https://www.scmp.com/rss/323459/feed The 2016-17 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series consists of 10 tournaments – Dubai, Cape Town, Wellington, Sydney, Las Vegas, Vancouver, Hong Kong, Singapore, Paris and England – and runs from 2 December 2016 until 21 May 2017. The 2017 Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens will be held 7-9 April 2017. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com South Africa were crowned winners of this season’s World Rugby Sevens Series on Sunday, beating Scotland 15-5 in the final of the penultimate leg in Paris. The Blitzboks arrived in the French capital 25 points ahead of closest rivals Fiji in the standings on the back of four tournament wins and seven consecutive finals. With 22 points on offer for a tournament victory and just one round remaining, in London on May 20-21, South Africa clinched the title after third-placed England lost 19-17 to... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2094345/south-africa-blitz-scotland-paris-final-clinch-world-rugby-sevens-series?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2094345/south-africa-blitz-scotland-paris-final-clinch-world-rugby-sevens-series?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 May 2017 03:39:05 +0000 Bruce Southwick was in the Fiji team van on the way to a training session before the Las Vegas Sevens when Pio Tuwai, who was in the next seat, hugged him. The strapping sevens forward fell asleep and used Southwick as a pillow. “He put his arms around me and gave me a big hug,” said photographer and filmmaker Southwick. “He then fell asleep in the van and just about crushed me through the door. I didn’t have the heart to wake him up and had cramps in my legs.” Tuwai’s hug was symbolic of just... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2087920/man-inside-remarkable-story-fijis-olympic-games-gold-medal-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2087920/man-inside-remarkable-story-fijis-olympic-games-gold-medal-success?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Apr 2017 07:27:04 +0000 Hong Kong coach Paul John hopes the lessons learned in a tough 40-0 loss to Fiji on Saturday will hold his side in good stead in their remaining two pool games at the Singapore Sevens. It was a tough opening to the tournament for Hong Kong, with Hong Kong Sevens champions Fiji at their creative best as they ran in six tries. But with Canada and Russia to come on day one, John is confident of a better showing. “Hopefully we can improve and if we improve I think we’re a fighting chance in the next... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2087914/baptism-fire-fiji-hand-hong-kong-heavy-loss-singapore-sevens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2087914/baptism-fire-fiji-hand-hong-kong-heavy-loss-singapore-sevens?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Apr 2017 06:28:47 +0000 The Hong Kong Sevens was for 24 years a standalone, pioneering sevens tournament that cultivated its own prestige and reputation as one of the best sporting events in the world. Other cities tried to mimic what the Hong Kong Rugby Union had nurtured over more than two decades, but none came close to recreating the atmosphere and sense of importance that came with winning in Hong Kong. At the end of the previous century, the Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) joined the new Sevens World Series launched... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2087906/hong-kong-sevens-danger-losing-its-soul-world-rugbys-cookie-cutter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2087906/hong-kong-sevens-danger-losing-its-soul-world-rugbys-cookie-cutter?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Apr 2017 04:48:18 +0000 It is all about power for Hong Kong this weekend as Paul John’s men look to throw off the shackles at the Singapore Sevens. The big-bodied Jack Capon and Charlie Higson-Smith come in to the team from last weekend’s qualifying competition at the Hong Kong Sevens, replacing the injured Ben Rimene and Mark Wright. “The main reason we looked at those two players to come into the squad is because you have to carry hard in this game and maintain your own possession,” John said. “Obviously the bigger... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hk-sevens/article/2087688/power-name-game-hong-kong-turn-jack-capon-and-charlie-higson?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hk-sevens/article/2087688/power-name-game-hong-kong-turn-jack-capon-and-charlie-higson?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Apr 2017 05:36:41 +0000 Red Bull racing ace Daniel Ricciardo can probably be forgiven for thinking he’d rather be cooling his heels at the Hong Kong Sevens than facing a pressure cooker situation at this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. It’s a pity the Formula One star can’t choose both events as he returns to the business side of things – and the intense racing that comes with it – at the Shanghai international circuit, where he hopes to mount a serious comeback after his nightmare start to the season at last... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2085108/formula-one-star-daniel-ricciardo-loves-his-racing-and-his-rugby?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2085108/formula-one-star-daniel-ricciardo-loves-his-racing-and-his-rugby?