UAE tackle Asian rugby’s top teams in China

 
The final standings after Beijing will determine the two teams granted places at the 2015 Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. That tournament will again host the international qualifier for a core team spot on the 2015/16 HSBC Sevens World Series and the right to participate in every HSBC Sevens World Series event next year.
 
The top two teams, excluding Japan – which is already a core team on the world series after winning the qualifier in Hong Kong last year – will be granted direct entry to the 12-team qualifier next March in Hong Kong as Asia’s two representatives. They will be joined by ten teams from other regional qualifiers worldwide in March at the Hong Kong Stadium. 
 
Hong Kong is on 24 points on the Series table after sweeping the opening two events on the series. Japan and South Korea are tied-second on 21 points after both reached a single cup final so far this year. Sri Lanka and China are fourth and fifth respectively on 18 and 16 points.
 
China are the front-runners in the eight-team women’s competition on eight points after the single event played to date in Hong Kong. Hong Kong, who reached their first ever ARFU Women’s Asian Sevens Series final earlier this year, are in second on seven points followed by Japan on six and Kazakhstan on five points.

The UAE are currenlty bottom on just two points, well adrift of the rest of the competition.

Hong Kong arrives in Beijing in a commanding position after winning the first two tournaments. While Hong Kong has enjoyed the run of the results on the Series, Japan claimed the most recent sevens scalp contested, winning gold at the 17th Asian Games in South Korea earlier this month. Japan edged Hong Kong in the final in Incheon while the hosts Korea beat Sri Lanka to claim bronze.
 
Hong Kong top Pool A in Beijing alongside Singapore and Chinese Taipei, while Japan head Pool D over China and the Philippines. South Korea is atop Pool C with Thailand and UAE. Fourth seeds Sri Lanka are at the top of Pool B with Malaysia and Kazakhstan. 
 
A bronze medal for Hong Kong in Beijing (3rd place overall) will be enough to guarantee a Series win outright, but the team is looking for more from the finale, especially after missing out on gold at the Asian Games. 
 
“Finishing as number one is massively important for us,” said Hong Kong captain Jamie Hood. 
 
“It was one of our goals for the season to finish number one in Asia and set ourselves up for all the work that needs to be done to perform well in the Hong Kong Sevens and the Olympic qualifiers in 2015.”
 
“To send that message out to the other teams in Asia with a 3-0 series victory would be awesome,” Hood added.
 
For Hong Kong coach Gareth Baber the team has put the disappointment of the Asian Games behind them.
 
“Obviously their was a lot of emotion involved in our Games performance, but now we are back and it is about taking that out of the equation and looking at that experience objectively to see how it informs us going into the final tournament.”
 
“The focus is on what we need to do in the final leg of the Series and what we need to do to get back to the semi finals and finals in Beijing,” Baber added.
 
In the women’s competition, Team China looks in imperious form after winning the opening leg of the Series and claiming the gold medal at the Asian Games after defeating Japan in the final.  
 
In September, China also booked a spot as a core team on this season’s IRB Women’s Sevens World Series after finishing third overall in the international qualifier held in Hong Kong.