Hong Kong China qualify for SVNS 3 despite losing final in Sri Lanka

Asia’s top rugby sevens sides have been locked in for 2026 after a thrilling final weekend of action in Colombo, Sri Lanka, with Hong Kong China Men and Japan’s Women sides both defending their Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series titles.

However, while Hong Kong China did enough to top the overall table in their title defence, they will likely leave Sri Lanka’s largest city disappointed, going down in the final 28-14 against the Japan Men’s side, who joined the women to complete a Sri Lanka sweep for the land of the rising sun.

Coming into the tournament as heavy favourites given their HSBC SVNS Series status, the Sakura 7s had to work hard to claim their title, with China pushing the side all the way in the final.

Eventually going down 14-7, the Chinese had a chance after the siren to draw the score level but ultimately fell short, Yue Sun scoring all of their points in a performance that, overall, showed significant improvement.

However, the SVNS class of Japan shone through, captain Rinka Matsuda and S. Ohashi ultimately scored a try apiece to keep the Chinese at bay.

Despite the disappointment, the Chinese finished in second overall on the table behind Japan, a result that will see them qualify for the HSBC SVNS 3 tournament at the end of November in Dubai.

“We are truly happy to have been able to finish the series with a championship,” Matsuda said to RugbyAsia247. “From the pre-tournament training camp, we focused on each player showcasing their strengths.

“In the tournament, all the players were able to demonstrate their strengths, and as the matches progressed, the team’s cohesion improved, allowing us to grow as a team.”

“We began building our team for this tournament just four days after the Asian Games, and we entered this tournament with 13 players from diverse backgrounds, including five players making their debut,” Sakura 7s Head Coach Yuka Kanematsu added.

“This tournament also presented many first-time experiences for the players, but they displayed high levels of concentration from the very first match and grew into a fantastic team with each game.

“I am truly proud of the players who contributed to our three victories in this Asian series.”

The results outside the final series also impressed in the women’s competition, with Hong Kong China Women defeating Kazakhstan 14-5 in the third-placed play-off to win bronze, the Kazakhs making their first semifinal appearance in several years.

The men’s tournament saw a tighter affair, with the Hong Kong China Men getting over the line to achieve SVNS 3 qualification thanks to previous results and a better series points differential – but Japan’s Men’s side were deserved winners in Colombo.

With Hong Kong China having held the balance in recent clashes between the two sides, two tries to Yuma Nakagawa helped to seal the 28-14 win for the Japanese, surviving scores from Max Denmark and Matt Worley (the former being the top tryscorer of the weekend).

“This victory in the tournament is valuable because it demonstrates the team’s ability to adapt to different situations and the success of this program, which provides opportunities for young players to shine,” Phil Greening, Head Coach of Japan Men’s Sevens, added.

“Although the Asian Games ended in disappointment, the players learned from that experience, remained united, and continued to trust in our preparation and coaching philosophy.

“They fought as one, demonstrating the skill and will to win, maintaining a consistently high standard, and delivering results when opportunities arose.

“The next challenge is to make this the standard, not an exception.”

“Obviously, we’re disappointed with the loss,” Hong Kong China men’s sevens coach Jevon Groves said speaking to hkrugby.com. The boys looked pretty fatigued. It’s been quite a tough campaign for them, and I think the contact area was probably the difference.

“They were just a little bit better at that; they got a few kickoff bounces, and I think it was an accumulation of things, it’s been a tough campaign.

“I think it’s good for us that we’ve had a loss in this way. It’ll make us reflect and think a little bit deeper about our game and how we can get better.

“We need to have a week off now, and then we’ll regroup and get ready to prepare for the challenger [SVNS 3], which will be an exciting prospect and an opportunity for other boys to step up and grow, which is exciting for the depth of the programme.”

China defeated Thailand 21-12 to claim third place in the men’s tournament, but it proved a strong campaign for the Thai men, their fourth-placed finish overall being the highest in their history so far.

Iran and Sri Lanka’s women’s sides and Uzbekistan and India’s men’s sides finished in the bottom two positions of their respective tables, being relegated to the Trophy Series as a result.