Hong Kong coach praises side’s ‘character’ after Asia Rugby Sevens Series triumph in Korea, as anthem row rumbles on
- Jevon Groves says team’s ability to grind out win in second leg of series points to a promising future
- Hong Kong’s men and women both walked away with silverware, with women thrashing Sri Lanka to claim plate title
Before the final between Hong Kong and South Korea in the men’s cup, when the national anthems are typically heard, the wrong song was played for the city’s team, with “March of the Volunteers” replaced by an instrumental version of “Glory to Hong Kong”, the signature protest song of the 2019 social unrest.
Local authorities denounced the error and have demanded a full investigation into a blunder tournament organisers blamed on “human error” by a junior member of staff.
While Hong Kong’s players appeared unimpressed by the error, they did not let it affect them on the pitch on Sunday, beating their hosts 19-12 to win the cup for the second successive leg.
But they had to come from behind to do it after trailing 12-5 at half-time, and Groves said it had been “really pleasing to see the boys grind out a win like that”.
With eight members of the squad playing just a week after the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, Groves hailed them for “stepping up hugely this tournament”.
“I think there was lots to take from that performance,” he said. “We showed good control and we didn’t panic in those situations when we were a few tries down.
