Event of the Day: Hong Kong Men's World Rugby Seven Series Day 1

Our event of the day is the first day of the Men’s Tournament at the World Rugby Seven Series at the Hong Kong Stadium in Hong Kong. This is the seventh of a total of ten tournaments of the 19th annual Sevens Series and Hong Kong is considered to be the premier Sevens tournament. Reigning champions South Africa won the opening leg in Dubai and had top four finishes in each of the previous six events, so are current leaders in the standings with 109 points. Their nearest rival is Fiji who have 101 points and are the only nation to have triumphed in more than one contest so far, having won in Hamilton and in the last competition in Vancouver.


New Zealand have 92 points and were victorious in Cape Town. Australia and the United States both won tournaments as host nations, in Sydney and Las Vegas, respectively. Fifteen World Rugby core teams and one invitational, South Korea, today start contest in four pools for the top two spots which would lead them to the Cup brackets, with the Cup games scheduled for Sunday. In Pool A, New Zealand and Fiji are both huge favourites in their matches against Russia and Samoa, respectively. In Pool B, Australia shouldn’t have problems with Spain, while Kenya take on Canada. There is a British duel in Pool C between England and Scotland, which should be a great fixture, while South Africa come up against South Korea in the same pool. USA go head-to-head with France, whilst Argentina take on Wales in Pool D. American Perry Baker has scored the most tries so far this season with 32. It should be a thrilling day of sport in Hong Kong.

Honourable mentions around the globe go to the opening day of the Davis Cup quarter-finals. World number one Rafael Nadal plays his first match since the Australian Open against Philipp Kohlschreiber in a clash between Spain and Germany in Valencia. Italy host number one seed France in Genoa. Additionally in tennis, it’s Day 5 of the WTA Volvo Car Open at the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston. In Ligue 1, Saint-Étienne welcome Paris Saint-Germain to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne. It’s Day 3 of the 21st Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Queensland. In the MLB, the San Francisco Giants face the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park in San Francisco. It’s the second day of the Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. In the NHL, the Anaheim Ducks meet the Dallas Stars at the Honda Center in Anaheim. There are two big games in the NBA Eastern Conference as the Philadelphia 76ers host the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia; while the Toronto Raptors matchup with the Indiana Pacers at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. In the NRL, the Sharks clash with the Roosters at the Southern Cross Group Stadium in Sydney.

Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!

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Photos by World Rugby

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