Today, the captains of the 30 teams taking part in the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens weekend (5-7 April) visited the venue for a special captains photo from the event’s world famous South Stand as the tournament pays tribute to 30 years of the Hong Kong Sevens at the Hong Kong Stadium this weekend.
The captains of the 24 men’s and women’s international teams participating in the HSBC SVNS tournament took their first picture inside the stadium in decades this afternoon as they enjoyed a rare chance to experience the action from a new angle in Hong Kong’s famous party zone.
The six men’s and women’s captains participating in Hong Kong China Rugby’s inaugural Melrose Claymores competition, (played as part of the HSBC HKG SVNS weekend), also appeared ahead of the debut competition designed to showcase the best of Asian sevens rugby.
The inaugural competition features Hong Kong China’s men’s and women’s squads, the China women’s team, and for the first time since 2012 – China’s men’s seven.
Japan is also playing in the men’s triangular, while the Sakura are featuring in the HKG SVNS tournament. The Thailand women’s team will appear for the first time ever in the stadium on an Hong Kong Sevens weekend. The Melrose Claymores have been donated by Hong Kong’s spiritual sevens sibling, Melrose Rugby Club in Scotland.
The fans are in for another incredible weekend with 72 world class seven-a-side rugby matches, more than an hour of live music performances every day, and all the singing, dancing and fancy dress fun Hong Kong is famous for.
The action on the pitch is hotter than ever with the game’s parity on full display as Argentina enter the HKG SVNS - the sixth of eight tournaments - with a commanding lead in the standings for the first time ever.
Argentina won three tournaments on the trot in Cape Town, Perth and Vancouver, and reached the final in the Dubai opener. Their worst performance came in Los Angeles, when they bowed out in the quarter-finals. They have a 20 point lead on the group with 90 points.
The South American sevens specialists are long time contenders in Hong Kong but will be intent on reaching their first Cup final here since 2004 and becoming the first Western hemisphere cup winners in Hong Kong Sevens history.
Ireland enter Hong Kong with their highest ever HSBC SVNS ranking - in second place on 70 points. Ireland beat Hong Kong, China in the final of the series qualifiers here in 2019 to earn their place on the global circuit and they have never looked back. A fierce peloton of Fiji (64), France (56), Australia (55), New Zealand (53) and South Africa (48) are all looking to move up the ranks this weekend.
The traditional powerhouses will be out to break up the newcomers’ party with historic champions New Zealand and Fiji having combined to win 31 of 46 titles here. New Zealand’s 24-17 cup win over Fiji last year was a welcome return to the podium for the men in black for the first time since 2014, and their 12th title all time.
Fiji enters in third place with a new coach in Olympic gold medal winning captain Osea Kolinisau. The man who is pictured on the Fijian seven dollar bill will be keen to add value to his nation’s efforts at their home away from home as the sevens specialists chase a record 20th victory at the stadium they call Happy Valley.
The HSBC SVNS women’s competition is a neck and neck with Australia and New Zealand battling it out with two wins a piece. Australia won the opening two events in Dubai and Cape Town, while defending Hong Kong champions New Zealand are coming in hot after winning in Vancouver and Los Angeles. Ireland is the only other team to lift a Cup with a win this season. Australia lead the table on 90 points with New Zealand on 86, France (74), USA (64), and Canada (62) rounding out the top five.
The Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens is proud of being an “M” Mark event that helps enhance the image of Hong Kong as Asia’s sports event capital. The “M” Mark awarded by the Major Sports Events Committee, symbolising intense, spectacular and signature event in the territory sports calendar.