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Kiwis power through to quarters

Todd Clever of the US is tackled by Taiwan's Hsu Lieh-hsien during their match at the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens tournament yesterday. PHOTO: AP

Hot favorites New Zealand powered through to the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Sevens yesterday, joined by South Africa, Fiji and England, who narrowly beat defending champions Samoa.

But the second day of the three-day tournament also saw Six Nations outfit Scotland shocked by China and France could only manage a draw against Hong Kong in hot and humid conditions.

New Zealand, who face Wales in the quarter-finals, stretched their record streak of match wins in the IRB Sevens World Series to 39 with their 47-7 victory over the US.

They can all but wrap up their eighth world title in nine years by winning here.

England hit back after trailing to an early try by Samoa, scoring in the second half and holding out for the win.

But the Samoans also join them in the knockout phase after finishing as one of the two best runners-up, along with Wales.

England coach Ben Ryan was delighted to be one of the six group winners, but unhappy about the seedings system, which sees England pitted against Samoa again in today's quarters.

"We stuck hard at our task. It was backs against the wall stuff," he said, adding that the support from the crowd was worth an extra two points.

South Africa, second in the world standings, 32 points behind New Zealand, who have a maximum 80, battled past Argentina to qualify for the latter stages, scoring after the hooter to seal a 19-14 win.

South Africa captain Neil Powell said Argentina's physical approach surprised his team.

"We're second in the standings so guys will want to beat us," Powell said. "We're playing Australia in the quarter-finals, who've done well over the past few days. Tonight we'll be going to the drawing board to see if we can spot some weaknesses."

Fiji beat Wales 15-0 to seal their berth in the last eight, where they will face Kenya.

Fiji captain Marika Vunibaka, who has never lost a sevens game in Hong Kong, winning two titles and two world cups, said: "Our focus was on defending but we're happy with that. It doesn't matter how many we score."

Australia battled back strongly against Tonga to qualify, winning 17-15 after trailing with just seconds to go.

Kenya are through to the knockout stage after winning all their games.

Earlier, China provided the shock of the tournament, beating Scotland 19-12, having endured a 47-0 drubbing at the hands of Kenya on the opening day.

China coach Zheng Hongjun hailed the result as one of the best ever victories for his team.

"I'm proud of the team because the older players haven't practised for long," he said, adding that most of the team was made up of new faces.

In another surprise result, Hong Kong held France 21-21, with coach Rod McIntosh hailing it as one of their finest performances.

The Hong Kong Sevens, the fifth leg of the world series, concludes today.
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