Rugby World Cup Sevens Qualifier in Singapore 2/3 November

The final event on the HSBC Asian Sevens Series 2012 (HSBC A7s) will be held today (2 November) and Saturday (3 November 2012) at the Singapore Cricket Club as part of the 65th anniversary celebrations of the renowned Singapore Cricket Club Sevens (2-4 November).

Twelve of the top teams in Asia are taking part with the top three finalists after the completion of HSBC A7s play on Saturday earning automatic entry to the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 in Moscow, Russia.

After losing the HSBC A7s title by one-half of a point after their cup final loss to Hong Kong in the Mumbai Sevens final, Japan are intent on making Hong Kong’s reign as the top side in Asian sevens a short one.

Japan coach Tomohiro Segawa said, “We are of course here to qualify for the Rugby World Cup Sevens but we want to do it in a Japanese style, as number one, and by beating Hong Kong in the final.”

Japan has called up two sevens veterans for Singapore in Katsuyuki Sakai, the team captain for its only cup winning performance on the 2012 Series at the opening event in Borneo, and Kuwazuru Yasuku.

Hong Kong has named an unchanged side ahead of the Rugby World Cup Sevens qualifier in Singapore with Rowan Varty again at the helm. After claiming their first HSBC A7s title, Coach Dai Rees had some concerns about the team’s ability to focus ahead of Singapore.

“From the outset of the Series our goal was to qualify for the Rugby World Cup Sevens. With the announcement that the Series winner would have the opportunity to play with the HSBC Sevens World Series core teams at the Hong Kong Sevens our goalposts were moved a bit, but we have achieved that, and I am pleased with the way the team has re-focused on the challenge ahead. We have beaten Japan before, including here at the SCC Sevens in past club competitions, and have only lost to one other Asian sevens team, South Korea, since 2010. But we want to be able to beat Japan consistently in the big games like the finals in Mumbai. We may get that opportunity this weekend but I am wary of other teams that are likely to enter the competition strongly including the Philippines, China and South Korea.”

As Series champions Hong Kong are ranked first overall in Singapore at the top of Pool A, alongside the Philippines and HSBC A7s 2012 debutants Guam.

Coach Rees will not be overlooking the Philippines Volcanoes who finished tied third on last year’s Series but slipped to seventh on this year’s table having played most of the Series without many of their professional players based in Japan.

The Philippines, under former USA Sevens coach Al Caravelli, have recalled four of its players currently playing in Japan’s Top League in hopes of qualifying for the Rugby World Cup Sevens from this weekend’s competition. The new-look side could pose problems for Hong Kong.

“The Philippines have slowly been adding in their experienced veterans at each tournament on this year’s Series and I expect them to have a full complement this weekend in Singapore,” said Rees. “In Mumbai, they ran Japan close and proved they are getting dangerous. For us, we can’t afford to look too far ahead and will need to take it match by match with the Philippines game on Friday afternoon (13:00) posing a tough match up for us.”

South Korea enter the Singapore Sevens after a fifth-placed finish on the HSBC A7s table and with a side that bears a strong resemblance to its strongest outing on the series in the opening leg in Borneo.

Captained by flyer Kim Wong-yong and with the brawn supplied by sevens prop and fifteens No 8 Han Kyun Ku, South Korea will be going all out this weekend to secure some international competition in 2013. South Korea’s finish on the Series saw them miss out on an invite to next year’s Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens and the Koreans will be aiming to rectify that error in Singapore.

South Korea head Pool B alongside Thailand and the hosts Singapore.

Another team under considerable pressure to achieve a result this weekend will be China, who finished fourth on this year’s HSBC Asian Sevens Series after watching their hopes of a top three Series finish slip away in Mumbai.

In recent years, China has placed a premium on sevens competition and their absence from the Hong Kong Sevens for the first time since 1998 (excluding Rugby World Cup Sevens 2005) will mean that their hopes of meaningful international competition in 2013 ride on a top-three place in Singapore.

All the teams will be intent on qualification for Moscow as the rugby world enters the countdown to qualification for the Olympic Games in Brazil in 2016 when Rugby Sevens will make its debut.

China top Pool C along with Malaysia and Kazakhstan. Malaysia upended the Chinese in pool play in Mumbai and China will be out for revenge for that shock loss in India.

Japan are the top seeds in Pool D alongside a strong Sri Lanka seven, coached by the IRB’s leading all-time Sevens points scorer Ben Gollings. Sri Lanka won the Plate in both of the last two HSBC A7s events in Shanghai and Mumbai. Also in Pool D is Indonesia on their HSBC A7s 2012 debut this weekend.

Japan and Hong Kong are the only two Asian teams to have qualified for every Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament since the competition’s advent in 1993. South Korea failed to qualify for the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai in 2009 but enjoy the distinction of being the highest ever Asian finisher at a world championship after reaching tied-5th overall at the 1997 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Hong Kong.

Mr Trevor Gregory, Vice President of the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) said, “With the teams hitting peak form and places at the World Cup up for grabs, there is everything to play for this weekend and some exciting competition awaits us all. It is a great pleasure for ARFU to share this excitement with the many spectators attending the iconic Singapore Cricket Club Sevens and we are delighted to help celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Singapore Cricket Club Sevens.”

The Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 will feature 24 men’s teams. Nine teams have pre-qualified based on their 2009 results: champions Wales, hosts Russia, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa, South Africa, Kenya, Argentina and England. Five teams have qualified from Europe: Portugal, Spain, France, Georgia and Scotland. Australia and Tonga qualified from Oceania, while Canada and the USA qualified through the North America and Caribbean qualifier.

Three Asian spots will be determined in Singapore while the final South American team will be determined in February 2013.

Hong Kong Squad: Rowan Varty (captain), Anthony Haynes, Kwok Ka Chun, Eni Gesinde, Nick Hewson, Alex McQueen, Lee Ka To Cado, Jamie Hood, Ben Rimene, Lee Jones, Yiu Kam Shing Salom, Tom McQueen; Coach: Dai Rees.

Japan Squad: Katsuyuki Sakai (captain), Kuwazuru Yusuku, Sione Teaupa, Yuki Shishimoto, Kenta Nakasone, Syunya Goto, Shuetsu Narita, Yusuke Aramaki, Koji Wada, Lote Tuqiri, Yuta Kato, Kenichi Yokoyama; Coach: Tomohiro Segawa.

See other recent news regarding: Travel News Asia, RevPAR, Interviews, Pictures, Sports Tourism, Videos, Singapore, Rugby, Sevens, World Cup, HSBC