Asia Rugby Sevens Series: Hong Kong fall to Japan in final of South Korea leg
A 28-21 victory helps Japan to their second title of the series, with Hong Kong coach John ruing small mistakes in Incheon
After taking gold at this summer’s Asian Games against Japan, Hong Kong have now fallen twice in a row to their arch rivals in similar fashion.
Japan beat Hong Kong 28-21 on Sunday, led by two tries each from Kameli Soejima and Naoki Motomura, in the second leg of the Asian Rugby Sevens Series, held in Incheon, South Korea.
The tournament was eerily similar to the first leg in Hong Kong, where the men’s squad went undefeated right up until the final, putting up some impressive wins in the process but ultimately failing to walk away with the top prize.
Coach Paul John said Japan and Hong Kong are so evenly matched their encounters are now coming down to small mistakes to determine the winners.
“It just came down to a couple of turnovers and them taking their opportunities,” he said. “A four try to three loss shows how close it is.
“These finals are very close now, there are some really fine margins and there is nothing between the two sides, so those little errors or mistakes are magnified at this level.”