LONDON SEVENS: Fiji claim World Series title
Despite losing their opening match 10-31 to England, 42-5 and 26-0 wins over Wales and Australia booked their place in the last eight and confirmed their status as series champions with an insurmountable lead at the top of the standings.
After the impressive win over Fiji, the hosts went on to beat Australia 10-7 and Wales 24-5 to remain unbeaten on day one at Twickenham. Simon Amor's side will face Scotland in the Cup quarterfinals while France await Fiji.
South Africa were the only other side to win all three of their pool matches at Twickenham, with victories over Canada, the United States and last week's champions Samoa who finished bottom of Pool A. Neil Powell's side will meet Argentina in the last eight, a repeat of the Cape Town Sevens Final.
Elsewhere France topped Pool C after beating Portugal, Kenya and drawing with Scotland and defending London champions United States reached the last eight on points difference after a 12-12 draw with North American rivals Canada. Mike Friday's side will play New Zealand who topped Pool D on points difference after ending their day with a 14-14 draw with Los Pumas.
It was a special day too for Collins Injera who scored four tries to overtake Santiago Gomez Cora at the top of the all-time leading try scorer chart. Having received the ball from his brother Humphrey Kayange, Injera scored his 231st try before running into the crowd to give his mum and dad his playing jersey.
"It is an amazing feeling. Rugby sevens has always been special to me," said Injera.
"I have played this game since high school. When I started out I wanted to go for the record and now that I have done it, it's a huge thing for me.
"Getting the final pass from my brother, the person I started out playing this game with is a huge honour for me. He mentored me a lot when growing up, telling me what to do and what not to do when playing, so to finally do it in Twickenham is very very special for me.
"I have been chasing the dream for a while and it's finally been realised. It's special for me and for my family, they have been there for life supporting this team through and through."
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Pool A:
(Samoa, South Africa, United States, Canada)
Trailing leaders Fiji by 14 points in the World Series standings going into this final round, South Africa have signalled their intentions with a comfortable 21-7 defeat of Canada – two first-half tries from Ryan Kankowski and Francois Hougaard's effort after the break handing the most experienced team of the tournament a 12th straight series defeat. Canada did salvage a consolation score through captain John Moonlight long after the clock went into the red.
Earlier the United States edged Paris champions Samoa 12-in the and opening match in Pool A.
Canada have lost their last 12 series matches dating back to Hong Kong, but they took the lead early on through Justin Douglas. Samoa got back on level terms through Belgium Tuatagaloa, but on the stroke of the half-time hooter Conor Trainor darted through the defence to put his side back in front.
The ball came out the back of a Samoan scrum five metres from the Canadian line, but that means it fell to Belgium Tuatagaloa and he made no mistake to go over in the corner. That cut the deficit to two, but the gap grew again when Conor Trainor managed to force the ball down with three minutes to go. Canada won the restart and worked their way to within metres of the line, Mike Fuailefau darting over after Samoa left the short-side open to finally bring to an end that 12-match losing run. The Paris champions had the final say with Siaosi Asofolau's try but it's nothing more than a late consolation try.
Seabelo Senatla showed why he is way out in front in the try-scoring chats on the 2015-16 Sevens World Series with another run in for the BlitzBoks. He could have had more than one, but it was enough to give South Africa a slender lead at half-time against defending London champions the United States. South Africa doubled their advantage quickly with Cecil Afrika going over and making the United States pay for some poor defending with countless missed tackles. That looked like the ball game, but the Eagles weren't quite done yet, as Nate Augspurger found a way through the defence. The conversion was missed, though, and that meant that Ben Leatigaga's try on the hooter was mere consolation.
