This weekend, the Hong Kong Sevens will again entertain fans across the globe, as it has done since 1976. This rich history has seen many of the best rugby players gracing the fields of Happy Valley, and now at the superb Hong Kong Stadium. Over the coming days, fans and players will star in this renowned event, where excitement levels will reach fever pitch when the two finalist line up on Sunday.
Memories are treasured, and among rugby fans around the world many have visited Hong Kong event since the popular tournament was conceived many years ago. Originally planned as a ten-a-side tournament, costs soon bore that down to seven players but most of us today in 2016 will say it “what a brilliant choice”. The original days of helter-skelter rugby will never be forgotten, but today the precision and class of play is so far removed from where it began in 1976, the game has been elevated now to a level where it is a fantastic exhibition of the game.
In the late seventies, the sport was amateur. By chance, the co-operation of several of the leading corporations in the Hong Kong rugby community helped develop this dream, lead by the charismatic chairman of the HKRFU, South African entrepreneur, A.D.C. “Tokkie” Smith. For any event to be successful it needs passion, and with support from Cathay Pacific they brought in teams over the years that would provide the entertainment and grow the brand of Rugby. Later, Dr Syd Millar would champion the event and gain full IRB World Series status and over it’s history, it twice hosted the Rugby World Cup Sevens tournaments.
The very first team to triumph in Hong Kong were the Cantabrians, a composite team of players from the South Island of New Zealand and that first years competition soon lead to nations focusing more on this event. One nation that did that wholeheartedly was Fiji. The group of islands in the South Seas had a proud heritage and their body shape made many of their loose forwards perfect specimens of the game. That being true, there was one man who over the years put his mark directly on the game, and the event.
Waisale Serevi is a name associated with rugby sevens, although he played XV’s right through his career, he is earmarked as one of the better players of his generation. On a field, he was a great link between the forwards, backs and his own intuition which is legendary. The classic ‘little man’ who could run rings around anyone on his day, from 1989 until his final event 2005 [World Cup] he set a benchmark for others to reach–and some believe he will always hold a shadow over the sport. A true gentleman and a fierce competitor, Serevi was apart of seven champion sides, twice as the Rugby Sevens World Cup winner.
It was players like he who brought the crowds to the Hong Kong Stadium and by 1994, the occasion had outgrown the old Happy Valley ground, so a new 40,000 seat stadium was developed and it has been the leader in Sevens over many years. The name Serevi has been on the tips of fans minds when he was playing, and now that he is a walking ambassador for the game of Rugby.
Commentary of his greatest matches are a delight to relive, with the eloquent Keith Quinn and Bill McLaren being just two of the great match callers to regale fans sat in front of televisions and crystal-set radios around the world. The crowds love the weekend, the purists praise the competition and the weather is almost always ‘unpredictable’. Often wet underfoot, a heavy rain storm has been known to change the odds of a final; many times New Zealand would face down Fiji, only for a rainstorm to even the odds and for a player like Serili Bobo to skip away with the last-gasp victory.
Great memories and scintillating sevens rugby.
Eric Rush was another name that rolls off the tongue. His loping style was dissuading of the speed and stamina this athlete had. He would be complimented as much by his team mates, but also in his coach and mentor (Sir) Gordon Tietjens. Their chemistry and a constant flow of talent would bring smiles to viewers back in NZ. The time difference never mattered, as parents allowed children to stay up and watch as Rushy and his mates would triumph on the worlds stage.
Thanks to Rush, we were graced by Jonah Lomu. Rush lamented at the Lomu Memorial service how he asked the big fella “we are playing ina tournament up in Hong Kong, want to play?” Yep was the answer, and a man of few words, Lomu then proceeded to make a course in rugby that is truly a wonderful memory. He would trounch the opposition, which included men like David Campese of Australia. A gifted player and World Cup winner himself, after Lomu rampaged in the 1994 final to beat Fiji 34-20.
Many an All Black has run across the grass, including Jeff Wilson, Christian Cullen, Karl Te Nana, Glenn Osbourne, Liam Messam, Rodney So’oialo, Cory Jane and Julian Savea (to name a few) That is the same for many nations, including England. And if you think of England in Rugby Sevens and Hong Kong, you recall Ben Gollings in his prime orchestrating a great threepeat of victories where they played a front-on game that swept the Southern powers aside. With Ben Ryan at the wheel, they ran a tight ship and over his 70 caps he amassed an incredible 2652 points.
Other wonderful stars to grace the game include Santiago Gomez Cora, Alafoti Faosilva and Peter Millar. They were a part of numerous tournaments but each have have a special place in their hearts for Hong Kong Stadium. The ground now has it’s own history, it’s own story to tell others and for new men to join the ranks; like Sherwin Stowers, Cameron Clark, John Moonlight and Cecil Afrika. New names to celebrate.
We might focus on the bigger sides, but it was inspiration that this tournament involves a magnificent 24 teams; including the 16 core sides from the HSBC Sevens Series. In this way, the game has grown terrifically across Asia and is one of the more popular development tournaments for Tier Two and Three nations. Singapore, South Korea and the Phillipines as well as Samoa, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The proud history of invitational sides and in the formation years, ‘composite sides’ like the Barbarian F.C and Public School Wanderers, that may have had more social occasion to the event. Sometimes more than just pure competition but it developed relationships where those playing nations now face each other in Olympic Qualifier games–a far cry from the early days, but an advent of the modern professional era.
The future is bright for the game of Rugby Sevens. In a few months, it will become a member of the Olympic Games and sides like the United States (defending Champions circa, 1924) will challenge the power of Fiji, New Zealand and now South Africa. The two-time finalists have a short history at Hong Kong, so are in a hurry to claim the Cup for not only the rich history, but for important Sevens Series points on offer. A crucial step on a calendar that culminates in the Rio Games, it will be another interesting stage in a storied history for the people of the Hong Kong region.
One aspect that has benefited this event has been the Commonwealth element and the British-ruled Hong Kong nation that held forth the game of Sevens as a tourist attraction and an advertisement for the country. It brought millions of people into the Island, generated hundreds of millions of dollars and made people smile; it’s most endearing quality.
Welcome to the 16th team to @OfficialHK7s @KoreaRugbyUnion! pic.twitter.com/vGmnJTdYwP
— Hong Kong Sevens (@OfficialHK7s) April 4, 2016
The party has always been at Hong Kong Stadium, and 2016 is no different. A new host in David Hasselhoff will bring an International star appeal, while the off-pitch entertainment can run non-stop for the three or four days that fans descend on the small nation. It is a study in fun, with an underlying focus on the excitement that players and spectators can generate. Many have deep love of the event, it is more than a hashtag for them. It is a place of worship, like Le Mans or Wimbeldon.
Memories and old friendships are the rewards that were created when that first event was run in 1976. Being only three years older than this tournament, I have known it all my life and still think of it as a quazi-World Championship. Maybe less today, when we see ten tournaments followed by an Olympic Games [a championship for only 12 qualified sides] and on the wider surface, 24 teams compete here and they will each have dreams of holding up the Cup.
- special mention goes to the organizers of the event, as it features both official and invitational tournaments that run alongside each other. with Mini Rugby, Men’s and Women’s teams competing over the four days. A great weekend, officials and volunteers have done a terrific job over the 40 odd years of the Hong Kong Sevens
Who will win in 2016? Your guess is as good as mine; South Africa are due the victory, but Hong Kong is not just any old tournament. Knockout yes, it will eliminate the odds-on favourite in a flash and surprise the commentators. One thing is for certain, the fight for the cup is on again.
“Main photo credit”
