New Zealand’s Zar Lawrence steered the defending champions toward the Hong Kong Sevens final yesterday despite learning of his teenage brother’s tragic death only hours before.
Lawrence scored twice against Australia, including a mazy 50m try, to put his team into the quarter-finals. Afterwards he revealed the 4am phone call in which he was told his brother Wirenu, 16, had died in a car crash.
“It’s very hard. It’s all emotional at the moment,” Lawrence said. “But my thoughts are back with my family and theirs are with me. I’m doing this for my family.”
PHOTO: AFP
The New Zealand team wore black armbands and coach Gordon Tietjens paid tribute to the courage of the bereaved Lawrence, whose second-half double secured the vital 17-5 win.
“He was outstanding in that match with the circumstances he’s under,” Tietjens said. “He’s playing for his brother and I think that’s great.”
Meanwhile, England survived a second-half fightback by World Cup champions Wales to reach the quarter-finals, while South Africa subdued France 26-12.
England were 26-0 up and cruising at halftime, but let Wales get back to 26-19 before the final hooter. Rank outsiders Wales were shock winners at this month’s World Cup, where England crashed out in the quarter-finals.
“It was unacceptable,” coach Ben Ryan said. “It’s not what we wanted. We still feel the frustrations of the World Cup and this was another opportunity for a strong victory. Wales did well to come back, but we shouldn’t have let them.”
Fiji were held 12-12 by Samoa as their campaign stumbled. The eleven-time winners were five points down at the break, but leveled through Vereniki Goneva before Apasai Naiyobo, with the line begging, fumbled in the closing stages.
Hong Kong brought the crowd to their feet with an electrifying 14-12 upset of Tonga. Japan held off China 21-17 and Scotland pipped unheralded West Indies 19-17.
Argentina, meanwhile, beat Portugal 22-14 with a last-gasp Lucio Lopez Fleming try making sure of the win.
Taiwan were beaten 50-0 by Tonga and 22-7 by Canada to finish the Pool matches without a victory.
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