Argentina Claims First HK Sevens; NZ Women Achieve Three-Peat

HONG KONG — The rugby stage was set for a thrilling showdown at the renowned Hong Kong Sevens, where Argentina’s men clinched their first-ever title, while New Zealand’s women contributed their own bit of history with a third successive championship win on Sunday.
The anticipation was palpable as a new champion of this prestigious series was guaranteed, with Argentina and France both reaching the men’s final. France paved their path by defeating heavyweights New Zealand, the previous champions, and Fiji in the earlier rounds. However, Argentina, despite previous semifinal hurdles in Hong Kong, leveraged a two-month unbeaten stretch to outplay the Olympic champion France with a score of 12-7.
In the early minutes, Argentina’s Joaquin Pellandini had a try dismissed due to a double movement, while Marcos Moneta prevented a French score with a crucial tackle. The first half closed scoreless until a pivotal moment when France’s Liam Delamare received a yellow card for a hard tackle that forced Argentina’s Luciano Gonzalez off the field. Shortly after, Argentina’s captain Santiago Alvarez secured the first points by driving across the line.
After Alvarez’s try, a late infringement by France’s Joe Quere Karaba provided Argentina with a significant advantage—a restart scrum at halfway. This opportunity saw Moneta elegantly elude defenders from his half to secure a clinching try, pushing Argentina to a 12-0 lead. This victory marked a significant moment for Moneta, who was more emotional than usual given his previous injury in Hong Kong that kept him from the Paris Olympics. “A perfect day,” he remarked, reflecting on his comeback.
France only managed a try in the dying moments through Gregoire Arfeuil, not quite enough to sway the final outcome. “The sensation of finally winning Hong Kong is hard to explain,” Alvarez expressed. “We’re very happy and proud. Hong Kong has always been challenging for us, and now we’ve secured the gold.” This triumph added to Argentina’s growing collection, following wins in Perth and Vancouver, and brought their streak to 16 consecutive victories.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand women cemented their supremacy by seizing their third consecutive Hong Kong title with a 26-19 victory over Australia. Jorja Miller was pivotal, offsetting an earlier yellow card by scoring two essential tries within a 66-second span in the second half. Despite an initial setback with Miller sin-binned for a tip tackle, her absence didn’t hinder her team, which scored via Michaela Brake from a smart offload by Manaia Nuku.
Australia equalized just before the half with Maddison Levi showcasing agility to score twice, bringing her tournament total to 14 tries—a new record. However, Miller returned to spark New Zealand’s rally, scoring decisively from a ruck turnover and then again from the restart, stretching New Zealand’s lead to 26-12 with two minutes remaining. Although Levi was denied a hat trick in the final moments by Brake, Australia concluded with a try from Mackenzie Davis.
In both events, the drama and display of skill captivated fans, setting a high benchmark for passion and performance in rugby sevens.