Canada pile on pressure against Japan to take third straight women’s crown

A young Canada side made it look like child’s play as they won the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens for the third year in a row on Friday, beating Japan 24-12 in the final.

“Our goal was to put pressure on Japan early, and you saw that they buckled,” coach Sandro Fiorino said of his young development team, adding that “90 per cent” of the squad are under 20.

“Japan were relentless and took advantage of some of the mistakes we made, but in the end we still put them under pressure. In the second half the plan was to play it safe and protect the ball, and we stuck to the game plan,” he said.

It was the first time for the Japan squad to play in a venue as big as Hong Kong Stadium, and despite the loss the experience didn’t disappoint.

“I am so proud of our girls – this was our dream,” said coach Keiko Asami. “Their tackling was strong, they reacted quickly and they’re fast – that’s what got them in the stadium today.”

Sara Kaljuvee, the Canadian skipper, was full of praise for their Cup final opponents, saying: “The standard in Asia is competitive and growing. Japan was tough. They are not a team we take lightly, but we did our homework.”

En route to the title decider, Canada beat Netherlands 17-12 in the semi-finals while Japan knocked out hosts Hong Kong 10-5. The Dutch later defeated Hong Kong 14-7 in the third–place play-off, while China took the Plate with a convincing 19-0 victory over Samoa and Papua New Guinea beat tournament debutants Tunisia 12-0 to win the Bowl.