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Lars Hamer

China’s women’s team have come to the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens to beat the United States, the side’s coach has revealed.
Fan Shun-kei, technical coach with the mainland China squad, said on Friday he was “100 per cent confident” his side would retain their place in the HSBC SVNS Series and had targeted a win over the US along the way.
In the SVNS Series, the bottom four teams at the end of the season compete in relegation play-offs at the Grand Final in Los Angeles. The top eight in the standings compete against one another for the championship.
China, who are currently in 11th and 10 points from safety, started their weekend with a 45-0 loss to last year’s Hong Kong Sevens champions New Zealand, followed by a 36-10 defeat by Brazil.
“We hope to beat the United States [on Saturday] to grab some points in the overall standings,” said Fan.

“Right now, I am 100 per cent confident with our team in terms of retaining our place in the series … Even if we end up playing in the playoffs, we will be more confident in Los Angeles.”
The squad and coaching staff refused media interviews following their loss to Brazil, a result that put their chances of climbing out of the bottom four in serious jeopardy.
China put in a strong performance in the first half against New Zealand, holding off the Olympic champions for the first two minutes before going in at the break trailing 12-0.
“In the opening half, we were still in the match,” Fan said. “In terms of our physicality, the difference was rather obvious, and they scored quite a few tries in the second half when our stamina dropped.”
But Fan saw his side’s performance levels drop dramatically in the match against Brazil.
They conceded in the first minute, and despite enjoying spells of pressure, China wasted several chances and were punished on the break.
In the second half, China again started well but saw their attacks break down because of their errors and were again punished on the break.
Having not competed in the series for six years but targeting qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Fan said that the side was in transition and that they had been making huge changes to the squad between stops to find the best players in the country.
But if they stand any chance of beating the United States, who won bronze at the Paris Olympics, they will need to channel the level of performance they could manage for only two minutes against New Zealand for the full game, and wipe out the mistakes that saw them go down to Brazil.
“I think we’ve got the strength,” said Gao Yuanyuan. “We’re all aiming for the same thing, and then we’re going to push for better results.”


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Hong Kong Sevens

Hong Kong Sevens: China target win over USA to aid SVNS Series survival hopes

China (in white) put in a strong performance in the first half against New Zealand. Photo: Elson Li

New Zealand’s Stacey Waaka fends off a Chinese defender as her team wins 45-0. Photo: Elson Li

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Lucas Lacamp lets fly during USA’s match with Fiji on Friday. Photo: Elson Li

Lacamp tries in vain to stop Isikeli Basiyalo touching down for Fiji. Photo: Elson Li

Flo Symonds is tackled by New Zealand’s Sarah Hirini during the 2024 Olympic final. Photo: AFP

Miami Open: Alexandra Eala dream run ends as Jessica Pegula sets up Aryna Sabalenka final

The 19-year-old Alexandra Eala had only two WTA main draw victories to her name before arriving in Miami, but came away with the scalps of three grand slam winners. Photo: AFP

Jessica Pegula celebrates winning match point against Alexandra Eala. Photo: AFP

Aryna Sabalenka beat sixth seed Jasmine Paolini in just 71 minutes. Photo: Reuters

Sport

China

Hong Kong

Rugby

HK Sevens

Fan Shun-kei, the team’s technical coach, is hopeful his team can beat the Americans despite two defeats on Friday


Fan Shun-kei, the team’s technical coach, is hopeful his team can beat the Americans despite two defeats on Friday.