First blood in the North American battle went to the defending London champions thanks to Perry Baker's try, but on the stroke of half-time Canada hit back through Conor Trainor to take a narrow lead into half-time. Canada captain John Moonlight thought he'd increased his side's advantage but replays showed he was held up so it remained a two-point ball game – until Perry Baker turned on the jet shoes and put the USA back in front again. The action wasn't finished there, though, as Canada pounced on a turnover and Matt Mullins raced clear to tie the scores. Harry Jones missed the conversion and the draw was enough to book the USA a place in the Cup quarterfinals.
Dylan Sage scored the only try of the first half against the Paris champions, Samopa. It could have been more, but for some desperate Samoan defence on their own line with time up on the clock. South Africa dominated play again in the second half, but had a try ruled out after the officials ruled that they couldn't see from the replays if Chris Dry had got the ball down. The respite for Samoa was only brief because Francois Hougaard darted over and then Rosko Specman and Siviwe Soyizwapi ensured the BlitzBoks would end day one with three wins to top Pool A.
Results:
Samoa 5-12 United States
South Africa 21-7 Canada
Samoa 19-24 Canada
South Africa 14-10 United States
United States 12-12 Canada
Samoa 0-22 South Africa
Pool B:
(Fiji, Australia, England, Wales)
Henry Hutchison got Australia on the board with a run in for the first and then popped up for a try from closer range on the stroke of half-time against Wales. Sam Figg stretched Australia's lead in this Pool B match, but Wales found a response as Owen Jenkins had just enough to reach out of the line under the challenge of Pama Fou. He may not have been able to stop that score, but Fou then raced onto a kick at the other end to get his try, only for Jenkins to again cross for another Welsh try.
Dan Norton left the Fijian defence clutching at thin air and then Alex Gray stepped Kitione Taliga inside and out for try number two. The crowd were going wild when Alex Davis slipped through the defence like a knife in butter for another. Dan Norton's stop-start had Samisoni Viriviri falling over and then he chipped the last man to get his second of the match. At 24-5 Fiji decided it was time for Jarryd Hayne, but Masivesi Dakuwaqa's jump step took him through the England defence for Fiji's second try. Tom Bowen had the final say and we had the first upset of the day against the series leaders.
Isake Katonibau dived early to score the try, but lost the ball on the bounce and a try went a begging for Fiji. However, speedster Samisoni Viriviri made no mistake a few minutes later. Wales were struggling to get out of their own half and it was a piece of magic that created try number two, captain Osea Kolinisau getting his hand to a Welsh pass and flicking it back for Jerry Tuwai to race away.
Ben Ryan demanded "possession" as key for his side in the second half and they listened as they retained the kick-off to send Viliame Mata over for a quick-fire try. It just looked so easy when Fiji were in their stride, Mata changed stride and he's through for an easy run in and a second try. Wales finally got a chance to break free through Luke Morgan and the ball went across field for Morgan Williams to get his side on the board, but Fiji hit back instantly, Jerry Tuwai passing the ball over his shoulder for Amenoni Nasilasila to score and then Masivesi Dakuwaqa had the final say as Fiji bounced back from that opening loss to England.
The clock was ticking down and just as it was starting to look like it could be a scoreless first half up pops Dan Norton, the delay and miss-pass from England captain Tom Mitchell creating the space out wide for the winger. Australia then hit the front after the hooter, some good work from Pama Fou leading to a try for Sam Figg to the dismay of the home crowd. Phil Burgess goes close for the hosts, but Australia are penalised and Pat McCutcheon is sent to the naughty chair with two minutes remaining. It proves crucial with Marcus Watson stepping off the left foot and stretching over to get the second try, the conversion was missed again by Tom Mitchell and fortunately for the England captain Australia were unable to punish them, Jesse Parahi knocking on in the final play.
Fiji won a turnover on their own line and went coast to coast, Kitione Taliga making the initial break and is grateful when Samisoni Viriviri took over the run in. Some strong Australian defence kept them out until the final play of the half when Jerry Tuwai goes over unchallenged from a five-metre scrum. Captain Osea Kolinisau added the conversion to join the select club of players to have scored 1,000 points in series history.
