Hong Kong reach Rugby World Cup Sevens despite Singapore final loss
A top-three finish in Singapore ensures qualification for the World Cup after city suffers a narrow loss to Japan in the final
To Russia with love - that's where Hong Kong are heading after they qualified for next year's Rugby World Cup Sevens by finishing in the top three in the fourth and final leg of the HSBC Asian Sevens Series.
The main mission was accomplished, but still Hong Kong can be forgiven for feeling let down yesterday at the Singapore Sevens after arch-rivals Japan pipped them 14-12 in a nail-biting Cup final, sending a reminder that despite losing their Asian crown, the Japanese are still a threat.
Japan, Hong Kong and third-placed Philippines will represent Asia in Moscow in June.
As far as Japan were concerned, the run-up to yesterday's crunch game, witnessed by International Rugby Board chairman Bernard Lapasset, was all about avenging the forfeiture of their title of Asian sevens champions to Hong Kong, who claimed it by winning two of the three previous legs of the series.
This last leg was all about World Cup qualification but Japan coach Tomohiro Segawa had stated beforehand he not only wanted to qualify for Moscow but also to "do it in style" by beating Hong Kong in the final.
He got his wish as Hong Kong failed to score from the last move of the game - substitute scrumhalf Cado Lee taking a tap penalty responded to a wrong call and chose to run the short side instead of swinging the ball out wide to his right, where with acres of space and a one-man advantage - Japan had lost a player to the sin-bin at the death - stood five of his teammates.