The Fiji rugby team celebrates after winning the final match against New Zealand at the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament yesterday
Fiji beat New Zealand 21-7 yesterday to defend its title at the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament.
Kitione Taliga and Semi Kunatani scored tries in the second half after the two sides were tied 7-7 at halftime.
With three more rounds remaining, Fiji is in first place in the overall standings with 128 points, five ahead of New Zealand.
The win comes after both teams made dramatic comebacks in their respective opening pool matches on Friday against Canada and France. Fiji rallied 15-5 down with two minutes to go to pip Canada 19-17, while New Zealand overcame a 17-0 deficit to beat France 19-17.
South Africa finished third yesterday after beating Australia 14-12 and is in third place in the standings with 122 points. Australia, with 105 points, rounds out the top four.
England beat the United States 19-0 in the Plate final. James Rodwell, who holds the record for the most caps as an England sevens forward of all time, said during the competition that, “the boys were pumped […] there is no place like Hong Kong for us.”
Japan beat host Hong Kong 24-14 to secure a spot as a core team in all 10 rounds of the 2016-17 series. Japan will replace the bottom-ranked of the current core sides at the end of the season in London.
Fiji holds the record for the most number of wins in the Hong Kong Sevens tournament, having secured the title of the competition 16 times since it was founded in 1976. New Zealand trails behind with 11 wins. MDT/AP
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