An emotional Fiji coach Ben Ryan on the title defence: "We have got a huge amount of players back home who have done some magnificent things for Fiji but have never won back-to-back series titles. We had a difficult opening match, but they were fighting tooth and nail there, just like against South Africa last year, and they weren't going to take a backward step. That was outstanding and it is a group of players I am very proud of."
England had already qualified for the Cup quarterfinals and Wales scored first through Adam Thomas, but it wasn't long before Ollie Lindsay-Hague got the Twickenham crowd on their feet with a runaway score to give them a slender lead at the break. What a perfect way to start the second half as Richard de Carpentier collected Tom Mitchell's kick-off with ease to glide over for England's second try and then Marcus Watson spins out of the tackle and sets up Tom Bowen for a run-in down the touchline. Wales have barely had their hands on the ball and dropping it when they finally did didn't help their confidence. The fresh legs of Dan Norton took him over under the posts and, despite missing a penalty attempt at goal with the final play, it's England who top Pool B.
Results:
Australia 22-10 Wales
Fiji 10-31 England
Fiji 40-5 Wales
Australia 7-10 England
Fiji 26-0 Australia
England 24-5 Wales
Pool C:
(France, Kenya, Scotland, Portugal)
It was a couple of tight matches that opened Day Obe's action – with Scotland and France drawing the opening match 14-all – before Frank Wanyama's try with seconds left gave Singapore champions Kenya a 22-17 win over relegation threatened Portugal.
Having drawn their opening match with Scotland, France knew victory was a must for them and Steeve Barry gave them the perfect start against relegation-threatened Portugal. They weren't done there either with Pierre Gilles Lakafia and Youth Olympic Games gold medallist Arthur Retiere putting a much-changed France side in control, despite a lovely opportunistic try by Nuno Guedes, collecting his own chip over the defence on the stroke of half-time. There was still time, though, for Virimi Vakatawa to score a fourth first-half try for France.
Portugal refused to lie down, hardly surprising with relegation from the series hanging over their heads, and Vasco Mendes cut the deficit with the first score of the second half. France regained control with Damien Cler's try and then Arthur Retiere claims his second of the match just as the sun comes out over Twickenham. The hooter sounded but still time for one more try for France after some good work from Jean Pascal Barraque.
Perhaps not the most popular try-scorers at Twickenham, but James Johnstone got Scotland off to a dream start after only 30 seconds and then Damien Hoyland claimed the restart perfectly to leave Kenya on the back foot for the second match running in London. It could have got worse when Jamie Farndale charged down the right wing, but Collins Injera pulled off an incredible try-saving tackle to hold the ball up. It was only a temporary respite though as Scott Riddell – in his 50th series tournament – went over from a quickly-taken penalty. The fight-back was on though as Humphrey Kayange broke clear and then gives his brother Injera the present of a 229th series try.
Results:
France 14-14 Scotland
Kenya 22-17 Portugal
France 45-13 Portugal
Kenya 12-24 Scotland
Scotland 31-14 Portugal
France 29-12 Kenya
Pool D:
(Argentina, New Zealand, Russia, Brazil)
With the threat of relegation from the series still hanging over Russia – they're just six points ahead of Portugal in that battle – tries from German Davydov and Denis Simplikevich gave Russia a 12-0 lead early on. However, a yellow card for Ramil Gaysin for a high tackle handed the advantage to Los Pumas and Santiago Cordero went over with ease in the corner. Matias Moroni's effort then tied up the score at 12-12 at half-time.
Another dart from one of Argentina's 2015 World Cup heroes Santiago Cordero set up a try for Fernando Luna, although replays suggested he lost the ball before dotting down. A great miss-pass from Bautista Ezcurra gave Rodrigo Etchart a run-in for try number for and Russia will have to wait a bit longer for a first win over Los Pumas.
Both Russia and Portugal, the relegation threatened teams, have now seen 12-point advantages slip through their fingers to lose their first matches at Twickenham.
