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Black reign in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Sevens - March 25-27, 2011
The 2011 Cathay Pacific / Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens culminated in an emotional victory for New Zealand over England, and marked a dramatic end to the week of Credit Suisse’s Asian Investment Conference.
New Zealand overpowered England 29-17 in the final of the Cup competition, dedicating their victory to the people of Christchurch, which suffered a devastating earthquake on February 22. "We were playing for Christchurch," New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens was reported as saying after the game. "The guys showed a lot of heart. It was the best I have seen them play all season."
The raucous Hong Kong stadium fell silent for a minute before the final kicked off as players and fans showed their respect for the victims of the earthquake in Christchurch and the quake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11.
The opening minutes of the final were tight but New Zealand scored first through Solomon King. England equalized to make it 5-5 at half time, but the men in white were outclassed in the second half as touchdowns from Frank Halai and Tomasi Cama enabled New Zealand to open up a 22-5 lead. England hooker Greg Barden scored to narrow the deficit, but it was New Zealand’s day and Tim Mikkelson sealed victory with a late try.
England made too many mistakes and squandered possession too often in contact, while the Kiwis capitalized on these errors ruthlessly and defended stoically. They emerged as deserved winners for the first time since 2008, celebrating with the traditional Maori haka war dance in the darkness at So Kon Po. The win also enabled New Zealand to edge ahead of England in the IRB World Sevens Series standings.
Earlier, some characteristic moments of genius by maestro Ben Gollings and a yellow card for their opponents had enabled England to see off Samoa 19-14 in one semi final, while New Zealand were too strong for perennial crowd favourites Fiji, also winning 19-14 in the other semi final.
South Africa won the Plate competition after beating an exciting Australian team 26-19 in a memorable final. The game also allowed South Africa’s Cecil Afrika to extend his tally as the leading points scorer in the series to 88, which is considered a lucky number in Hong Kong. Previously, Kenya won the shield final 17-12 in “sudden death” extra time against Spain.
Tournament newcomers Mexico struggled on the pitch, finishing at the bottom of Pool C, but they captured the imagination of Sevens fans – sombreros and ponchos were perhaps the most popular fancy dress outfit of the year at this traditionally festive event.
Osama Abbasi, Credit Suisse’s CEO for Asia Pacific, presented the Plate to winners South Africa and was also presented with a crystal rugby ball by the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union. The memento was a gesture of the HKRFU’s appreciation for Credit Suisse’s 14 years as a title sponsor of the Hong Kong Sevens.
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