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Apr 2017 10:20:41 +0000 Lisa Frazer doesn’t seem to have the word “can’t” in her vocabulary. As the driving force behind the Jamaica women’s team as they make their debut at the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, Frazer fills dual roles as coach and standout player. She says she lives and breathes the game and the challenge, and that she thrives on facing any test life might throw at her. “I believe in training hard because it makes playing – and life – so much easier,” is how Frazer sums up her philosophy. Frazer... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2085030/jamaica-we-have-womens-rugby-sevens-team-lisa-frazers-side-are-ready?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2085030/jamaica-we-have-womens-rugby-sevens-team-lisa-frazers-side-are-ready?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Apr 2017 05:59:58 +0000 Cecil Afrika’s record as South Africa’s greatest-ever points scorer suggests a career full only of finer things the game of rugby can bring but the strapping on his left knee tells the true story. The 29-year-old has battled back from career-threatening injuries that have eaten significantly into his opportunities over the past decade – making his record of 1,204 points, and the fact that this year’s Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens marks his 50th tournament overall, even more... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hk-sevens/article/2084723/he-thought-injury-hk-would-ruin-his-career-now-cecil-afrika?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hk-sevens/article/2084723/he-thought-injury-hk-would-ruin-his-career-now-cecil-afrika?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Apr 2017 09:49:13 +0000 South Africa have dominated the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series this season, winning four of six rounds to sit 23 points clear of England on top of the table. England are the only team to beat South Africa this season, achieving the feat on three occasions including in the finals in Cape Town and Vancouver, while Fiji are next in line and only three points behind England despite not yet hitting their straps. England’s Dan Norton has scored 34 tries to lead all comers, while US flyer Perry Baker... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/play-week/article/2084372/watch-highlights-2016-17-world-rugby-sevens-series?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/play-week/article/2084372/watch-highlights-2016-17-world-rugby-sevens-series?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Apr 2017 08:03:09 +0000 Gordon Tietjens has spent the past 22 years at the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens looking at the opposition from a New Zealand perspective. This year, he is an outsider as far as the All Blacks are concerned. Now coaching Samoa, Tietjens admitted that emotions may run high if his new team were to face New Zealand after the group stages in Hong Kong. The two sides have played each other twice in this season’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, with the Kiwis winning both times in pool games –... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hk-sevens/article/2084187/impossible-not-feel-if-samoa-face-new-zealand-says-ex-kiwi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hk-sevens/article/2084187/impossible-not-feel-if-samoa-face-new-zealand-says-ex-kiwi?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Apr 2017 12:24:21 +0000 The heartbreak for Samoa was there for the world to see last year. A last-second try in the final of the sudden-death qualifying event in Monaco ensured it was upstarts Spain, not the islanders, who were off to the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games following a 22-19 victory. Captain Fa’alemiga Selesele was the first to speak to his devastated teammates after the loss, telling them to consign it to history and turn their attentions immediately to the future instead. “It was tough, a real hard way to... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2084184/samoa-out-ride-gordon-tietjens-wave-hong-kong-after-olympic-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2084184/samoa-out-ride-gordon-tietjens-wave-hong-kong-after-olympic-games?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Apr 2017 12:02:12 +0000 A year ago Fiji were running away with the World Rugby Sevens Series, about to win a record 16th Hong Kong title and a few months away from precious Olympic gold. Now they are struggling for form having lost key players and their lauded coach Ben Ryan. The new man in charge, former Hong Kong coach Gareth Baber, admits he is under huge pressure to get Fiji back to their all-conquering ways, starting with the defence of their Hong Kong crown early next month. “The Fijians love Hong Kong, there’s a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2080471/fiji-olympic-gold-weighs-heavy-new-coach-gareth-baber?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2080471/fiji-olympic-gold-weighs-heavy-new-coach-gareth-baber?