Hong Kong Sevens: hosts told to ‘finish the job' following more thrills at Kai Tak
Advertisement
For the second straight day, the city's men overcame a sticky start to thrill a raucous Kai Tak Stadium. There was a sense of deja vu, too, in the way the Hong Kong women got the ball rolling, walloping Thailand 47-0 about 24 hours after they inflicted similar pain on Kazakhstan.
For the men, there is a sense of trying to atone for this month's Challenger Series disappointment, when poor performances in successive legs blew their chance of promotion to the HSBC SVNS Series. It is the teams in that elite-level series who contest the main prize in their hometown tournament, while Hong Kong play in the lesser Melrose Claymores section.
Christie, who replaced former long-standing skipper Max Woodward last year, said trying to help his team out of the hole they found themselves in after Cape Town had been among the toughest challenges of his career.
Two-try Harry Sayers evades a Japan challenge during Hong Kong's convincing victory. Photo: Elson Li
'It was a big surprise for me to be named captain,' Christie said. 'It was a good start in the Asia Rugby Sevens Series, when we won 15 out of 15, [but] then the Challenger was the lowest of the low.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
03-08-2025
- South China Morning Post
Could franchise model be way forward for rugby 7s? A new club-based event hopes to find out
With the HSBC SVNS Series undergoing another change in format and some unions cutting their rugby sevens programmes entirely, the sport has been facing an uncertain future. Tom Burwell, a former executive director of the Emirates Dubai 7s with 20 years' involvement in the sport, is the driving force behind a new professional sevens tournament based on seven franchises playing over the summer that will launch in 2026. With early seasons expected to be based in Europe before going global, Burwell, who is CEO of Bia Sports Group, which owns English Premier League side Sunderland, tells Josh Ball why the franchise model is the way forward and why some of the world's best players are already signing up to take part. Sevens tournaments are typically played over three days, but yours would be four hours once a week. Are shorter events the answer? 'The sport has often been challenged to be relevant week on week. During my time in Dubai, our interest was, how do we build the most successful three days possible here in the desert, and the important role we played within what was the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. 'But I don't think a huge number of fans were totally dialled into what would then happen in Cape Town the following week.
South China Morning Post
04-04-2025
- South China Morning Post
7 economic narratives from the Sevens to make us glad we live in Hong Kong
The first Hong Kong Sevens in the new Kai Tak Stadium was a success except for the rule that forbade outside food and drink to protect the concessionaires – who then ran out of, er, food and drink Advertisement Despite these privations, three days in a small seat surrounded by thousands of people allows for deep introspection with neighbours. In between loud cheers for Hong Kong's victories in both the men's and women's Melrose Claymores , the dominant narrative was geopolitics. Blackrock CEO Larry Fink recently wrote to shareholders that 'nearly every client' and 'nearly every leader' is 'more anxious about the economy than any time in recent memory'. Good investment forecasts are not made from a single narrative, such as inflation or interest rates. Investment expectations are driven by a coincidence of the timing and strength of different sub-narratives which cause events to occur, as with the alignment of the holes in slices of Swiss cheese. Each slice is a narrative that together makes investment forecasts multidimensional. Imagine the multiple factors involved in the chain of events that led to the mid-air collision of two aircraft at Reagan Washington National Airport in January. Advertisement
South China Morning Post
30-03-2025
- South China Morning Post
History made at Hong Kong Sevens' shiny new Kai Tak home but questions remain
New Zealand and Argentina made history as the first Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens of the Kai Tak Stadium era came to a close on Sunday, with a mixture of nostalgia, a look to the future and continuing questions over the present. Advertisement For those of a certain vintage, the fly-past by a Cathay Pacific A350 evoked memories of a time when planes, rather than rugby balls, were landing where players now raced around. And while the HSBC SVNS Series has an uncertain future, Hong Kong only reinforced its place in the sport, even if the operators of its 'amazing, incredible, outstanding' new home face an uncomfortable few days. There was history, too, with New Zealand's women completing another dominant run to their third consecutive title with a 26-19 win over Australia, and Argentina claiming a first crown in the city by beating France 12-7. Hong Kong leader John Lee presents the Sevens trophy to Argentina's captain, Santiago Mare. Photo: Handout Black Ferns skipper Sarah Hirini said she hoped her team would be back to a 'bigger and better' Sevens next year, although what that might look like is open to debate.
