Argentina on Sunday captured the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens for the first time, defeating France in a hard-fought men's final at the Kai Tak Stadium.

Neither team managed to break through in a defensive-minded first half, which finished 0-0.

In the second half, tries from Santiago Alvarez and Marcos Moneta in quick succession, and an ensuing conversion, put Argentina up 12-0.

Gregoire Arfeuil of France scored a last-minute try but it was too little, too late.

The 12-7 win gave Argentina their third straight title in the World Series, having also come out on top in Perth and Vancouver.

They extended their lead atop the standings to 12 points ahead of Fiji on 88 points entering the Singapore Sevens next week.

Chief Executive John Lee presented the winning trophy to Argentina.

Alvarez, playing for his country for the 14th season, said it wasn't just about winning but also the connections he has built with his teammates.

"Difficult to describe what we're feeling, what we did [as] a team," he told reporters.

"The connection we have, really, really happy and proud of this team. I will always say thank you to this team because for me, it's all I have in my life."

While there was a bigger contingent of French fans at the Kai Tak Stadium, their team were unable to repeat the magic when they put away two-time defending champions New Zealand in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

The New Zealand women's team had better luck, defeating archrivals Australia in the final 26-19 for their third straight crown in Hong Kong.

The two sides went back and forth for much of the game, before Jorja Miller scored two tries for the Black Ferns in the second half to open up a 14-point margin.

Australia's Mackenzie Davis scored late to add to two tries from teammate Maddison Levi, but their efforts came up short.

"It means everything... this puts us in a good place for the world series title as well so, I'm really stoked about it," New Zealand captain Sarah Hirini said.

The Black Ferns now have 96 points in the World Series standings, eight more than Australia ahead of the trip to Singapore for the final stop on the Sevens calendar.
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Last updated: 2025-03-30 HKT 21:03