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Mar 2017 07:37:06 +0000 Hong Kong continued their preparations for next month’s Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens under new coach Paul John by advancing to the quarter-finals of the Borneo Sevens on Saturday. In their last outing before April’s showpiece at Hong Kong Stadium as Hong Kong take part in the World Sevens Series Qualifier tournament, John’s side recovered from an opening defeat by Malaysia’s Sabah Eagles to record wins over Alabang Eagles from the Philippines, Dinowin and the Malaysia Sevens side. Hong... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/sevens/article/2080173/hong-kong-battle-cup-quarter-finals-borneo-sevens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/sevens/article/2080173/hong-kong-battle-cup-quarter-finals-borneo-sevens?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Mar 2017 13:02:22 +0000 With the Hong Kong Sevens fast approaching, South Africa look nailed-on favourites for the title after notching their fourth win of the season from five tournaments in Las Vegas with a 19-12 triumph over Fiji. With tries from Chris Dry, Cecil Afrika and Rosko Specman South Africa denied Fiji a third straight Las Vegas crown. Fiji, the Olympic champions, remain in search of a first victory of the season, although they moved into second place in the standings led by South Africa on 107... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/sevens/article/2076329/south-africa-beat-fiji-notch-fourth-tournament-win-out-five-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/sevens/article/2076329/south-africa-beat-fiji-notch-fourth-tournament-win-out-five-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Mar 2017 02:20:53 +0000 South Africa’s Blitzboks won their third World Rugby Sevens Series of the season with a dominant 29-14 victory over England in the final in Sydney on Sunday. Led by man-of-the-match Seabelo Senatla, South Africa scored five tries to England’s two. Neil Powell’s Blitzboks have now won three of this season’s four world series finals and stretched their lead to 17 points over England in the championship standings. It was the second consecutive week that Senatla had been crowned player of the final... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/sevens/article/2068229/south-africas-blitzboks-down-england-third-world-rugby-sevens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/sevens/article/2068229/south-africas-blitzboks-down-england-third-world-rugby-sevens?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Feb 2017 10:01:53 +0000 Wales ended a 14-match losing streak to Fiji by upsetting the Olympic rugby champion 28-15 in the Sydney Sevens on Saturday. A hat trick of tries by Morgan Williams led Wales to their first win over Fiji since 2013, and ultimately to the first qualifying position in Pool B. England also topped their pool after beating world series leader South Africa 21-15, handing the Blitzboks their first defeat since they lost to England in December in the Cape Town final. South Africa led 15-7 with four... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2068129/sydney-sevens-wales-upset-fiji-england-beat-south-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2068129/sydney-sevens-wales-upset-fiji-england-beat-south-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Feb 2017 14:08:12 +0000 England stunned South Africa 19-17 to win the Cape Town Sevens on Sunday after the hosts missed a last-gasp conversion. Werner Kok scored a try in the final seconds while England were down to six men, but Justin Geduld couldn’t convert as England claimed a first World Series win since Tokyo in 2015. “It was a tough tournament,” said England captain Tom Mitchell, whose side finished third at the season-opening Dubai Sevens last weekend, which South Africa won. “We trained all summer and this... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/sevens/article/2053860/dan-norton-fires-england-gatecrash-south-africas-sevens-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/sevens/article/2053860/dan-norton-fires-england-gatecrash-south-africas-sevens-party?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Dec 2016 04:53:47 +0000 South Africa stunned defending World Series and Olympic champions Fiji 26-14 to win the Dubai Sevens on Saturday. It was a fifth Dubai title for South Africa who were second in the World Series last season before going on to take bronze at the Rio Olympics. Fittingly, last season’s player of the year Seabelo Senatla scored South Africa’s last try of the final, taking his tally for the two days to 11. England beat Wales 38-10 to claim third place. “We just needed to stick to our game plan and... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2051562/south-africa-stun-fiji-win-dubai-sevens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2051562/south-africa-stun-fiji-win-dubai-sevens?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Dec 2016 03:57:43 +0000 Gareth Baber knows he has huge shoes to fill in taking over from Ben Ryan as coach of a Fiji side who are reigning Olympic and HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series champions. On top of their on-field success, the islanders path to gold in Rio captured the imagination of sports fans across the globe and Baber is taking the reins of arguably the world’s most unique rugby side. Packed with world-class players who are as enigmatic as they are brilliant, keeping the side at the levels they have reached in... