Sakura Sevens at the Kitakyushu Sevens
The HSBC World Rugby Women’s World Series Kitakyushu Sevens was held in Kitakyushu from 21-22 April 2018.
The HSBC Kitakyushu Sevens was the third of five rounds in the 2017-18 HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series.
Japan were in Pool B along with New Zealand, France and the USA. Meanwhile, series leader Australia were in Pool A along with Spain, Ireland and China with Canada, Russia, England and Fiji making up Pool C. Comin into the Kitakyushu leg, Australia won both the Dubai and Sydney legs of the series to sit on top of the standings with the maximum 40 points.
Japan were one of the eleven core teams on the series, while China participated in Kitakyushu as the final team.
The Sakura Sevens ended day one with three straight losses in their pool matches. First up, Japan lost 38-5 to defending champions New Zealand followed by a 36-5 loss to France in the afternoon. In their third and final game in Pool B, the USA beat the Sakura Sevens 45-17 in their early evening clash.
In the knockout stages on Sunday, in the Challenge Trophy Semi-finals, the USA defeated Japan 34-14 before Canada handed Japan the wooden spoon with a 33-14 defeat in the play-off for eleventh place.
In the Gold Medal play-off, New Zealand beat France 24-12 to win the title for the second year in a row. Meanwhile, in other play-offs, Australia beat Spain 19-5 for the Bronze Medal, Russia beat Fiji 30-7 for fifth place and England beat China 36-5 for seventh place.
In the Challenge Trophy final for ninth place, the USA beat Ireland 24-19, while Canada beat Japan 33-14 in the eleventh place play-off.
Australia retain the lead in the series with 56 points from New Zealand on 50 points. There are two rounds to play at Langford in Canada in May before finishing in Paris in June.
Pools
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | New Zealand | Canada |
| Spain | France | Russia |
| Ireland | USA | England |
| China | Japan | Fiji |
Pool B Games for Japan
Saturday, 20 April 2017
12:20 New Zealand 38 d Japan 5
14:42 France 33 d Japan 5
17:26 USA 45 d Japan 17
Knockout Games for Japan
Sunday, 21 April 2017
Challenge Trophy Semi-finals
11:58 USA 34 d Japan 14
Eleventh-place Play-offs
15:04 Canada 33 d Japan 14