Debutants Jamaica entered the stadium to thunderous applause their coach Conroy O’Malley put down to the Usain Bolt factor, as the tiny nation rides a wave of sporting popularity instigated by six-time Olympic sprinting champion’s exploits. “He set the trend for us so I expected this to happen,” said O’Malley. The support wasn’t enough to lift the side to victory, as they fell 27-17 to Georgia as the world series pre-qualifier got under way, but there was enough talent on show from the Jamaicans to keep the crowd happy – and to warn rivals they won’t be easybeats over the weekend. “Basically, I said coming out here just to go out and put on a good show,” said O’Malley. “I was expecting a little bit more from them. I thought they would be a little bit too forceful but that didn’t happen so I am happy with that.” The Jamaicans found it tough to deal with the brute power of Georgia’s Irakli Machkaneli (two tries in the first half) and Viktor Kolelishvili (two in the second) but they rallied as the game wore on, despite being reduced to six men twice for infringements. “It didn’t do much damage,” […]
Read More
No, they are not called the Reggae Boyz but skipper Tyronie Rowe is quick to point out that he and his teammates can string together a catchy tune. “Of course, we can all sing reggae, after all we are from Jamaica,” smiled Rowe, who along with his teammates have been left wide-eyed by the lights of Hong Kong – despite surveys that the city is the world’s worst for light pollution – and is eager for their first taste of the Hong Kong Sevens. Unlike their more famous soccer cousins the Reggae Boyz, who enjoyed international acclaim when they qualified for the 1998 World Cup, the Jamaican rugby team are still waiting for their moment in the sun. This weekend will go a long way to giving them confidence and Rowe is hopeful of a praiseworthy debut. “We are definitely aiming for a top four finish. We have travelled far and we have been waiting a long time for this,” said Kingston-born Rowe. Jamaica qualified behind Mexico from the North America and Caribbean region for the 12-team pre-qualifying competition this weekend from which four teams will go to London in May for the final qualifying event for core-team status. […]
Read More
The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) is proud to be hosting the biggest (and best) ever Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens in the 38-year history of the tournament. For the first time ever, Hong Kong will welcome 28 teams to the Sevens in 2013. This year’s Sevens will comprise the HSBC Sevens World Series (HSBC SWS) competition with the 15 international core teams on the Series plus Asian Sevens champions Hong Kong, alongside a 12-team pre-qualifier competition to determine the eventual entrants for the final HSBC SWS qualification event at the London Sevens in May. The move to 28 teams is the first increase in the Hong Kong Sevens field since the 24-team standard was adopted in 1984. The Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2013 will also mark the largest ever tournament held to date as part of the HSBC Sevens World Series since its inception in 1999. As such, it is entirely fitting that the international television coverage is set to break an HSBC SWS record with 23 individual broadcasters taking the live coverage worldwide and live/delayed coverage reaching its widest footprint ever with an expected reach of 257 million homes in 144 countries. Of the 28 […]
Read More
