BlitzBoks’ Hong Kong hoodoo continues
DAY TWO WRAP: The BlitzBoks crashed out of title contention in Hong Kong yet again after a 7-17 pool defeat to New Zealand on Saturday meant they failed to qualify for the quarterfinals for the first time in this season’s HSBC SVNS.
The defeat to the Kiwis meant the BlitzBoks finished third in their pool. They bounced back by beating Uruguay 33-7 in the ninth-place semifinal and will now contest ninth place against Kenya on Sunday.
SVNS leaders Argentina will play Australia, while Hong Kong favourites Fiji face Olympic champions France in Sunday’s Cup semifinals.
Meanwhile, reigning women’s SVNS Champions Australia set up a semifinal against France, while Canada will take on New Zealand in a repeat of the 2024 Olympic Final as the big guns progressed from the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Men Day Two
Quarterfinals
Australia skipper Henry Hutchison said his team had got “better and better” with every half they played, and certainly they shone against Great Britain in the first of the quarterfinals.
They won 34-5, with Henry Paterson scoring a hat-trick to go with singles by Hutchison, James Turner and Maurice Longbottom.
“We’ve punched our ticket to the next round, top four, but we’ll bring ourselves back down,” added Hutchison. “It’s a game of humility.”
For a brief spell in the second half, Ireland, bottom of the overall SVNS table, must have believed they could beat leaders Argentina to the semis.
Marcos Moneta, Luciano Gonzalez and Matias Osadczuk had made it 15-0 to Los Pumas, but when Hugo Lennox scored a converted try in the follow-up from a Dylan O’Grady attack, Argentine minds may have drifted to their record of never having reached a semifinal in Hong Kong in nine attempts.
Instead, they held their nerve and Agustin Fraga made sure of a 22-14 triumph in the final minute, and a date with Australia in the last four.
The other two matches were thrilling, too. Spain’s Alejandro Laforga scored two minutes into the red zone to take his team’s tie against Fiji into golden point time, whereby the next score of any description wins the game.
With four converted tries each, who would cross over next? No player, in fact. Instead, Fiji decided to entrust Iowane Teba to take a pop at goal when they were awarded a penalty about 30m from goal. His strike was sweet and decisive. Fiji were through.
Next was New Zealand, eyeing three Hong Kong wins in succession, against France in a repeat of last year’s final. Ngarohi McGarvey-Black put the All Blacks Sevens ahead and things were looking rosy when Dylan Collier scored under the posts as a result of Cody Vai’s quick attack from midfield and McGarvey-Black’s support play.
But from nowhere, Gregoire Arfeuil halved the deficit, then levelled matters after the break.
New Zealand were dazed further when Joe Quere Karab barrelled over and Enahemo Artaud’s right boot made it conversion number three for a 21-14 lead they held until the gong sounded. A semi against Fiji beckons.
“It was very difficult,” remarked Arfeuil as ‘Allez Les Bleus’ rang round the stands. “Our play today [Saturday] was good. It’s a great opportunity.” How momentum shifts in sevens rugby. Sport at its best.
Results:
Australia 34-5 Great Britain
Argentina 22-14 Ireland
Spain 28-31 Fiji
New Zealand 14-21 France
Ninth-place semifinals
Kenya were 17-10 winners over the USA in their ninth-place semifinal. No matter how well the American team does in Singapore next weekend, they will be in the relegation play-offs when the SVNS series concludes in Los Angeles on 3 and 4 May.
South Africa took their frustration at failing to reach the quarterfinals with a 33-7 win over Uruguay. Impi Visser showed he has pace to go with power as he scored the first of five tries, but Gino Cupido’s brace will be a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing weekend for the BlitzBoks.
Results:
Kenya 17-10 USA
South Africa 33-7 Uruguay
POOL A: Fiji no contest for relentless Argentina
Argentina topped their pool in Hong Kong for the first time since 2009. The series leaders made it three wins from three with a 35-7 success over Fiji, who will be thankful for their two wins on Day One.
