Asia Rugby Sevens Series 2016 – Round 2, South Korea: Review
Round 2, South Korea
Dates: Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 September 2016
Venue: Incheon Namdong Asiad Rugby Stadium
Round 2 of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series 2016 took place at the Incheon Namdong Asiad Rugby Stadium in South Korea over the weekend of 24 and 25 September 2016. The poor form of the Japan men’s side continued as they struggled to finish seventh out of eight sides while the women made it through to the final for the second leg in a row, eventually going down to China in a tight decider.
On Saturday, the Japanese men lost 36-5 to hosts South Korea in their opening game and then went down 57-0 to Hong Kong and 14-12 to Chinese Taipei. Japan finished on the bottom of Pool A and this put them into the Plate semi-finals on Sunday. The Japanese were humbled 20-10 by Malaysia and then struggled to beat Singapore 24-21 in the battle to avoid the wooden spoon. In the Cup Final, Hong Kong beat Sri Lanka 36-0 to collect their second title of the series.
In the women’s division, Japan enjoyed solid wins over Singapore, Uzbekistan and Hong Kong to finish on top of Pool C. In the knock-out phase of the tournament, Japan beat Thailand 29-0 in the Cup Semi-final to progress to the final. In the big one, Japan were looking to make it two tournament wins in a row, but China spoilt the party with a 21-14 victory.
The third and final leg of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series 2016 takes place in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 October 2016.
Day 1 Results: Men
Pool A Games for Japan
Saturday, 24 September 2016
Game 1 (13:34): South Korea 36 d Japan 5
Game 2 (16:08): Hong Kong 57 d Japan 0
Game 3 (19:26): Chinese Taipei 14 d Japan 12
Final Pool A Standings
| Pos. | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Korea | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 109 | 38 | 71 | 9 |
| 2 | Hong Kong | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 125 | 33 | 92 | 7 |
| 3 | Chinese Taipei | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 104 | -73 | 5 |
| 4 | Japan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 107 | -90 | 3 |
Final Pool B Standings
| Pos. | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 98 | 21 | 77 | 9 |
| 2 | Sri Lanka | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 89 | 36 | 53 | 7 |
| 3 | Malaysia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 77 | -60 | 5 |
| 4 | Singapore | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 82 | -70 | 3 |
Day 1 Results: Women
Pool C Games for Japan
Saturday, 24 September 2016
Game 1 (11:44): Japan 34 d Singapore 0
Game 2 (14:40): Japan 43 d Uzbekistan 0
Game 3 (17:36): Japan 24 d Hong Kong 12
Final Pool C Standings
| Pos. | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | Pts |
| 1 | Japan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 101 | 12 | 89 | 9 |
| 2 | Hong Kong | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 87 | 24 | 63 | 7 |
| 3 | Singapore | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 58 | -26 | 5 |
| 4 | Uzbekistan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 126 | -126 | 3 |
Final Pool D Standings
| Pos. | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | Pts |
| 1 | China | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 150 | 5 | 145 | 9 |
| 2 | Thailand | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 41 | 76 | -35 | 7 |
| 3 | Guam | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 92 | -59 | 5 |
| 4 | South Korea | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 76 | -51 | 3 |