After the highs of sweet Saturday came the lows of sad Sunday. Hong Kong looked flat and totally out of it as Canada bumped the hometown heroes out in the Plate quarter-finals.
Hong Kong had no answer to Canada's highly physical approach, losing 26-5, in a one-sided match. It was an anti-climax for their legions of fans who had hoped the fairytale would continue. But in the end the two pool victories over Portugal and Tonga seemed to have taken a huge toll.
'We couldn't take the next step against Canada,' admitted coach Rodney McIntosh. 'We didn't get the start we wanted and a couple of calls went against us. They had the momentum and it is very hard to get it back when you are on the back foot.'
Hong Kong conceded four penalties in the first couple of minutes, making their task even harder. All the old problems cropped up as they struggled to win possession at the re-starts and at the breakdown, resulting in the team having to fall back on a defence-oriented game. It sapped their strength.
Canada led 14-0 at half-time and then added two more tries after the break before Hong Kong got a look in. On one of the rare occasions when Hong Kong questioned the Canadian defence, it resulted in Keith Robertson ducking and weaving his way in trademark fashion for a consolation try. But it was never going to be enough and a case of too little, and far too late.
'We were a little bit tired,' admitted Hong Kong captain Mark Wright. 'Beating Tonga and Portugal took a lot out of us. It was disappointing, but Canada are a strong side and we just couldn't keep the ball long enough.'
However, Hong Kong will look back at the weekend as a success.