A great try-saving tackle from Juliano Fiori kept New Zealand at bay initially, but the All Blacks Sevens didn't have to wait long for their first try against the Rio 2016 hosts. Sonny Bill Williams, back on the Twickenham turf seven months after his World Cup 2015 success, sent Pita Ahki over. Two more tries follow for Rieko Ioane and the returning captain Tim Mikkelson put some daylight between them and Brazil.
Some good defence from Brazil kept the All Blacks Sevens out for three minutes, but Tim Mikkelson spotted a gap and darts through the defence to run in from near halfway. Then it was over to Rieko Ioane who seems to have covered a lot of the Twickenham turf in this opener, five tries to nil now for New Zealand.
The battle for South American pride saw Argentina strike the first blow after Matias Moroni sliced through the Brazilian defence with ease, but they had to wait until the end of the half to claim a second after Axel Muller showed his strength to shrug off tackles on the way to the line. Juan Imhoff, on his return to the Argentina Sevens team just a week after losing the European Champions Cup Final with Racing 92, charged after a kick through but was tackled just short before he had gathered the ball, Felipe Silva took a trip the bin and referee Alex Ruiz awarded a penalty try. Brazil held out until just before the sin-bin ended when Juan Pablo Estelles left the defence trailing in his wake to score Los Pumas' fourth try. The biggest cheer though was reserved for Daniel Sancery as he races through for their first try of the day at the death.
Russia again started quickly – with Denis Simplikevich bursting down the left touchline, the powerful wing stopped just short but staying strong long enough to pop the ball to German Davydov for the opening try. New Zealand's response was quick though, Gillies Kaka slipping a tackle to run through the middle to edge his side ahead. Rieko Ioane then broke clear and unselfishly passed into to Kaka to score under the posts for an easy conversion.
A bit of indecision from the All Blacks to start the second half and Stanislav Bondarev made them pay to cut the deficit to 14-10. That was as close, though, as Russia would get because Rieko Ioane scored twice, the second while New Zealand were a man down – Regan Ware in the sin-bin for a high tackle – seeing him go nearly the length of the Twickenham pitch. Sonny Bill Williams had the final say with a try in the dying seconds but Russia can hold their heads high having made the All Blacks Sevens work hard for their victory.
The strength of Denis Simplikevich again lead to another try for the Russia powerhouse, but Brazil weren't to be outdone and Daniel Sancery scored his – and the Rio 2016 hosts' – second try of the London Sevens to make it a two-point game at the break. The match was in the balance right until the final seconds when the juggernaut that is Denis Simplikevich scored his and Russia's second try against the Rio 2016 hosts Brazil. That meant Russia finished third in Pool C, they'll be looking for a strong day two to not only secure their place on the series for 2016-17 but also to take some momentum into next month's Olympic Games repechage event in Monaco.
Argentina came out on top when the sides met in the Paris quarterfinals last weekend and they struck first, Rodrigo Etchart winning the race to score the opener in impressive fashion. The All Blacks Sevens hit back through Rieko Ioane, but Los Pumas weren't done yet with some good work by Axel Muller leading to a try for Franco Sabato late in the half. The battle for top spot in Pool D could only be described as a tight tussle, both sides creating opportunities to score the decisive try. New Zealand went close when Gillies Kaka's kick over the defence was nearly gathered by Kurt Baker, but Rodrigo Etchart cleared the danger for Argentina. It was only a temporary respite though because more good work from Rieko Ioane saw Regan Ware go under the posts. Kaka's conversion tied the scores and the draw was good enough for the All Blacks Sevens to claim top spot.
Results:
Argentina 22-12 Russia
New Zealand 31-0 Brazil
Argentina 28-7 Brazil
New Zealand 33-10 Russia
Russia 14-5 Brazil
Argentina 14-14 New Zealand
Sources. @worldrugby7s
