IRB 7s: Cooking Islands Down Under
Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:00
The Cook Islands produced the performance of the day on Day One of the Adelaide tournament, Round Six of the International Rugby Board (IRB) Sevens World Series.
Cook Islands qualified for the Cup quarterfinals, along with the top seeds New Zealand, on an ultra-competitive day at the Adelaide Oval.
The Cooks let a 17-0 lead slip as they lost to Scotland early on, but then beat Argentina 40-21 with a fine display of running rugby. The Cooks, Argentina and Scotland finished the day level on points, but the Cooks' superior points difference took them through ahead of their rivals.
The Cooks join series leaders New Zealand, defending Adelaide champions Fiji, Kenya, South Africa, Samoa, Tonga and hosts Australia in the last eight for the Cup competition.
Japan almost scored a sensational victory against Samoa, going down 26-31.
Cup Quarterfinal draw:
New Zealand v Tonga
Samoa v Cook Islands
South Africa v Kenya
Fiji v Australia
We bring you all the pool action from Day One in Adelaide
Pool A:
(New Zealand, Scotland, Argentina, Cook Islands)
New Zealand overcame Scotland late in the day to send the Cook Islands into the last eight for the first time since 2001.
First half tries by Nigel Hunt, Rene Ranger, Solomon King and Chad Tuoro underlined the Kiwis' dominance as they raced into a 24-0 half-time lead. Two early tries by Scotland's Michael Adamson and Chris Fusaro caused no more than a minor irritation, as further scores by Tuoro and Tomasi Cama saw the Kiwis race clear for a 38-10 win.
Earlier in the day, Victor Vito was the outstanding player for the kiwis against Argentina, his power and handling out wide too much for the Pumas as he scored and set up a try for Zar Lawrence in the Kiwis' hard-fought 21-14
win, their closest of the season. Gordon Tietjens' side was then pushed equally hard by the Cook Islanders, who took a well deserved lead through Adam Vardey and might have gone further ahead before they flagged and let the fitter New Zealanders in for some cheap tries in the second half.
In the other early matches Scotland showed real resilience to come from 17-0 down at half-time to beat the Cooks 22-17. Koiatu Koiatu was outstanding but Jim Thompson scored one and then turned provider to edge it for Scotland. The Scots then lost out against a Gabriel Ascarate-inspired Argentina 19-17 but the Pumas in turn lost against the Cooks, creating a three-way tie behind the Kiwis, from which the Cooks qualified for the Cup quarter finals on points difference.
Results:
Match 3 New Zealand 21 - Argentina 14
Match 4 Scotland 22 - Cook Islands 17
Match 11 New Zealand 33 - Cook
Islands 7
Match 12 Scotland 17 - Argentina 19
Match 18 Argentina 21 - Cook Islands 40
Match 22 New Zealand 38 - Scotland 10
Pool B:
(Samoa, Tonga, Wales, Japan)
Samoa came from behind against Tonga in the penultimate match of the day to win 14-12 and top pool B.
Tonga took an early first-half lead through tries by Teuimuli Kaufusi and Siaosi Tu'atao, but a late score by Samoan star Uale Mai narrowed the half-time gap to just 7-12. Mikaele Pesamino put Samoa into a 14-12 lead with minutes to go and then they held on for dear life to secure a valuable win.
A Mikaele Pesamino hat trick saw Samoa to a hard-fought 28-17 win against Wales first up in Adelaide but the Samoans then had to fight until the dying seconds in a thriller against Japan. The Japanese led early on but then leaked some soft tries, only to hit back in stunning fashion with only 90 seconds
remaining through replacement Kilryong So. Alafoti Fa'osiliva, though, flew around a despairing defence to steal a 31-26 win for the islanders at the death.
Ualosi Kailea had earlier scored a hat-trick and Teuimuli Kaufusi a brace to help Tonga to an impressive opening 53-0 win over the Japanese. World Cup captain Nili Latu was also outstanding as the Tongans sent out an early message to the two core sides in the pool and they followed that up with a crucial 19-17 win against Wales to join Pacific neighbours Samoa in the quarter finals draw.
