ASIA RUGBY SEVENS SERIES LEG 2 - RESULTS AND REPORTS

Hong Kong China Men's and Women's 7s are in action this weekend for the second leg of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series 2024 in Hangzhou, China. To view the squads click here and to read the write up from the first leg, when the men's team won the tournament and women's team finished as runners up, click here.

Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series Leg 2 – Results 

Saturday 21 September 

Hong Kong China Men 41 – 0 Singapore 

Hong Kong China Women 29 – 5 Malaysia 

Hong Kong China Men 45 – 0 Thailand

Hong Kong China Women 29 – 5 UAE 

Hong Kong China Men 27 – 0 Korea 

Hong Kong China Women 0 – 48 Japan 

Day 1 – Stream (can we watched back anytime)

Sunday 22 September

Hong Kong China Men 29 – 7 China (Semi Final) 

China Women 48 – 0 Hong Kong China (Semi Final) 

Hong Kong China  Women  7 – 32 Thailand  (3rd/4th Playoff)

Hong Kong China 24– 19 Japan (Final) 

Day 2 – Stream  (can we watched back anytime)

DAY TWO REVIEW - HONG KONG CHINA MEN CLAIM BACK-TO-BACK TITLES WHILE WOMEN REMAIN IN THE TOP FOUR 

On a blustery but sunnier final day of the second leg of the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series 2024 in Hangzhou, China, Hong Kong China Men made another final appearance beating Japan 24-19, while the women secured a top-four finish as both sides look to be in good positions heading into the final Series leg which will be played 9-10 November 2024 in Bangkok.

• Hong Kong China Men - Another Leg Win

Hong Kong China Men 29-7 China (Cup Semi Final)

In a repeat of the Final matchup from last week in Korea, Hong Kong China Men faced China in the Semi Final of this second leg. Max Denmark started for the men and in his first touch broke a tackle and ran down the right wing to open his account as the boys led 7-0.

Denmark added a second shortly after but China made good ground down the blindside and Harry Sayers prevented what would have been a certain try but China did dot down to narrow it down to 12-7. 

A tight couple of minutes followed as the half was winding down and a final knock-on concluded the half.

Another excellent kickoff reclaim, as the men had done well all weekend, saw Liam Doherty end off a team try to extend the lead 19-7 with the conversion by Jack Combes.  Doherty secured another restart and Denmark was the beneficiary to get his hat trick and a 24-7 lead.

Doherty scored on the outside in a great individual and team performance for a 29-7 win and the boys headed to a second consecutive Cup Final in this year's Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series 2024, with old rivals Japan awaiting in the Final.

Hong Kong China Men 24-19 Japan (Cup Final)

James Christie opened the scoring to lead 5-0 early and some phenomenal last-ditch Japanese tackles stopped some great runs but Harry Sayers added a second in an opening lightning onslaught to lead 12-0. Japan scored a converted try to make it a nervy 12-7 lead and then Japan levelled the scores on the hooter, 12-12 at halftime.

Liam Herbert scored a great try and a big handoff for the men to edge ahead in the competitive final - 17-12 with 4 minutes remaining. A Hong Kong China intercept was called back by the match official, and Japan looked to score but a Doherty tackle prevented a certain try. Japan did retake the lead 19-17 with a converted score after a great kick-through was dotted down over the try line with a minute left.

A late yellow card was issued to Japan and Hong Kong China had possession inside their half to see captain James Christie come to the rescue with a try under the posts converted by Hugo Stiles. There was time for one restart with Hong Kong China leading 24-19 and a retake saw the men kick into touch and become back-to-back leg champions in the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series 2024.

Men’s Reaction – Paul John (Head Coach Hong Kong China 7s Programme)

Leg 2 Results

“For the men, it was a great effort in the Final. It was a real nip and tuck affair, and it was a great try by James Christie to seal a win right at the end. We played really well on day one with some really, really good results. We didn't concede a point across three games, but still probably weren't firing quite as well as we had in the past. However, the boys are still winning games and still causing teams problems and still playing well enough to win those games and to raise their game when needed."

Looking Ahead

“There is a bit of a break now for Challenges Series 3, which gives us a chance to really reassess where we are. Looking at our Asia Rugby Series points, it's obviously very pleasing to have won two tournaments out of two so far, but we obviously still want to go and make it three out of three because winning the overall series is important to us as a team. We have to not underestimate anybody because there are very dangerous sides; China have proven very difficult for us and Japan were excellent in the Final, playing a very fast game.”

• Hong Kong China Women - Another Top Four Finish

China Women 48-0 Hong Kong China (Semi Final)

The odds were against Hong Kong China Women as China fielded a much stronger side this weekend compared to leg one in Korea, with six Olympians in the squad and they had only conceded two tries in their three pool matches.

