Another Sevens in the Wall as the curtain falls on a weekend of thrills and spills in Hong Kong
The Sevens Series whirlwind blows through Hong Kong for another year
The “Mexicans” from the UK – three aircraft engineers and a resume writer – wrote their own ticket to the most topical outfit of the Sevens with suits like brick walls, proving that with a good idea, anyone can be a Hong Kong Sevens celebrity.
Some were sevens virgins, some old hands, but this troupe sitting beside a posse of punks older than Johnny Rotten had the crowd in their palms.
Sweltering in their suits that cost £39 on Ebay their armpits were damp, but never their spirits. It was hot, and it was ‘going off’ over on the lower east side near where the South Stand collides. “We were worried about spontaneous combustion,” said one.
And that’s exactly what happens to Hong Kong in Sevens week every year. It erupts, it ignites, it combusts, as rugby sevens passion burns deep in the soul. “It must be love,” to quote Madness.
The cauldron of Sevens Splendour in Happy Valley drew them in on Friday. Parents, punters, tourists and human torpedos trekking towards the pitch. There were corporates blazing a trail in navy blazers and designer ties, beside some bonkers dress-ups. And no one batted an eyelid.
By Saturday, it was a case of “who ate all the ties”. By Sunday afternoon, if any ties were still remaining, they may have been askew on heads, channelling Woodstock.
