Canada win first HSBC Sevens title

Moonlight's men shine at the National Stadium to trump the Americans

Match Report

Apr 17, 2017 06:00 am

This was a final no one was expecting.

The fairy tale was complete when Canada clinched their first HSBC Sevens title yesterday, after beating the United States 26-19 in the final of the Singapore leg at the National Stadium.

The tournament certainly had not gone according to script, as the heavyweights New Zealand, Fiji, South Africa and Kenya all crashed out in the quarter-finals.

Still, it took a gutsy performance by the Canadians, who upset the Americans.

Canada captain John Moonlight believes that this is just the beginning for his team.

He said after the game: "We're gonna win the next one, and the one after. We should be up here, we deserve it.

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"In five of the last six rounds we've been in the top eight. It's happening for us now.

"We're gonna put the best we can on the field and hopefully get the results we need."

Canada forward Isaac Kaay told TNP: "Yeah, it's amazing. We had a huge start, and we kind of slowed down halfway, but we finished strong. We've been working all week towards that. I can't describe it. It's the best feeling."

The Canadians blazed into the first half of the final with Matt Mullins, Harry Jones, and Mike Fuailefau picking up a try each to overwhelm the USA. One missed conversion left the score at 19-0.

In the first minute, Matt attacked empty space on the left flank, leaving the American defence in his wake.

Two minutes later, a slick Moonlight assist saw an unmarked fly-half Harry Jones score the Canadians' second try of the night.

Canada's third of the night came in the form of Fuailefau latching onto the Americans' error in the scrum.

Just as the United States were being trumped, they showed great resolve in the form of winger Perry Baker and fly-half Stephen Tomasin, biting back at the Canadian defence to reduce their 19-point deficit to seven.

Baker levelled the game two minutes into the second half through an effort which saw him muscle past Moonlight before side-stepping Mullins to bring the score to 19-19.

The next three minutes saw both teams in a fierce deadlock, but it was broken by Canada's Lucas Hammond, as he drilled a hole into a fatigued US side, followed by a Nathan Hirayama conversion which sealed Canada's first HSBC Sevens title.