Late Aussie Sevens defeat sets up Quarter-Final blockbuster with England
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Loading...The Qantas Australian Men’s Sevens team has qualified for the last eight at the 41st Hong Kong Sevens and will play England tomorrow afternoon (AEST).
Australia saw off Argentina (28-0) last night and beat Portugal (45-7) to guarantee a spot in Sunday’s Cup competition but were then soundly beaten by an impressive USA side (22-7) in Pool C.
Qantas Australian Men’s Sevens Head Coach Andy Friend said: “We were disappointing in that final game [against the USA]. I don’t think we were clinical and we didn’t respect the ball – and you can’t be winning games without the ball. It’s a big wake-up call for us.
“That said, when you qualify from a pool that includes sides that are ranked four, five and six in the world standings then we can’t be too down on ourselves.”
On tomorrow’s Cup Quarter-Final clash with England, Friend added: “Tomorrow is a brand new day and a new start for everyone. England beat South Africa in the pool stages and are a good side. [England captain] Tom Mitchell makes a big difference for them and is looking very, very good. We’ll have to be at our very best to make it through that tie.”
Following on from last night’s shut-out of Argentina, Australia continued its fine form in Hong Kong with a one-sided win over Portugal. Captain Ed Jenkins crossed over in the opening 90 seconds before John Porch and Con Foley added further scores to give their side a 19-point lead at the break.
Jenkins again – with his 102nd Sevens World Series try – and then a powerful effort from Sam Myers extended the Aussies advantage soon after half-time. A penalty try brought some respite for the Portuguese but Porch completed his hat-trick with two scores in the dying embers of a convincing display.
The green and gold’s unbeaten run in Hong Kong came to an end with defeat to the USA late on Day Two. Australia got off to a quick start that culminated in Allan Fa’alava’au dotting down in the left corner only for Garrett Bender and Madison Hughes to hit back to give the Americans a slender half-time advantage.
However, Australia’s lack of continuity with the ball was exposed in the second half and they rarely created any attacking opportunities. American speedster Perry Baker extended his sides lead and Ben Pinkelman wrapped it up in the final minute to hand the USA a deserved win.
Australia will be down to ten players for tomorrow’s Finals Day with infuential playmaker Lewis Holland (foot) and Nick Cummins (ankle) ruled out through injury. Both are expected to be out of action for up to a month and will be unavailable for next week’s World Series tournament in Singapore.
In tomorrow’s other Cup Quarter-Finals, South Africa will play the USA, World Series leaders Fiji meet Kenya and New Zealand take on Wales.
Fans can watch all of the action from the seventh leg of 2015-16 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series from Hong Kong on FOX SPORTS 4 from 11.20am AEST.
Qantas Australian Men’s Sevens result in Hong Kong, 8-9 April:
Australia 28-0 Argentina, Pool C
Australia 45-7 Portugal, Pool C
Australia 7-22 USA, Pool C
Qantas Australian Men’s Sevens fixture in Hong Kong, 10 April:
Australia v England, Cup Quarter-Final, 2.04pm AEST
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