England fall to NZ in Hong Kong

Frank Halai scored two important tries either side of half-time

New Zealand beat England 29-17 in the final of the Hong Kong Sevens to establish a five-point lead at the top of the IRB world series standings.

A converted Frank Halai try just before half-time gave New Zealand a 12-5 lead and when Halai scored again straight after the break there was no way back.

England coach Ben Ryan said: “We had the goods to come up with a win but we just couldn’t get the job done.

“There was some key moments we didn’t take advantage of; New Zealand did.”

Ryan added: “The semi-final against Samoa was tough. This is a soft old pitch but everyone had the same conditions.”

Having topped Pool B with three wins out of three, England had narrowly edged Russia 10-7 in the quarter-finals before producing a more convincing display in the semis, overcoming Samoa 19-14.

But the physicality of New Zealand at the breakdown was the decisive factor in a final where the eventual winners were never behind, although England did run in three tries, from Mat Turner, Greg Barden and Dan Norton.

The series moves to Adelaide next week before finishing in England and Scotland in May. England, second in the overall standings with 105 points, are well clear of Fiji and Samoa who share third spot with 84 points.