Hong Kong sevens team battle to keep season alive with win-or-bust Colombia clash in Dubai
City side beat Tonga in encouraging start but have wings clipped by Samoa, as season hangs in balance ahead of crunch Colombia date
Hong Kong were poised for a win-or-bust clash with Colombia late on Saturday night, after the city team experienced mixed fortunes in their opening two HSBC SVNS 3 matches in Dubai.
They recovered from trailing at half-time to begin their day with a 33-14 victory over Tonga, only to then come unstuck in a 31-17 defeat by Samoa.
Hong Kong had to finish in the top two of their four-team group to book a spot in Sunday’s semi-finals. Only progress to the final is good enough to qualify for the three-leg HSBC SVNS 2, in February and March, which provides access to the inaugural HSBC SVNS World Championship Round.
Samoa are guaranteed their last-four berth with a game to spare, after also beating Colombia 26-7. Tonga overcame the South Americans 19-12 to keep their own semi-final hopes alive.
Jevon Groves, the Hong Kong head coach, had called on his team to start the tournament with “a performance we can be proud of”.
They answered in style, but only after a first-half fright. Hong Kong led 12-0 inside four minutes, following tries from Max Denmark and Liam Herbert, only for Lolesio Sailosi and Fotofili Mahe to reply in kind, Sailosi converting both scores to leave the city team 14-12 down at the break.