China tie up Asia 7s
The Asian 7s remains a two-horse race after the second leg in Incheon – and the horses are now neck-and-neck as they enter the straight.
Published by John Birch, September 25th, 2016
3 minute read
As in Hong Kong at thestart of the month, China and Japan were clearly the strongest teams, with Hong Kong as the only team capable of inflicting measurable damage, and Thailand as the only other likely threat.
Both Japan and China cruised through their pools, scoring over 100 points each and conceding two and one tries respectively. Predictably Japan had the only major battle of the pool phase, but saw off Hong Kong 24-12.
Korea’s first appearance in the series was promising, losing only narrowly to Thailand and Guam – losses that could have been lessened or even reversed with improved goal kicking. However, the loss to promotion rivals Guam may prove crucial.
On the second day, identical cup semi-finals to the first leg produced identical outcomes, although on this occasion China beat Hong Kong with by a wider margin, while Thailand proved to be tougher for Japan to see off.
In the plate, Guam reached the final, but tries early in each half for Singapore were enough for them to hold on for a 10-5 win, despite a yellow card at the end of the first half. Guam’s try did not come until the last minute, with no time to recover. Sri Lanka will just need to reach the plate final in their home leg next month to win a core place for next season.
The final began well for Japan with a converted try from Mayu Shimizu in the opening minute, but China drew level in the sixth minute through Qianqian Jiang, before a long final play ended with a try for Ying Zhao.
14-7 to China at half-time became 21-7 with a Yang Liu try shortly after the restart, after which Japanese pressure was limited to a single Chiharu Nakamura try.
With one tournament win and one runner-up spot each between China and Japan, things are perfectly set up for the final tournament on 15/16 October.
Pool C
Japan 34-0 SingaporeHong Kong 51-0 UzbekistanJapan 43-0 UzbekistanHong Kong 24-0 SingaporeJapan 24-12 Hong KongSingapore 32-0 Uzbekistan
Pool D
China 53-0 GuamThailand 12-10 South KoreaChina 45-0 South KoreaThailand 24-14 GuamGuam 19-15 South KoreaChina 52-5 Thailand
Plate Semi Final
Singapore 26-10 South KoreaUzbekistan 0-42 Guam
Cup Semi Final
Japan 29-0 ThailandHong Kong 5-40 China
7th / 8th Play Off
South Korea 29-0 Uzbekistan
Plate Final
Singapore 10-5 Guam
3rd / 4th Play Off
Thailand 12-27 Hong Kong
Cup Final
Japan 14-21 China