Sevens heaven as HK take Asian crown

Hong Kong beat South Korea 33-7 in the final of the Dialog Asia Rugby Sevens Series for a fitting end to the season as they look ahead to next year's World Cup in South Africa.

Cado Lee Ka-to grabbed a brace while Max Denmark, Mike Coverdale and Piece Mackinlay-West also scored tries as coach Paul John's side repeated over the Koreans, who they beat 14-7 in the pool stage in Dubai.

Both Hong Kong and South Korea, who defeated Japan 21-14 in the semi-finals, have already clinched their places in the World Cup. Hong Kong overpowered China 24-0 in the first semi-final.

The victory was also sweet revenge for Hong Kong, who were denied an Olympic slot by South Korea's sudden-death win in the qualifiers for the Tokyo Games two years ago.

It also assured John's men of being seeded first at next year's Asian Games in Hangzhou, where they are the defending champions.

In the women's competition, a new-look Hong Kong team took third place with a 12-10 victory over Kazakhstan.

The win puts Hong Kong as the third seeds at the Asian Games, giving head coach Iain Monaghan and his team of veterans and debutants plenty of time to close the gaps on China and Japan, the only teams to have beaten them this weekend.
×