Top Teams Prevail on First Day of Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2015

The top teams in the HSBC World Sevens Series 2015 all triumphed on the first day of the Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens (27-29 March).

A total of 40 international teams were drawn into the three competitions of this year’s Sevens, coinciding with the celebrations of 40 Years of Sevens in Hong Kong.

Fiji defeated Samoa 38:12 while Canada beat Belgium 28:12 in Pool A; New Zealand won 26:7 over Scotland and Australia defeated Portugal 33:5 in Pool B; South Africa had an empathetic win over Argentina at 24:0 and France beat Japan 24:7 in Pool C, while England edged Wales 26:19 and USA beat Kenya 21:14 in Pool D.

Fiji in action against Samoa on Friday

The Hong Kong Team had mixed results in their two matches in the 12-team Sevens World Series Qualifiers, losing to Brazil in their opening group game, before beating Mexico in their second clash on Friday.

In their second match, Hong Kong regained confidence and tipped the scales with a six-try romp over Mexico 38:5. The home-grown fighters scored six tries, with Captain Jamie Hood collecting a brace. Other try scorers included Alex and Tom McQueen, Rowan Varty and Yiu Kam Shing.

On the other pitch, in the Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Women’s Sevens, the Hong Kong Women’s team had an excellent performance over the two-day competition, cruising undefeated through the “All-Asian” pool on Thursday and progressed to the Quarter Final against Samoa on Friday morning. They beat Samoa 25:0 before losing to Japan 5:10 in a breath-taking semi-final. The team fought hard in the Third Play-off but were beaten 7:14 by the Netherlands to finish fourth.

Canada were crowned Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Women’s Sevens Cup Champions for a third consecutive year. The reigning champions beat Japan 24:12 in the final on Friday.

The official attendance on Friday was 38,642.

See more: Pictures from Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2015.