That the Fijians at one point played with eight men made no difference to Los Pumas as Joaquin Pellandini’s balance and vision set up Matteo Graziano and then the baby-blue-and-white-hooped steamroller Luciano Graziano to score.
Graziano helped himself to another while Iowane Teba was cooling off in the sin bin after slamming Pellandini to the turf, and Santiago Mare and 20-year-old Santino Zangara got on the scoresheet too.
With neither the USA nor Ireland winning on Day One, their match early on Saturday provided the opportunity of clinching one of the two places available for the teams finishing third in their pool. Jordan Conroy and Dylan O’Grady, the latter collecting the kick-off from the score of the former and running in to score, put Ireland in the box seat by half-time.
Nicholas Greene made the result safe before USA’s David Still, a man at odds with his surname, moved at a jaw-dropping pace from 80m out, swatted aside the imposing Greene and sped over. Will Chevalier made the final score of 19-10 a bit more palatable for the USA.
Results:
USA 10-19 Ireland
Argentina 35-7 Fiji
POOL B: BlitzBoks stunned as they miss out on the quarters
South Africa’s wait to win their first Hong Kong Sevens was extended by another year at least as they failed to get beyond the pool stage.
Grouped with New Zealand, Australia and Uruguay, there was always a danger one of the big three could be squeezed out, and so it proved.
Cody Vai, Dylan Collier and the rampaging return of Amanaki Nicole put 17 points between New Zealand and the BlitzBoks, who needed at least a losing bonus point to ensure they, and not Ireland, progressed.
Donavan Don’s late try wasn’t enough, 17-7 the final score.
Prior to that, Australia sealed their last-eight spot as they recovered from Alfonso Vidal’s diving, one-handed touchdown for Uruguay to score through the exciting Aden Ekanayake, Matthew Gonzalez, Henry Hutchison and Maurice Longbottom. The match ended 28-12.
Results:
Australia 28-12 Uruguay
South Africa 7-17 New Zealand
POOL C: Kenya so close…
Pool-stage Sevens can create some head-scratchers. Kenya thumped Spain 19-0 in their first match on Day One; on Day Two they came within a whisker of taking their game against Olympic champions France into golden point.
Yet they lost 7-14 at the death against France thanks to substitute Mateo Garcia’s try and, despite finishing on five points, were bottom of the pool.
France also had five points but claimed third place on the head-to-head rule, and also reached the last eight.
Great Britain had already qualified and perhaps didn’t match the intensity of a Spain team desperate for three points.
Alejandro Laforga’s brilliant dummy off the back of the scrum sent him on his way to the first score, before Eduardo Lopez, pigtail flying in his wake, and Manu Moreno sent their team through with a 26-12 win.
Results:
France 14-7 Kenya
Spain 26-12 Great Britain
Women Day Two
Quarterfinals
Canada became the first team to reach the semifinals with their 26-17 success over Fiji. The nations traded four tries in the opening half before Carmen Izyk broke away to run towards the colourful South Stand and dot down for a 21-12 lead.
But Breanne Nicholas was sin-binned for a deliberate knockdown and, when Michell Seruvatu reduced the deficit in her absence, Fijiana had their opponents in their sights. Relief for Canada came from Carissa Norsten, who picked up from the ruck and sped home for her second try of the match.
“We haven’t won too many cup finals,” said Olivia Apps. “It would mean everything to make history with this group.”
Brazil beat Australia for the first time at Vancouver SVNS, but couldn’t fell reigning champions New Zealand in Hong Kong. The Black Ferns won their pool contest and did so again in the last eight, 31-7, to set up a semi against Canada.
Michaela Brake (nee Blyde) scored two of her team’s five tries to leapfrog Canada’s Ghislaine Landry in the all-time points scoring list. Now on 1,359 points, she has her compatriot Tyla King in her sights.
“It is one of my goals to be ahead of Tyla,” said Brake. “I love her to bits, but I’m so competitive.”
