There are those who will have seen a Queen tribute act as the half-time entertainment at the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens and turned up their noses. You might assume that a faux Freddie Mercury on the microphone and a guitarist with a wig so obvious that he was more of a Brian Maybe than Brian May would fail to impress after the big names on show in years gone by. However, just like the critics panning the recent Mercury biopic to the complete disregard of the cinema going public, you’d be wrong. The South Stand, which is rightly or wrongly the barometer of the Hong Kong Sevens, lapped it right up. The band might have only played three songs – I Want To Break Free , Radio Gaga and a show-stopping Bohemian Rhapsody – but they got the crowd on their feet and belting out all of the words that they knew. As for the South Stand, they did all that and more, collectively doing their best to recreate those viral videos from last summer’s World Cup where the fans lose their collective minds and their pints whenever a goal was scored. It was a far cry from last year when Californian pop-punk outfit Smash Mouth were summarily ignored while they delved into their back catalogue and played their one-and-a-half hits. Some will rue the lack of a half-time show headliner, but there are not many bigger bands than Queen? It was certain that Freddie and the lads would go down well when this year’s most popular costume choice paid tribute to the Bohemian singer thanks to the film of the same name. Entertainment must be one of the nine factors by which World Rugby judges the cities that host the World Series, according to an internal report leaked to Singapore’s Straits Times last month. Hong Kong was ranked fifth of the 10 hosts behind Hamilton in New Zealand and Cape Town in South Africa in fourth and third places respectively. Hong Kong couldn’t even claim to be the best in Asia with family friendly Singapore coming in second, while fancy dress fiesta Vancouver took top spot. While many were quick to dismiss the report, others did wonder if Hong Kong had rested on its laurels in recent years, as Singapore and Vancouver benefit from either newer or relatively recently revamped stadiums and having a point to prove. Hong Kong needs to prove nothing as a Sevens host. It’s an event that has long transcended Sevens rugby to enter bucket list territory. The stadium is a sell-out every year and it is an event that the players love just as much as the fans. There’s also a sense of tradition that no other host city can match, as evidenced by the Saturday afternoon march around the pitch by local youngsters followed by the stars of the show themselves. Even still, that fifth ranking would have smarted. No matter that World Rugby were quick to point out that it was not an official ranking and only intended for in-house use, no one wants to be told they’re fifth. Whatever Hong Kong’s true ranking should be, there is no argument that there is always room for improvement. They could take a lesson from England’s World Cup winning coach Clive Woodward and do 100 things 1 per cent better or they could go for broke and do one things 100 per cent better. While Gwen Stefani might not be everyone’s first thought when they think of a singer to accompany the Sevens, there’s no doubt that she’s the biggest name to be brought to Hong Kong for it – even if she went nowhere near the half-time show. “Underneath it All” @gwenstefani pic.twitter.com/RnbUXoTRAY — Cat (@GxCat26) 6 April 2019 <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> The three-time Grammy winner knocks the likes of The Proclaimers, Madness and UB40 into a cocked hat and that’s why plenty of people were willing to hand over HK$780 (US$100) to see her in Central on Friday night. It doesn’t actually matter if they overlap with people who go to the Sevens – putting on a big name concert to complement the Sevens should see a rise up any rankings. It’s the same with the Sevens Central and the Fan Zone in the shadows of the stadium at So Kon Po. Those folks might never get hold of a ticket for the Sevens itself, but they were having a fine old time on its fringes nonetheless. As for Singapore, which is next up on the Sevens series calendar next week, they might have to hand back the best in Asia title to its rightful owners. That’s the least they deserve for hiring Smash Mouth to play this year. Yet more proof, as if it were needed, of what we knew all along. The other Sevens hosts are still following in Hong Kong’s footsteps.