Japan's Sakura Sevens make herstory

NEWS: Japan’s Sakura Sevens made history with their first-ever Cup quarterfinal win at the HSBC Sevens in Vancouver on Saturday.

Japan and the USA faced off for the first time ever in the Cup stages of the tournament, and the match lived up to expectations. The Sakura Sevens made history in a thrilling encounter that extended into extra time, ultimately securing a hard-fought 22-17 victory.

This marked their first-ever quarterfinal win and sees them progress to their first-ever semifinal where they will face pool opponents, Fiji once again who they conquered on day one of HSBC SVNS Vancouver.

Marin Kajiki commented after the historic win “I’m really excited to be in the last four teams. Playing two matches on the final day of the tournament is a first for Japan.

“We have played Fiji already and we feel we are ready to play in our style tomorrow.

“We take it game by game and hopefully we will finish in the best place that we can”

Australia rebounded from Friday night’s defeat to Brazil dominating against hosts, Canada in the final game of the pool stages that ended 35-14.

The Sakuras have blossomed in Vancouver 🌸#HSBCSVNS | #HSBCSVNSVAN pic.twitter.com/cNeFeoDdQ3

— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) February 23, 2025

Next up they faced Great Britain and showed no sign of slowing down with another confident display finishing 14-28. The victory secured the Australians a 13-game winning streak in the Cup quarterfinals.

Fiji experienced a mixed performance on day two, narrowly falling 21-24 to Great Britain in their final Pool C match. However, they bounced back in dominant fashion during the quarter-finals, delivering a commanding 46-0 victory over Brazil and ending their opponents’ hopes of reaching a first-ever semi-final. T

The match was an eight-try spectacle, with standout performances from Sesenieli Donu and Mere Vocevoce, who each crossed the line twice to help secure Fiji’s emphatic win.

In the final game of the night, hosts Canada saw their hopes of a home quarter-final dashed as New Zealand secured a 34-12 victory. This was followed by the Black Ferns Sevens delivering a leading performance in their final pool match, defeating the USA 37-0.

The Black Fern Sevens lead the table with 56 points picked up in the series so far and will be looking to build upon their silver win in Perth. Australia will be hot on their heels hoping to secure their third gold of the series.

It is extremely tight at the top of the men’s standings with Fiji, Argentina, and Spain all level on 48 points at the top of the table.

Following gold in Perth and bronze in Dubai, Argentina will be hoping to continue their winning streak once more.

Building on Perth, the women’s Final will once again be the tournament’s grand finale, taking center stage on Sunday evening and closing out HSBC SVNS Vancouver in style.