Aussies third, Fiji win 7s in Hong Kong

Australia have enjoyed a successful Hong Kong Sevens, finishing third at the coveted rugby tournament while Fiji took out the title.

The Australian men's team have finished third at the Hong Kong Sevens after beating the United States 26-19 in their medal match.

Outclassed 33-12 in the semi-finals by the ultimate winners, Fiji, Australia played some ambitious rugby against the Americans to log their best performance of the 2016-17 world series.

Andy Friend's Australian side beat Argentina 21-12 in the quarterfinals after finishing top of their pool with wins over Samoa, Korea and England.

"They showed a lot of belief and composure to beat a good USA team to finish third," Friend said.

"I'm proud of them.

"I think we are playing some really good rugby but we still have a lot of room for improvement."

For defending world series champions Fiji, it was their third successive win at the flagship Hong Kong tournament.

They thrashed South Africa 22-0 in the decider, after the Africans had only just accounted for the United States 29-24 in their semi-final.

The Fijians had not won a tournament since last year's Rio Olympics but ended their barren run in spectacular fashion.

The Pacific Islanders led South Africa 10-0 at halftime after tries from Sevuloni Mocenacagi and Mesulame Kunavula then put the result beyond doubt when Kalione Nasoko crossed twice more in the second half.


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world