Results:
Match 5 Samoa 28 - Wales 17
Match 6 Tonga 53 - Japan 0
Match 13 Samoa 31 - Japan 26
Match 14 Tonga 19 - Wales 17
Match 19 Wales 26 - Japan 17
Match 23 Samoa 14 - Tonga 12
Pool C:
(South Africa, Australia, USA,
Canada)
South Africa won the pool decider against hosts Australia in the final match of the day, but both sides progress to the Cup quarter finals on day two.
The South Africans, who kept the Australians pinned in their own half throughout the first period, opened the scoring through teenage prodigy Robert Ebersohn. The playmaker Renfred Dazel put them into a 12-0 lead with a great run around the outside - an advantage they kept to the halftime break. Poor skills on both sides marked the early stages of the second half, as a number of knock-ons prevented any continuity. Shawn MacKay pulled one back for the Aussies, making it 7-12 with less that two minutes to go. But sloppy play by Australia handed Schalk van der Merwe the winning score as the Springboks went top of the pool with a 19-7 win.
James Lew earlier spared the home side's blushes, scoring the winning try for Australia after Canada had led the hosts 14-7. Australia then put in a much improved
performance in their second match against the USA, James O’Connor scoring in the opening minute before Willie Bishop stole the show with three tries in a 31-19 victory.
Fabian Juries and Mzwandile Stick were in sparkling form for the Boks as they cruised to a 43-0 win against USA, however they had to work far harded for their victory against Canada. Trailing 14-17 in the final seconds, Mpho Mbiyozo's late try got the Springboks out of jail.
Results:
Match 7 South Africa 43 - USA 0
Match 8 Australia 21 - Canada 14
Match 15 Australia 31 - USA 19
Match 16 South Africa 21 Canada 17
Match 20 USA 19 - Canada 17
Match 24 South Africa 19 Australia 7
Pool D:
(Fiji, Kenya, England, France)
Fiji beat Kenya late in the day to top pool D but both had earlier ensured qualification for the Cup with wins over England and France.
A late score in the first half, set up by some strong running from Collins Injera and touched down by Innocent Simiyu, gave the Kenyans a 14-7 lead at the break. However, tries by Lepani Nabuliwaqa and Timoci Matanavou, followed by a yellow card to Kenyan Charles Kanyi ended the game as a contest. Marika Vunibaka scored next and not even a red card to Setefano Cakau for putting a boot on an opponent's head could stop the Fijians as Timoci Matanavou completed the second half rout for a final scoreline of 29-14.
A double by Setefano Cakau and an 11-point haul from star player William Ryder helped Fiji overwhelm England before the Adelaide defending champions ensured their quarterfinal berth with a comprehensive 33-12 victory over France, Timoci Matanavou scoring a brace.
Crowd favourites Kenya first came from behind to topple France 19-12 and then maintained their astonishing winning streak against England, holding off a
late rally to take the game 17-10. Kenya have now won four of their last five matches against England, including their last three encounters. England also lost to France in their final match of the day.
Results:
Match 1: Fiji 31 - England 12
Match 2: France 12 - Kenya 21
Match 9 Fiji 33 - France 12
Match 10 Kenya 17 - England 10
Match 17 England 12 - France 19
Match 21 Fiji 29 - Kenya 14
Day Two - Sunday, 6 April:
Match 25: Bowl quarterfinal, Argentina v Japan, 10.38
Match 26: Bowl quarterfinal, France v Canada, 11.00
Match 27: Bowl quarterfinal, USA v England, 11.22
Match 28: Bowl quarterfinal, Wales v Scotland, 11.44
Match 29: Cup quarterfinal, New Zealand v Tonga, 12.06
Match 30: Cup quarterfinal, Fiji v Australia, 12.28
Match 31: Cup quarterfinal, South Africa v Kenya,
12.50
Match 32: Cup quarterfinal, Samoa v Cook Islands, 13.12
Match 33: Shield semifinal, 13.44
Match 34: Shield semifinal, 14.06
Match 35: Bowl semifinal, 14.28
Match 36: Bowl semifinal, 14.50
Match 37: Plate semifinal, 15.12
Match 38: Plate semifinal, 15.34
Match 39: Cup semifinal, 15.56
Match 40: Cup semifinal 16.18
Match 41: Shield Final, 16.50
Match 42: Bowl final, 17.20
Match 43: Plate Final, 17.50
Match 44: Cup Final, 18.20
With thanks to the IRB
