It was a good week for the Kiwis and those who backed them with Clark Laidlaw's men claiming their first Hong Kong Sevens title since 2014.
Singapore Sevens
Friday 7 April – Sunday 9 April
Singapore National Stadium
To Win Outright
Betting TBA*
Favourites
New Zealand
2022 Finish: Runners-up
The Kiwis extended their lead at the top of the Series standings to 21 points with their win out in Singapore.
They enjoyed a solid opening to the campaign winning their opening two games at a canter as they ran out big scores against Kenya (29-5) and Ireland (27-6). They were then given a real run for their money by an understrength South African side but managed to hold out for a 12-7 victory.
The knock-out phase followed a similar pattern to the pool phase for the New Zealanders who held Argentina at arm’s length, beating the South Americans 24-10. They then moved to the semi-finals where they were given a strun test by the French but pulled through as they had done against the South Africans and edged the game 7-12. The final proved to be a pretty one sided affair with the Kiwis going in 24-7 to the good at the break, and while Fiji did fight back, the Kiwis were able to hang on for a 24-17 victory.
Fiji
2022 Finish: Winners
The Pacific Islanders have certainly returned to form in recent months following up third place finishes in Sydney and Los Angeles with a runners-up berth in Hong Kong. And while they didn’t exactly set the lights out in Canada between Los Angeles and Hong Kong, they have certainly returned to form.
They looked really good in Hong Kong coming through a tough pool with wins over neighbours Samoa (12-7), Canada (40-7) and Argentina (19-26). They then put in two brave displays as they beat a fired up South Africa 10-7 and an ever-improving Great Britain side 19-14, which assured them a spot in the final. The showpiece game would prove a bridge too far from the Fijians, however, as despite a spirited second half fightback, they would ultimately go down by seven points to New Zealand.
Argentina
2022 Finish: Fifth
Los Pumas had a rather poor showing by their lofty standards as they finished fifth out in Hong Kong. They gave up a significant amount of ground on Series leaders, New Zealand and are now only eight points ahead of the Fijians on the Series ladder.
Having been pooled in the group of death, the Argentines managed to make a decent fist of it beating Canada 17-7 and Samoa 26-19 before going down to Fiji 19-26. Having finished second, they would need to get through the harder side of the knock-outs draw and stumbled at the first time of asking as they went down 24-10 to eventual tournament winners, New Zealand.
The South Americans would salvage some pride and vital log points from the tournament, however, as wins over Spain (19-0) and South Africa (7-5) would see them grab 13 points from their Hong Kong expedition.
Dark Horse
Australia
2022 Finish: Third
The Wallabies had an exceedingly poor time of it out in Hong Kong as they limped to a tenth-place finish. This would have been majorly disappointing as they were defending their title as Hong Kong Sevens Champions.
While the Australians underperformed in Hong Kong, I wouldn’t write them off in Singapore. They have a very handy squad who is capable of turning on the magic when required.
Verdict: Fiji
I really do fancy the Fijians here. While they are still without some big names, they did play some brilliant rugby last weekend. They are also the most successful side in Singapore having won three of the nine tournaments staged in the country.
