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Samoa win Hong Kong Sevens title

Samoa put in a sensational first-half performance during their 27-22 defeat of Fiji yesterday for their first Hong Kong Sevens title since 1993.

The Samoans raced to a 27-0 lead at half-time before surviving a furious onslaught by the 11-time champions in front of a packed Hong Kong Stadium.

It was the third consecutive final between the Pacific rivals, with Samoa winning in Wellington and Fiji in San Diego.

The result leaves Samoa joint second in the IRB Sevens Series alongside New Zealand with 78 points, with Fiji just ahead on 84.

Samoan coach Titimaea Tafua was proud of his team.

"This is a very good victory for rugby in Samoa -- we only have about 1,000 players. And the US$100,000 prize is a lot in a poor country like ours," he said.

Mikaele Pesamino, 22, scored the first try that started a flood of points, with Uale Mai breaking through soon after.

Fiji were left reeling as Pesamino ran in a third, and Jerry Meafou grounded a fourth thanks to some beautiful flowing passes.

Pesamino collected his hat-trick soon after, capitalizing on sloppy Fiji passing, to put Samoa 27-0 up at half-time.

Fiji finally scored when Emosi Vucago sneaked round the blind side, and three tries by Setefano Cakau, William Ryder and Simione Saravanua put them back in the game as tension mounted.

Samoa were fighting for their lives, but time ran out for Fiji.

Earlier, England's bid for a fifth successive Hong Kong crown had ended when they were thrashed by New Zealand in the quarter-finals.

New Zealand then fell 21-12 to Fiji in one semi-final, while Samoa beat South Africa 10-0 in the other.
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