Hong Kong Sevens 2023: Shield glory gives city’s men belief for their next steps
- Home team come good on Sevens’ final day, not only recording a long-awaited first win of the weekend but going on to lift silverware
- Now they set their sights on the Challenger tournament through which they could qualify to play on this stage year-round
After a 22-5 loss to Australia left them contesting the lower places, they beat Kenya 19-10 to progress to the Shield final, in which they saw off Canada 17-7.
That won them the hearts of the thousands in the stands shouting themselves hoarse, signed and snapped in a seemingly endless victory lap of autographs and selfies. It also ensured, for them, a bigger prize: belief in where they are headed next.
A gear shift has been achieved over the past three days, and once he was done with what he said “has to be a record” number of photos with fans, Seb Brien, one of Hong Kong’s stars of the weekend, said he and his teammates had “relished the opportunity to see if we could cope at this level”.
That level is the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, which Hong Kong were invited to play in here but could qualify to join properly in the coming weeks via the Challenger Series.
After two three-day events in Stellenbosch, South Africa, on April 20-22 and 28-30, the winner of the 12-team women’s event – which also features Hong Kong – will go straight into next season’s World Series.