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2041040/gareth-baber-confident-he-can-push-fiji-rugby-forward-he-takes-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2041040/gareth-baber-confident-he-can-push-fiji-rugby-forward-he-takes-over?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Oct 2016 10:00:30 +0000 Hong Kong’s Gareth Baber will take over from Ben Ryan as head coach of the all-conquering Fiji, landing the most sought-after job in world rugby sevens. Baber will begin his four-year contract with the reigning Olympic and HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series champions at the beginning of January. His contract will see him take the islanders through to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and the Welshman is eager to test himself at the next level. He paid special tribute to Dai Rees, general manager of... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/sevens/article/2040887/hong-kong-coach-gareth-baber-replace-ben-ryan-coach-fiji-most?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/sevens/article/2040887/hong-kong-coach-gareth-baber-replace-ben-ryan-coach-fiji-most?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Oct 2016 01:00:00 +0000 Former New Zealand rugby sevens coach Gordon Tietjens has been appointed coach of Samoa from next year, the Samoa Rugby Union said on Friday. The 60-year-old, who was inducted into World Rugby’s Hall of Fame in 2012 for his contribution to sevens, left the New Zealand programme after the team failed to medal at the Rio Olympics. Samoa did not qualify for Rio, having been surprisingly beaten by Spain for the final spot. “We know that there was much competition to secure the services of such a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2028058/former-new-zealand-sevens-coach-gordon-tietjens-lead-samoa-rugby?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2028058/former-new-zealand-sevens-coach-gordon-tietjens-lead-samoa-rugby?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Oct 2016 03:00:45 +0000 Fiji’s Olympic gold medal-winning sevens coach Ben Ryan has urged rugby’s governing body to clamp down on unlicensed agents who are stripping the Pacific islands of their talent. Ryan stepped down after leading Fiji to the country’s first ever Olympic Games medal in Rio de Janeiro last month and the Briton remains appalled by the lack of organised administration for rugby in the region. “We’ve got no licensed agents in the Pacific. Anyone can do anything, so it’s the Wild West in that respect,”... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2021688/its-wild-west-pacific-islands-being-bled-dry-unlicensed-agents-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2021688/its-wild-west-pacific-islands-being-bled-dry-unlicensed-agents-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Sep 2016 11:30:00 +0000 Legendary New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens said the Hong Kong Sevens remains the best tournament in the world and will continue to lead the way, paying tribute to the event that helped him take sevens rugby to a new level. The 60-year-old Tietjens announced his retirement from the New Zealand sevens set-up after 22 years at the helm, leaving on a disappointing note as the All Blacks were beaten in the quarter-finals of the Rio Olympics last month. And the former Bay of Plenty coach says the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/sevens/article/2017679/hong-kong-sevens-still-best-retired-new-zealand-legend-gordon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/sevens/article/2017679/hong-kong-sevens-still-best-retired-new-zealand-legend-gordon?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Sep 2016 10:30:30 +0000 New Zealand men’s rugby sevens coach Gordon Tietjens has stepped down after 22 years in charge in the wake of their quarter-final exit at the Rio Olympics. By far the most successful sevens coach in history, Tietjens took over the programme in 1994 and guided teams in over 100 international tournaments, yielding 12 world series titles and four Commonwealth Games gold medals. Despite the glowing record, Tietjens bows out with regret over the ill-fated campaign at Rio where his team suffered a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2015622/new-zealand-sevens-coach-gordon-tietjens-steps-down-after-rio-olympics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2015622/new-zealand-sevens-coach-gordon-tietjens-steps-down-after-rio-olympics?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Sep 2016 02:45:45 +0000 Fiji has ramped up overtures to sevens coach Ben Ryan giving him land and a chiefly title to keep the popular Englishman in the South Pacific island nation. Ryan has become the most venerated person in Fiji since guiding them to their first Olympic medal when they won the sevens gold in Rio earlier this month. He has already been awarded Fiji’s highest civilian honour, the Companion of the Order of Fiji, and moves are under way to give Ryan and his family Fijian passports. The 44-year-old, who... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2011065/please-dont-leave-read-incredible-offer-fiji-chiefs-offered-triumphant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/2011065/please-dont-leave-read-incredible-offer-fiji-chiefs-offered-triumphant?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Aug 2016 02:30:15 +0000