidze, before Max Denmark struck back to put his side 21-14 ahead.
Hong Kong though could not hold onto their lead, and Victor André touched down after the hooter sounded to send the game into extra time.
After an error-strewn first period, Denmark eventually came up with the crucial score in the opening minute of the second period to seal a 26-21 win.
Victory kept Hong Kong’s hopes of advancing to the final qualifying stages alive, and Groves said there had been some “tough reflection” after the loss to Tonga.
“We have given ourselves a sliver of hope now,” he said. “It’s been done before in this competition with a third place and a first place good for a series win, but now we have to rely on other teams.
“Ultimately, it is up to us to address the issue of our performance. Next week, we have a second chance to put things right and put in a performance we can proud of, and that is what it is all about at this level.”
Hong Kong’s women, meanwhile, won their third game in a row to secure ninth place, and once again Natasha Olson-Thorne was instrumental in their victory.
The co-captain scored twice in a thrilling 15-12 win over Mexico, and also produced a try-saving tackle at the end of the first half to keep her side in front.
Rosie Wright also scored for Hong Kong, who made the most of their opponents’ unforced errors as the game reached its conclusion.
Victory brought a triumphant end to a tournament that started poorly for head coach Paul John’s side, but which ended with his side putting together important results when it mattered.
“The girls have shown a lot of spirit by winning their last three games,” John said. “As a team, they have shown more confidence in every match, and our defence has improved game by game. We built well off of our performance yesterday.”
The Hong Kong teams will now have a week to reset for the final HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series competition at the same venue next weekend.
