IRB Sevens 2013/14 - Round 7 Hong Kong

[Hugh Jarse]

Round 7
Venue: Hong Kong Stadium
City: Hong Kong
Capacity: 40,000

This is the tournament that everyone wants to win more than any other.
For once we haven't drawn the pool of death.

Pool A
Fiji
Kenya
Wales
Sri Lanka

Pool B
SAF
AUS
FRA
SPA

Pool C
ENG
CAN
ARG
POR

Pool D
NZL
USA
SCO
SAM

AUS Pool Games (Hong Kong times first)
28 March vs Spain 19:08 (22:08 Sydney time)
29 March vs France 13:02 (16:02 Sydney time) - You should be at Club Rugby - Shame on you.
29 March vs Saffers 18:54 (21:54 Sydney Time)

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Game on. Australia vs Spain.

Ed Jenkins still suspended.

1 minute gone. Spain haven't seen the pill until AUS knock on.
Scrum to Spain who lose forward after 40 seconds in possession.
AUS scrum. 4:31 to go to oranges.

SPA pressure forces scrum. Feed to Spain. Scrum penalty against SPA.

#4 Tom Lucas gets meat and chopsticks. Clarkies Boy gets the extras. AUS 7 SPA 0 1:50 to oranges.

8 phases and #1 Nick Malouf gets meat and chopsticks. Converted. AUS 14 SPA 0.
Siren goes for oranges.
Penalty to AUS who make little progress, and shag it up with a knock on. Ref blows for oranges.

7 minutes gone. AUS 14 (2T 2C) Spain 0.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

2nd stanza:
AUS kick off.
#6 SPA gets meat and chopsticks after 20 seconds. Great angles by SPA.
Conversion successful. AUS 13 SPA 7
PK to AUS from kick off.
Turnover to SPA.
SPA quietly building pressure but push a pass which creates a turnover.
Jesse Parahi makes the break and gifts meat to Clarkies Boy.
Converted.
AUS 21 SPA 7
46 passes to Aus. 19 to Spain.
3:18 to go.

SPA are OK if they can hold on to Gilbert.
Turnover on AUS 10 metre line. #12 Pakalain gets meat and chopsticks from SPA error.
AUS (lucas) convert easily. AUS 28 SPA 7
AUS need to score from building pressure rather than relying on Opposition mistakes.

AUS caught napping, miss two tackles, buy 1 dummy and SPA get Meat, converted.

Final Score AUS 28-SPA 14.

The Armada will be much better team if they can hold on to the pill a bit more.
Aus survived on mistakes from Spain, more than building pressure patiently in attack.

Opportunities to score from turnovers will not be there when against the big boys in later rounds and the knoclout phase.

Plenty to work on for the latter games.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Good to see Sri Lanka at the tournament. Hopelessly outclassed by Kenya but they didn't give up trying.

Apparently rugby is very well supported in Sri Lanka and they get huge crowds along to their big games.

 

[AngrySeahorse]

Please oh please get the Rugby back on these "singers" are driving me insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Full draw here @angry seahorse

http://www.irbsevens.com/destination/edition=5/fixturesresults.html

There seem to be some gaps in the programme for some reason.

Hunkering down for a late night. Foxtel IQ to get a hiding over the weekend given that Shute Shield starts this weekend.

Some non-sport programmes will be arbitrarily expunged from the IQ to make space.
That is how it works.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

How good is it to see a full stadium, even if they are cheering for the mob wearing white?

Not many rounds of the 7's play in front of full stadiums.

 

[AngrySeahorse]

Does seem like a decent crowd. NZ positively smacked the Scots. Not sure what happened to the French there against SA.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Attended HK7's in person several times BC.

Absolute bucket list item.

Day one games complete.

Nighty night punters.

 

[wamberal]

Attended HK7's in person several times BC.

I went to my first HK Sevens in 1977, in those days New Zealand was represented by their champion provincial Sevens team, I think it was Manawatu that year.

The tournament was held over two days at the old Football Club Stadium in Sports Road (now demolished to make way for the expansion of the racecourse), and it was a heap of fun. No problem getting in, none of this advance ticketing or dressing up nonsense.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Us vs the Saffers: Game on
SAF kick to us.

Lineout win by Clarkies boy. Aus with hands on the Gilbert.
SAffer turnover in tackle inside their 22, but we return favour for Greg Jeloudev to get meat, but no potato.
AUS 5 SAF 0 4:24 left

AUS penalised from the kick off. Lineout on 1/2 way, SAF feed.
Saf rumble it up then spread wide with pace but knock on just when they looked dangerous.