Stephanie Chan kicked off and China moved the ball well to the edge to score out wide. They added a second score before the half to lead 12-0.

Tsz Wun Ho was brave in trying to stop the juggernauts China had out wide but the hosts were too strong and extended the lead with Xiaoyang Gao scoring five tries in the half and a final score of 48-0 in their win. A brave display from the girls but the good work done in the Pool on Saturday meant a chance to play in the 3rd/4th Playoff against Thailand.

Hong Kong China Women 7-32 Thailand (3rd/4th Playoff)

The match started with some tight opening exchanges as the game was played in the Thai 22m and Hong Kong China put them under pressure, but once Thailand broke the deadlock with a good individual try from their captain to lead 7-0, they controlled the game.

The Thais won the breakdowns and the ruck contests and were ahead 12-0 at halftime.

Thailand pulled away in the second half to run out 32-7 winners with a late try by Hong Kong China's Grace Hood to end the game. Thailand claimed bronze while Hong Kong China take 4th place in the leg.

Although Sunday did not play out as planned, there was no less effort and determination from the squad with everything to play for in Bangkok in November as they sit 4th in the table, just behind Thailand, and with the chance to make the Challenger Series very much still alive.

Women’s Reaction – Paul John (Head Coach Hong Kong China 7s Programme)

Leg 2 Results

“We were all very pleased with the day one, when obviously our aim was to get to a Semi Final. That was the main thing, to guarantee a top-four finish and see where we could go from there on the Sunday. The girls were very good in winning the first two games, then the game against Japan was obviously a little bit more of a step up. We didn't start as well as we could have, and we found it difficult to get into the game from there. 

“Today against China, I thought that in the first half the girls performed really well and made it difficult for them. But then the momentum swung a little bit in the second half, but it was a great experience for the team from the coaching point of view. Then when we faced Thailand in the third and fourth playoff, it was a difficult game against a very strong squad. We lost a bit of momentum in the game, but we are very pleased with the effort from everyone.”

Looking Ahead

“This leg has been a brand-new experience for a lot of the girls, and it's definitely given them valuable game time in the best place to learn. And I thought that the attitude for them across the whole weekend was great, and the coaching staff did really well to get them up for every game.

“We are very pleased overall after the first two tournaments for the women’s team. We would have taken where we are, including achieving our aim of finishing in the top four in this leg, so it is two thirds of the job done as we plan for our trip to Thailand.”

DAY ONE REVIEW - HONG KONG CHINA MEN'S AND WOMEN'S 7S BOOK SEMI FINAL SPOTS

Hong Kong China Men's and Women's 7s sides were in action for the second leg of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series 2024 in Hangzhou, China on Saturday 21 September. The stadium and fantastic-looking pitch greeted the teams today but wet and windy conditions offered some challenges. Both sides worked their way through the key pool stages, and both teams secured Cup Semi Final berths for the second consecutive leg. The men and women will face the hosts, China, on Sunday.

• Hong Kong China Men With 3 Wins and 3 Clean Sheets

Hong Kong China Men’s 7s Coach Peter Jericevich said of the opening day, “We can certainly be satisfied with some improvements made in a few areas we addressed in training after round 1 in Korea. So we are pleased to have kept the clean sheet and we racked up a fair amount of points with some excellent scores, however, we know there is much more in us and our skill execution needs to be more consistent.”

The men were excellent with the kick returns and he added, "This has been a big focus since we returned to training at the start of August as it is such a vital part of the game. I liked some of the variety in our kicks and how well we contested to regain the ball back. We have to be consistent here tomorrow as we know how good an attacking opportunity it is for us when we regain the ball from kick-off.

"We are where we want to be in terms of topping the group and progressing into the semi-finals but we know we’ve got another level in us and that’s where we need to get to tomorrow."

Hong Kong China Men 38-0 Singapore 

Bryn Phillips kicked off for the men and they were nearly on the board from the get-go as the ball just evaded Liam Herbert. Jack Combes did get them going with a grubber through for the first try and a 7-0 lead.

Great hands saw captain James Christie add the 2nd for a 14-0 lead in a solid half which was played entirely in the Singapore half.

Fong Kit Fung opened the account in the 2nd half as the side put in some solid defence and ran great hard lines with short pop passes resulting in an outrageous kick pass from Matteo Avitabile for Callum McCullough to score and an accurate restart saw Harry Sayers add the 5th followed by James Sawyer collecting a good pass in the wet for the 6th try and a 38-0 win.

Hong Kong China Men 45-0 Thailand 

The Hong Kong China men worked hard to score first with an unconverted try to lead 5-0 and a further score from Hugo Stiles made it a 12-0 lead at the break.

McCullough opened the half with another score before Pierce MacKinlay-West, an excellent Sawyer break and pop to Christie to score under the posts, and Stiles benefited from a powerful ruck turnover from his teammates to add another try which saw the lead blow out to 40-0. 

