England Sevens team lead the table
Russia and Portugal finished the pool stages as the two best runners-up to join the top six seeds in the Cup quarter finals at the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens, round five of the World Series.
It is the first time that the Russians have qualified for the last eight in a Sevens World Series Cup competition, while Portugal reach the stage for only the third time.
Cup quarter finals
New Zealand v Portugal
South Africa v Fiji
Samoa v Australia
Russia v England
Pool A (NZL, FRA, POR, KOR)
Joint leaders New Zealand defeated France and Portugal 19-12 and 19-7 on day two to reach the Cup quarter finals.
In the final match of day two, Buxton Popoalii and Declan O’Donnell (2) scored for New Zealand after they had left it late to beat Portugal earlier on day two. Tomasi Cama scoring with the final play of the match with the scores locked at 12-12.
The wins added to their nine try 61-0 win against Korea, in which O’Donnell scored a hat-trick on day one, ensured the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medal winners now face a rematch with Portugal.
Steve Barry also scored a hat-trick as France put their loss to Portugal on day one behind them to beat Korea 40-7. Pierre Lakafia added two tries for the French whislt Park Wan-yong scored Korea’s first try in the tournament.
Kim Won-Yong scored first for Korea in the penultimate Pool D match, but seven individual try scorers ensured Portugal finished with two victories fom the pool matches and reached the Cup quarter finals.
On day one France and Portugal had met in the final match, with the latter edging a tough encounter 12-5. Jean Baptiste Gobolet had given the French a 5-0 lead but second half tries from Aderito Esteves and Joseph Gardener secured the win for Portugal.
Pool B (ENG, USA, JPN, CHN)
England reached the Cup quarter finals with a 100% record after beating USA in the penultimate match on day two.
James Rodwell, Dan Norton (2) Ben Gollings, Oliver Lindsay-Hague, Dan Caprice and Nick Royle all scoring for Ben Ryan’s side in the 37-12 win, adding to their earlier 33-14 win over Japan and 59-5 victory against China on day one.
Paul Emerick scored the fifth hat-trick of the tournament as USA beat China 36-14 earlier on day two. Lu Zhuan and Long Hanxiao scored for the Asian side but further tries from Todd Clever, Matt Hawkins and Zach Test secured victory for Al Caravelli’s side.
Japan ended the pool stages with a 17-12 victory over Asian rivals China having trailed 12-0 at half time. Shuetsu Narita and Sione Teaupa (2) both scored in the second half to secure the victory.
On day one the USA narrowly beat a spirited Japan 24-19. The scores were locked at 12-12 at half time, but captain Hawkins and Test, with his second of the match, helped USA outscore Japan in the second half. Lepuha Latuila, Shohei Toyoshima and Katsuyuki Sakai all scored for the Japanese.
Pool C (SAM, SCO, TON, MEX)
Defending champions Samoa booked their place in the Cup quarter finals after beating Scotland 31-14 with Tom Iosefo scoring two tries in the match and Alafoti Fa’osiliva crossing for his 100th try in World Series history.
Earlier the reigning World Series champions narrowly beat Pacific rivals Tonga 24-17 in a bruising encounter at the Hong Kong Stadium, adding to the 64-0 victory against Hong Kong debutants Mexico on day one.
Tonga had taken an early 12-0 lead through Etueni Siua and Joseph Lui, but three tries from Tom Iosefo ensured the defending champions won despite a further Tongan try from Sosaia Palei.
Scotland also beat Mexico, the 49th team to play in the Hong Kong Sevens, 40-7 on day two. Micheal Fedo scored twice but one of the biggest cheers came for Christian Henning who scored the South American’s first try of the tournament.
Tonga recorded their first victory of the tournament in the penultimate Pool C match against Mexico, winning 41-0 thanks to two tries from Samisoni Hafoka.
On day one Andrew Skeen held his nerve to kick the decisive conversion in Scotland’s 12-10 victory over Tonga.
Pool D (FIJ, KEN, RUS, MAS)
Russia reached their first ever Cup quarter final thanks to their 50-0 victory over Malaysia on day two, Vladimir Ostroushko scoring four tries in the win, adding to their 22-5 defeat of side Kenya on day one.
Fiji secured their place in the Cup quarter finals as Pool D winners following a 40-0 victory against Kenya, Emosi Vucago scoring two of their six tries.
The 2011 USA Sevens runners-up Fiji began day two with a 29-14 victory against Pavel Barenovsky’s side, adding to their 59-0 win over Malaysia on day one. Vucago and Seremaia Burotu both scored twice in a close encounter with the Russians, whilst Nikola Matawalu scored the first hat-trick of the tournament against Malaysia.
William Ambaka scored his debut try in the Sevens World Series and Collins Injera added two more to his career tally as Kenya beat Malaysia 45-12 on day two.
Pool E (RSA, WAL, HKG, ESP)
Two tries from Paul Delport and Sibusiso Sithole and one for Sevens debutant Tshotsho Mbovane ensured South Africa topped Pool E at the end of day one after a 42-12 victory against Wales.
Earlier the USA Sevens champions inflicted defeat on the hosts as they ran out eventual 45-0 winners against Hong Kong, Cecil Afrika and Chris Dry both scoring two tries and on day one Paul Treu’s side beat Spain 33-5 having gone behind to a Carlos Blanco effort.
Spain recorded their first victory of the tournament after beating Dai Rees’ Hong Kong 24-7 on day two, Pedro Martin, Pablo Feijoo and Martin Heredia securing the win for the Europeans.
Earlier Kristian Phillips scored twice as Paul John’s Welsh side beat Spain 21-5 in the second match of day two. Federico Negrillo scored for the Spanish side but Alex Cuthbert and Adam Thomas crossed for Wales’ third and fourth tries to secure the victory.
The reigning Rugby World Cup Sevens champions also ensured lightning didn’t strike twice as they avenged a pool match loss to Hong Kong in 2010 with a 35-12 victory over the hosts on day one, but the biggest cheer of the day was for Rowan Varty who scored twice for the hosts.
Pool F (AUS, ARG, CAN, ZIM)
Australia became the first side through to the Cup quarter finals as Pool F winners after a 21-14 vicictory against Argentina whilst Canada will have to wait to see if they qualified as one of the two best runners-up after beating Zimbabwe 24-10 in their final match.
Earlier Australia recorded their second victory of the 2011 Hong Kong Sevens, narrowly beating Canada 26-24. Captain Phil Mack had scored twice for Canada but Lewis Holland and Ed Jenkins clinched the victory for Micheal O’Connor’s side.
Argentina, who had lost to Canada on day one, recorded their first victory of the tournament after beating Zimbabwe 21-12 in the opening match on day two. Los Pumas had suffered defeat to the African side in Dubai, but two tries from Walter Weiss ensured they were victorious in Hong Kong.
On day one Mack, on his return to the Canada Sevens side from injury, opened the scoring for his side as they defeated Argentina 22-21. Chauncey O’Toole (2) and Ciaran Hearn completed the victory for Geraint John’s side in arguably the pool of death, with all four teams having played at least two tournaments on the 2010/11 World Series.
In the opening match of the 2011 Hong Kong Sevens, Australia scored six tries in their 42-0 victory against Zimbabwe. John Grant scored the first try of the day, his 16th of the season, before Ed Jenkins, captain Bernard Foley (2), Holland and Zack Holmes completed the 42-0 victory.