Hong Kong Sevens: former USA captain Gustaitis on why ‘frenetic’ rugby code is taking off stateside
- Abby Gustaitis captained USA women to the quarter-finals of the Tokyo Olympics
- US women advance to semi-finals with emphatic 33-7 win over Fiji, but their male counterparts lost 24-19 in extra time to Ireland
Abby Gustaitis, the former USA captain, says her nation is increasingly gripped by “frenetic and physical” rugby sevens.
The US women’s team are targeting a third world series tournament success in the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. Their male counterparts, who toppled series leaders Argentina on day one, are aiming for title number four, but only a second triumph outside their homeland.
An emphatic 33-7 win over Fiji, powered by 13 points from Alev Kelter, who scored one try and converted four of her side’s five scores, took the women into Sunday’s semi-finals.
Their male counterparts came up short, losing to Ireland 24-19 in a blistering quarter-final that went to extra time.
Both sides, who finished with two victories from three pool matches, will go to the summer Olympics as dark horses, a feat in itself for a country where rugby competes with a legion of more established sports for its public’s affection.
“I think the physicality of sevens gets Americans excited, the same way it does in American football,” Gustaitis told the Post. “No one is bored watching rugby sevens, and that is the case for both the men’s and women’s games, which is really cool.