AUS defensive scrum. 2:20 to go. Aus FK from scrum. Lineout on SAF 10 metre line. SAF feed.
SAF win lineout, run it upfield but knock on under pressure. 60 sceonds to go,
AUS scrum win. Clarkies Boy hoofs it upfield, pressure from chasers charge SAF kick down and Ed Jenkins gets meat. No conversion.
Oranges: AUS 10 SAF 0

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Always fancy our chances against the Saffers. Looking good so far. SAF have been starved of ball. AUS good defence.

Second stanza: AUS Kick off.
Parahi penalised off side at ruck. Saf kick and feed lineout. Rumble ball upfield until AUS penalised at ruck. SAF kick for touch. Lineout on 5m.

Lookout Cecil Afrika is on. SAF win linout. grind the ball upfield. Looks like a PK to SAF from Parahi offside. 4:40 to go. No change to score.

Tom Lucas hoofs the ball downfield to relieve pressure. SAF Lineout.
Cecil Afrika puts kick through and SAF nearly win the chase. bad bounce for them.
Aus 22 m drop out. 2:57 to go. Believe.

SAF knock on. AUS scrum. Hold on to the pill and this is ours. 2 minutes to go.AUS penalised. SAF to kick for touch but don't get it.
Kicked downfield, SAF return and Cecil Afrika gets meat and chopsticks. AUS 10 SAF 7.
1 minute to go.

Yippee. Siren goes. AUS kick Gilbert into touch. We are top Qualifier in the Pool.

AUS 10 SAF 7.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

AUS to play CAN in the Quarter Final tomorrow at 12:34 Hong Kong Time (15:34 in Sydney).

Canada are no mugs this year and very nearly beat ENG in their final pool match.

Our reward for beating Canada in the QF will be a likely match vs NZL in the Cup Semi-final.

 

[qwerty51]

Could we give one last send off for Snoz? I tell you we were bloody impressive at the ruck vs South Africa. Good signs.

 

[Hawko]

Fabulous display by Aus under the conditions. Outplayed South Africa at their own game.

 

[wamberal]

Today's weather forecast for HKG is for some heavy showers early, a max of 24c, and high humidity.

The humid and warm conditions should suit us better than either the Canooks or the Blackness (assuming, as I will, that we cruise through the first match).

I predict that we will make the final.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Fijian Wizards are in sublime form and must be the red hot favourite to take the Cup.

Humid and warm would be up their alley as well.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

For all the Pommie hate from me (President of the ABE club), I certainly appreciate their ability to NEVER ever give up, and to play the game to the last whistle.

I have lost count how many times that have won key 7's games with a score in the last minute. They are the cane toads of 7's rugby. They never give up. They have incredible self belief and self confidence, and will penalise any team that takes their foot off the accelerator and relax against them.

Makes a bitter twisted opinionated xenophobic pedant like me hate them even more.

Fiji Wizards, Soap Dodgers through to the Semis. NZ looking like joining Australia in the semi-final on the other side of the draw.

 

[wamberal]

Fijian Wizards are in sublime form and must be the red hot favourite to take the Cup.

Humid and warm would be up their alley as well.

Looks like all they need was a good, independent, coach (independent of the factions, tribal and otherwise).

 

[Hugh Jarse]

The Thunderbolts run on vs the Canucks for the fait accompli to progress to the Final (we hope).
Red to kick off.
Game on.
Plenty of pressure at breakdown from Canada, eventually being rewarded with a turnover, and its Red meat out wide. Can 5 AUS 0. 5:19 to go.

Can kick off again. Knock on Can. Scrum Aus ball. 4:30 to go
Aus possession. Aus not been out of their half.
Aus cross 1/2 way line and draw Penalty. grind it up and get penalised themselves for holding on.
Can hoof it to the lineout midway 22 and 1/2 way. Can win lineout. 1st sustained period of possession for Red. All the game has been played in Aus 1/2. 1:50 to go to oranges.

AUS scrum. Ball hoofed downfield. Can lineout in 22 metres. Kicked back by Can. Lucas returns kick to Can 1/2. Not Aussie rules lads. 25 seconds to go. Scrum on 1/2 line. Aus Ball. Siren goes.

Aus in possession. No progress. Can are playing all over AUS. Oranges: it's Can 5 AUS 0.