HSBC SVNS Series: Hong Kong’s terrible start to qualifier a ‘reality check’, says coach
With only top eight making final leg of Challenger Series in Poland in April, city’s men need much better showing in Cape Town this weekend
Jevon Groves said Hong Kong’s disastrous start to their HSBC SVNS qualification campaign may have been the “reality check” his side required, as they attempt to join the elite of the sport.
Needing to get off to a strong start in Cape Town over the weekend, the men’s team instead managed to lose 21-19 to Madagascar and then fell 21-12 to eventual finalists Canada, leaving them bottom of their group.
Things improved slightly, with a comfortable 29-0 over Georgia and a nervy 21-19 victory over Tonga on day two, but Hong Kong could do no better than ninth overall in the first of two back-to-back legs in South Africa.
With only the top eight teams moving on to the final Challenger Series event in Poland in April, the city’s men need a big showing this weekend to have any hope of progressing.
“I think this is going to be very good for us in the long term, coaches and players, just to get that reality check of where we’re at in terms of that second tier on the world series,” Groves, Hong Kong’s head coach, said.
“As tough as sevens can be, it can change very quickly. You can have a good day one and then a poor day two – the game is very cutthroat like that. So we’re hoping just to deal with what we need to get right and what we can control.”