Paris Olympics: Hong Kong’s men and women stay on course for sevens spots, but tough tests remain in Osaka
- Men go unbeaten in pool stage in Asian qualifiers in Japan, racking up 129 unanswered points to set up semi-final clash with China
- Women win two of their three games and will take on Japan in last four on Sunday
Hong Kong’s men and women remain in contention for a spot at the Paris Olympics after a frigid opening day of the Asian qualifiers in Japan.
And while temperatures never exceeding single digits the city’s athletes remained hot on the heels of their places in history.
The men’s team finished top of Pool B, going unbeaten and racked up a whopping 129 points in three games, without conceding any. Their female counterparts, meanwhile, ended the day second in Pool E behind China.
Thumping wins over Thailand (53-0), Singapore (52-0) and the United Arab Emirates (24-0) have earned the men a semi-final against China on Sunday, while Japan, who topped Pool A, will take on the UAE.
“Three from three, and we didn’t concede a point, so we are pretty pleased with that,” Jevon Groves, the Hong Kong coach, said. “The last game with UAE was a bit of a reality check in some areas, which gives us something to focus on.”
China’s surprise 21-14 win over the hosts in Osaka means Hong Kong will need to be at their best in the last four clash, and Groves saw the tough game against the UAE as a blessing in disguise ahead of what he expects to be “a massive test physically and tactically”.
