Hong Kong men power past China and Japan for Asia Rugby Sevens Series clean sweep
City’s women finish fourth in Bangkok following successive defeats on final day, but Challenger Series qualification already assured
Captain James Christie paid tribute to a “huge team effort” after Hong Kong completed an all-conquering Asia Rugby Sevens Series campaign with a rousing success in Bangkok.
Hong Kong overpowered China 26-5 in a one-sided semi-final on Sunday, before beating Japan 26-15 in the final to become the first team to win all 15 matches of a series.
Their success in the Thai capital was all the more satisfying given five players made debuts over the weekend, as Hong Kong juggled sevens action with their 15s Test series against Brazil.
“It’s not easy winning 15 on the bounce, it’s always a challenge to get back up again [after matches], especially in the heat here,” Christie said. “It’s a new Olympic cycle, so we are looking to blood new talent … we used 21 players across the series and still came out on top.
“It was a huge team effort, we had so many leaders and we were all trying to help each other. That is how we bond as a team and it was a point of difference for us this weekend.”
The exceptional Max Denmark scored two tries in each of Hong Kong’s five matches across the weekend to finish way out in front as the tournament’s leading try scorer with 10. One of the Hong Kong new boys, Julien Bourron, claimed 30 points over the two days, to stand fourth in the overall scoring chart.
