England got off to a shaky start at the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament yesterday despite a 38-7 victory over the home team.
Without a tournament win so far this year, the English need a victory in Hong Kong to advance their season championship prospects, but they appeared rusty in their opening game against unheralded Hong Kong.
Top-ranked Fiji defeated Sri Lanka 45-0 and No. 3 South Africa crushed Taiwan 59-0.
New Zealand, who share the top ranking with Fiji, struggled with their kicking but still beat Italy 41-5.
England raced to 14-0 lead against Hong Kong until their defense faltered. Hong Kong narrowly missed a try before Ricky Cheuk found the line thanks to a cross-field pass. The home team converted to pull back to 14-7.
Danny Care scored two tries to lead the English to the win.
"We have a few things to analyze," said England captain Simon Amor, who described the encounter as a "tough game."
Amor said he wasn't surprised by Hong Kong's strong showing in the first half.
``It's their home. They're always excited. They'll never give up,'' he said.
In other matches, Samoa beat China 49-5 in a game that saw flashes of brilliance from the Chinese.
Down 7-14 in the first half, Li Yang's impressive footwork set up a try by Xu Hui.
Samoa are enjoying a breakthrough year on the IRB Sevens circuit after winning th first-ever title in Wellington earlier this year.
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