World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series: Hong Kong’s men and women bounce back to bow out with pride
- After missing out on main Series spots in quarterfinals, Paul John’s teams claim wins in their placement matches
- Depleted men’s squad beat Italy and Uganda to finish fifth, while women end up sixth in Stellenbosch on Sunday
Hong Kong’s men and women rebounded from the disappointment of missing out on HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series spots in the quarterfinals of the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series in Stellenbosch by claiming wins in their placement matches on Sunday.
The men had lost to eventual Series champions Tonga, 33-12, in their quarter-final on Saturday, while the women were ousted at the same stage against Belgium, who went on to reach their second straight cup final in South Africa.
After a series of injuries hit his squad, Paul John’s depleted men’s side beat Italy 20-5 to advance to the fifth-place play-off against African champions Uganda, whom they beat 17-7 .
The women held off Paraguay 12-5 to set up a clash with Poland, where they lost out 24-10 to finish sixth.
China’s women’s team fell at the semi-final stages for a second week in a row, losing to Belgium 22-5, as Asia’s sides came up empty-handed from the 2023 Challenger Series.
Although the disappointment of missing out on World Series spots was palpable, Hong Kong will turn their focus to the Asian Series and Asian Games later this year.
“It’s been a tough couple of weeks,” Hong Kong Sevens head coach John said after the tournament.
“We have learned loads, especially the girls, who have done really well in finishing ninth in week one and bouncing back to reach the quarter finals from a very difficult pool, and finishing sixth today.
“Poland were a bit much for us in the end, but we have given 17 girls international experience on this trip and they have all responded well.
“The boys are looking a bit tired now. Four tournaments in five weeks has definitely taken its toll. This Challenger Series is tough, and rightly so, given everyone wants so badly to get on to the Series. Fifth is not the spot we wanted at the outset, but we have only lost to Tonga here, and they look a cut above everyone else.
“It’s tough really, but I am proud of the way we battled back in two difficult games today. It is a good learning curve for all of us with every game a pressure situation.
“We need to keep working on the mindset we had at the Hong Kong Sevens, where we are not inhibited and go out and play as we are able to. We needed everything to go right to beat Tonga, and unfortunately down to only 10 players it was too much to do on this occasion.”
