China’s women claim World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series title, as Hong Kong teams struggle through tough Dubai leg
- China secure gold with 19-5 triumph over Kenya, Argentina take bronze with 36-10 win against Uganda
- Hong Kong’s men end weekend on high note with 38-0 victory over Georgia to finish seventh, women take 10th place
China’s women got their sevens season off to a flyer on Sunday, winning the first leg of this year’s Challenger Series, while Hong Kong’s men and women struggled in Dubai.
The dominant force over the three days of the women’s competition, China secured gold with a 19-5 win over Kenya in the final, gaining a full measure of revenge for their 17-12 loss to the same opposition in Friday’s pool match.
China had earlier cruised into the final thanks to a 45-5 thrashing of Uganda in the last four, while Kenya saw off Argentina 17-0 in the second semi-final.
The South Americans were impressive throughout the weekend and claimed the bronze thanks to a 36-10 win over Uganda.
“We are happy and so proud of our girls and the way we played to our standards,” China’s Chen Keyi said. “Kenya are a very physical team so I’m proud of our tackling and how hard we worked for each other. We hope we can keep learning, keep playing to our way and keep winning in the next tournaments.”
Kenya’s men have been a mainstay among the sevens elite and are aiming to return to the top tier at the first opportunity after their relegation to the Challenger Series last year.
