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Toll of HK Sevens gives underdogs advantage in S’pore

Last year, it was Kenya. This year, Canada. Two years into the return of the HSBC World Sevens Series to Singapore, and two maiden winners have been crowned. If teams want to clinch a breakthrough tournament win in the 18-year-old series, Singapore seems like the place to do it.

Perry Baker of the United States getting past his Fiji opponent on Sunday. Photos: Singapore Maven

Perry Baker of the United States getting past his Fiji opponent on Sunday. Photos: Singapore Maven

Last year, it was Kenya. This year, Canada. Two years into the return of the HSBC World Sevens Series to Singapore, and two maiden winners have been crowned. If teams want to clinch a breakthrough tournament win in the 18-year-old series, Singapore seems like the place to do it.

Sadly for Kenya, and therein perhaps lies a salutary warning for the Canadians, last year’s win did not herald better things for the Africans: Their subsequent performances were disappointing, with quarter-final appearances subsequently proving the exception rather than the rule.

More interestingly, in both years of the Singapore Sevens, many of the big guns are gone by the quarter-finals.

This year, Fiji, South Africa and New Zealand were knocked out in the last eight in quick succession, with England escaping from joining them, thanks only to a debatable last-minute penalty against holders Kenya.

For New Zealand, undoubtedly the tournament’s biggest drawcards judging by the number of All Blacks jerseys being worn in the stands — many of whom were most definitely not Kiwis — Singapore has not been a happy hunting ground. The All Blacks Sevens have been knocked out in the quarter-finals each year — by South Africa last year and by Canada this time.

South Africa, this season’s leaders and form team — they had contested every final in all the seven legs before Singapore — were a little out of sorts here, never quite getting into gear.

Olympic champions Fiji, beaten in the final by Kenya last year, could not follow up their triumph in Hong Kong the previous weekend. Instead, they were knocked out rather tamely by the United States, who, it must be said, are no pushovers.

England, who have won two legs and who eventually finished third here, did not even make the quarter-finals last year.

Why is this so? Why has Singapore proved a difficult place to play in for the big guns, but a favourable one for the underdogs? My theory is that it is because it comes the week after Hong Kong, and Hong Kong is a very tough act to follow.

Ask any player or fan, and they would say the same thing: The Hong Kong Sevens is the Mother of all Sevens tournaments, the Big Daddy, and is the tournament all the teams want to win the most. Hong Kong has the longest history, the greatest stories, and the best atmosphere.

There were calls in the past for Hong Kong to be the climax of the whole series each year, but those calls cut no ice with World Rugby, which preferred the final legs to be in England, the homeland of rugby, or Scotland, the homeland of sevens (But these have been anti-climatic anyway, as the series tends to have been decided by the time the carnival arrives in Paris or London, where the last two legs have been held these past few years).

(Photo: Getty Images)

The stakes involved in Hong Kong and Singapore are the same, with the winners of each leg getting 22 points. This was not the case up to a few years ago, when Hong Kong offered more points as it had a bigger field then: 24 compared to the usual 16.

But trying to win in Hong Kong seems to take a lot out of the top teams, and trying to peak again for Singapore a week later is just a mountain too far. To add to the exhaustion caused by Hong Kong are the increase in heat and humidity as a result of playing closer to the equator.

What is the solution? It could be as simple as asking World Rugby to switch the legs around: Hot Singapore first, and then cooler Hong Kong.

This formula seems to work with the other hosting pairs on the circuit, where conditions are not too different and the second one in the pair is usually cooler: Dubai in the United Arab Emirates followed by Port Elizabeth in South Africa; Sydney, followed by Wellington; Las Vegas followed by Vancouver; Paris and then London.

Despite the admirable efforts of the Singapore Rugby Union in promoting the Singapore Sevens, there is no shame in being the warm-up act to Hong Kong. It might even make it a more viable sell for travelling fans and travel agents — and for teams: Tune up well in Singapore so that they can win in Hong Kong.

The way it stands, Singapore is just a bit of an anti-climax to many of the top players, and even fans. The underdogs then take advantage, as Kenya and now Canada have done.

 

The writer, an executive sub-editor with TODAY, is a former Singapore international who also played for the Singapore Cricket Club, Wanderers and St Andrew’s Old Boys’ Association at club level

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