The on-song side ended the game with another excellent retake from Liam Doherty off a pinpoint Stiles kick for the 7th try and a 45-0 victory as well as a place in the Semi Final confirmed.

Hong Kong China Men 27-0 Korea 

Korea had a surprise loss to Singapore and were in need of things to go their way to make the top 4.

Bryn Phillips opened the scoring to lead 5-0 as Max Denmark had his first appearance. There were a couple of mistakes by the side as a few knock-ons in attacking positions saw them leave some points out there in a close game with the half played in the Korean 22m area.

James Sawyer eventually gave them some breathing space with a try after the halftime hooter for 12-0 at halftime lead.

The side dotted down for a 3rd try early in the second half before Avitabile added a 4th and Fong Kit Fung with an excellent solo try at the end to claim a 27-0 win. Three good wins and a resolute defensive effort saw them not concede in an impressive set of games which sees them play China in the Semi Final on Sunday.

The entire squad had a run on Saturday which pleased the coaches and Jericevich commented,  "All 13 players had a start today and we shared the game time amongst the squad to ensure everyone had a fair opportunity to play and get into the tournament. Max (Denmark) is a big player for us and had some positive moments against Korea and he’ll be hungry to show even more of what he can do in the Semi Final tomorrow."

He concluded, "We lack a ruthless edge at times in our attack which led to giving the opposition, particularly in that last game, too many opportunities that they could have capitalised on had they executed better. We know tomorrow will pose a stronger challenge with us drawing China in the Semi Final and we must be more accurate."

• Hong Kong China Women March On - Will Face China in Cup Semi Final

Robbie Fergusson, our new Women’s Coach, said of the team's opening day, “Overall as a group, we are happy to reach another Semi Final. That was always our objective for Day 1. We have had to make a number of changes to the squad with 15s players away (at the WXV3 in Dubai) and I thought the girls coming in stepped up well and some of the more senior players led by example. We had a dip in performance in the last game against Japan but as a group we are happy overall."

The former GB 7s Captain added, "We felt we let ourselves down in the first 2 games in Korea and since then we have seen a real reaction from the group. The girls have been working extremely hard for each other and I think this shows in the results they have been getting.”

Hong Kong China Women 29-5 Malaysia 

The women started on the front foot in the opening match and Stephanie Chan opened the scoring with a show-and-go for a 5-0 lead. Although, as can be expected from a new-look side, they were not firing on all cylinders with some interplays narrowly not working, they found their rhythm and put good pressure on Malaysia.

Grace Hood extended the lead 10-0 in very blustery conditions by the break and fantastic heads-up rugby and an excellent offload and running line saw Stephanie Chan add a 3rd try for a 15-0 lead. 

The side conceded in the half but a good turnover resulted in a runaway try for Chian Hoi Ning before a final try sealed a good 29-5 win.

Hong Kong China Women 29-5 UAE 

An early try from Hoi Yan Poon (Vivian) saw the side lead 7-0 over the UAE but the opposition then had a good wrap-around play which saw them score out wide and narrow the lead to 7-5.

A poor tackle by the UAE led to a red card following a TMO review in the first half but the game management from UAE was smart to try to see out the half despite some suffocating defence from hong Kong China. Some unnecessary penalties relieved the UAE pressure but a captain's try from Chloe Chan saw them extend the lead 12-5 well after the half time hooter.

The stop-start second half saw a number of penalties, but the side broke the UAE resolve as Hoi Ning Chian scored for a 17-5 lead. An excellent team score by Stephanie Chan followed by some wonderful hands after the hooter saw Jamie Bourk add a final try and a 29-5 win to see them through to the Semi Final.

Hong Kong China Women 0-48 Japan 

The women’s final pool game was against Japan to determine who tops the pool and avoid China in the Semi Final on Sunday. Last week our ladies had a great extra-time semi-final win over Japan.

The Japanese, to their credit, were too strong on the day and after leading 27-0 in the first half, they ran out 48-0 winners at the end.

Hong Kong China will face China in the Cup Semi Final on Sunday and Fergusson said, “China has made a number of changes and have brought in a number of players from their recent Olympic squad (six in total). They will be a real test for us but we are looking forward to the challenge.”

Of his own experience across one and a half legs with Hong Kong China Rugby, he remarked, “I’ve been loving it, it’s a great group to be a part of and I’ve enjoyed getting to know both the staff and players better on trips. We’ve been lucky to have success as a group and hopefully, that will continue tomorrow.”

How To Watch The Asia Rugby Sevens Series

The Asia Rugby Live YouTube channel will be streaming both women’s and men’s tournaments. The pools and results can be seen here.

This article was posted in collaboration with our good friends at RugbyAsia247 – check them out for all the latest Asia Rugby news!