It would be wrong to say Australia won their quarterfinal tie against the USA at a canter: rather, their 35-5 success was won at pace, with accuracy and an impeccable attitude thrown in.
Faith Nathan and Maddison Levi scored two apiece and Kiiahla Duff once as the States chased shadows, though Kriste Kirshe did give their fans something to celebrate.
Australia’s semifinal opponents are France, who showed a similar intensity in their 34-0 win over Japan. Hawa Tounkara added to Carla Neisen’s opener for France before twice teeing up Lou Noel, the second after she had leapt to collect a Japan kick-off.
Results:
Fiji 17-26 Canada
New Zealand 31-7 Brazil
Australia 35-5 USA
France 34-0 Japan
Ninth-place semifinals
Tries by Maria Garcia, Denisse Gortazar and Silvia Morales helped Spain to a 17-7 win over Ireland, for whom Robyn O’Connor scored.
That was followed by an energy-sapping epic, featuring four yellow cards, as China eventually emerged victorious against Great Britain.
Match-winner Wang Wanyu touched down in the corner for a golden-point 24-19 win that looked unlikely in the additional period as their six players defended with everything they had.
Results:
Ireland 7-17 Spain
Great Britain 19-24 China
POOL A: Hirini the Great
Sarah Hirini scored her 100th try for New Zealand in an exciting finale to the pool’s ties. Hers was the Black Ferns’ fifth and final in their 29-7 victory over Brazil.
“I’m pretty happy,” said the captain and two-time Olympic champion. “I wanted to get that 100 mark, so I’m pretty stoked.”
Hirini’s try made it 29-,0 and at that point Brazil were outside a quarterfinal place: they had to ensure they lost by no more than 25 points, or Great Britain would go through as the best third-placed team from Pool B.
Step forward Thalita Costa – her sprint up the left flank was unmatched by anyone in a black shirt and meant Brazil would meet New Zealand again later in the day.
USA powered past China in the second half for a 24-10 win in the pool’s other match.
Results:
USA 24-10 China
New Zealand 29-7 Brazil
POOL B: France and Fiji go through
Ireland gave France a fright, but it wasn’t enough to end their 15-game losing streak in the series. Megan Burns cancelled out a try for France’s Oceane Buisson before Alanna Fitzpatrick’s advance set up Clare Gorman to run it in for a 12-5 half-time lead for the Irish.
Lou Noel’s side-step and sprint took the game to golden point during which Romane Menager scored on her debut for a 17-12 win, one that gave Les Bleus top billing.
A huge run by Mereula Torooti to set up Ilisapeci Delaiwau marked Fiji’s comeback against Great Britain, who had led through an early Lauren Torley score. Fans’ favourite Lavena Cavuru produced two bits of magic to score twice in quick succession, catapulting her body through the British defence with wonderful hitch kicks.
Britain pushed Fijiana hard in their search for a bonus point that would have meant a quarterfinal place, but a breakaway try by Rogosau Adimereani consigned Emma Uren and her teammates to the lesser play-offs.
Results:
France 17-12 Ireland
Fiji 24-5 Great Britain
POOL C: Japan come close to historic win over pool-topping Australia
Australia’s youngest ever team made it a hat-trick of pool wins when they beat Japan 14-10, but my, they had to work for it.
Japan defended brilliantly, their organisation and courage frustrating Australia’s attempts to break clear after Hana Nagata and Bridget Clark had traded tries.
Faith Nathan did find space on the right to make it 14-5, but Honoka Tsutsumi crossed over in the left corner after a big switch of play from the right, but just as the Sakura Sevens pushed for a first win over Australia, an unfortunate knock-on denied them a final attack.
Canada made it seven wins on the trot against Spain, a 29-10 victory enough to put them in second place and into the quarters. The Olympic silver medallists had five players on the scoresheet – Breanne Nicholas, Fancy Bermudez, Carmen Izyk, Carissa Norsten and Olivia Apps – suggesting that even without the injured Piper Logan, they have talent across the pitch.
Results:
Canada 29-10 Spain
Australia 14-10 Japan
