Perfect Bears pile on pressure against Hong Kong to capture inaugural Cup of Nations title
Hong Kong and Russia each climb one place in World Rugby rankings after strong showings in four-test competition
Russia overcame a resilient Hong Kong defensive effort at HKFC on Saturday to win their third successive tour test match and claim the inaugural four-team Hong Kong Cup of Nations in convincing style.
Both teams were rewarded with moves up the World Rugby global rankings - Russia from 22nd to 21st place and Hong Kong from 24th to 23rd.
Hong Kong were first to get on the scoreboard Saturday through a penalty from fly-half Ben Rimene in the third minute, but Russia had the superior start in the title-deciding match-up and dominated the forward exchanges from the outset.
It was two really evenly matched teams out there but we started well. We strung together eight or 10 phases from the outset which led to our first try
Portugal had overwhelmed Zimbabwe 36-11 earlier in the day in a fast-paced battle for third place, but the showpiece match between Hong Kong and Russia was what everyone had been waiting for. And it delivered.
“It was two really evenly matched teams out there but we started really well,” said Russia captain Vasily Artemyev. “We strung together eight or 10 phases from the outset which led to our first try.”
Centre Igor Galinovsky crossed over to get the Bears off to a hot start after a sustained period of pressure. Fly-half Sergey Yanyushkin’s conversion was wide – one of his rare misses during the game – but Russia took a 5-3 lead and from that moment they kept the hosts on the back foot.
A period of heavy pressure led to Hong Kong conceding two more early penalties – and as Yanyushkin quickly discovered his aim and distance Russia extended their lead to 11-3.
Hong Kong coach Andy Hall made two substitutions to steady the ship, replacing hooker Alex Harris and lock Paul Dwyer with Jamie Tsang Hon-man and Adrian Griffiths and, for a short while, the tactic worked.
