Tone Ng Shiu the hero as All Blacks Sevens set up semi-final with Australia

Just like their countrywomen, the New Zealand men’s team are one win away from a place in the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens Cup final but arch-rival Australia stand in their way.

New Zealand flew through pool play with three wins from as many matches, including a 22-nil demolition of SVNS Series leaders Argentina. It was the best they’ve looked all season.

But as is the nature of the international circuit, there are no easy fixtures. The All Blacks Sevens were matched up against traditional rivals Fiji in a blockbuster quarter-final on Saturday evening.

Regan Ware scored in the first minute, but tries to Ponepati Loganimasi and Joji Nasova swung the knockout clash in Fiji’s favour. But the All Blacks Sevens were far from finished.

That winning try feeling 😍#HSBCSVNS | #HSBCSVNSHKG | @nz_sevens https://t.co/28qMEwQyVl pic.twitter.com/ra4Y4J0jjZ

— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) April 6, 2024

Xavier Tito-Harris stunned the crowd at Hong Kong Stadium with a try in the 12^th minute which levelled the score at 12-all. Then, Tone Ng Shiu completed the comeback by scoring the match-winner with only a matter of seconds left to run on the clock.

“Just buzzed out. What was going through my head at the time was just hold onto the ball and don’t fre*king let it go,” Ng Shiu, who still had a smile on his face, told RugbyPass.

“Just happy that we matched the Fijian’s energy – probably did one better to be fair because obviously we won.

“There’s a massive history and legacy in Hong Kong Sevens,” he added. “Gutted that it’s going to be the last one at this stadium because there’s so many memories.”

While the New Zealanders are looking to qualify for their second Cup final from what would be six events this season, Australia have looked like a much-improved outfit in Hong Kong China.

After failing to qualify for the quarter-finals in Vancouver and then losing in the quarter-finals in Los Angeles, the Aussies have put their shortcomings in North America behind them.

Australia suffered a heartbreaking defeat to France in the final match on day one but recovered with a strong pool stage win over Canada and a clinical quarter-final victory over South Africa.

“We came back from (North America) and had a meeting around our team and just wanted to figure out what our ‘whys’ were,” Australia’s Maurice Longbottom explained. “Why we play rugby, why we train so hard every day.

“Before every game, we remind ourselves that’s our why, we’re going out here to do that for them and if we go out there and put a performance out like we did then we come back proud.”

With the south stand at the iconic Hong Kong Stadium in full voice on Saturday evening, the Aussies ran out onto the sacred turf with a clear mission in mind.

With former Wallabies captain turned SVNS Series debutant Michael Hooper watching on from the bench, Nathan Lawson ran in for the opener after just two minutes.

The Aussies made some unforced errors which risked swinging the knockout clash in South Africa’s favour, but it was their defensive effort that was especially impressive.

Longbottom crossed for a try in the 10^th minute and added a penalty goal a couple of minutes later. With the Aussies ahead by 15 points the result was never really in doubt late in the match.

“It’s massive, it’s the Mecca of sevens,” Longbottom told RugbyPass when asked about the significance of the Hong Kong Sevens.

“We’ve had a solid weekend so far and hopefully we go out and go a few games better tomorrow.”

Ireland will take on France in the other men’s semi-final at 1:40 pm (local time) before New Zealand versus Australia in the following fixture at 2:06 pm.