A sunnier vibe descended on Kai Tak Stadium on Saturday as thousands of fans packed the arena for a feast of top-class rugby to put a rain-dampened opening day squarely behind them on the penultimate day of the three-day spectacular Hong Kong Sevens.

Costumed fans swivelled to throbbing musical beats or the thrill of just being at the venue on the occasion of the iconic tournament's 50th anniversary extravaganza.

Hong Kong fan Tatum Stiles told RTHK she didn't regret her decision to make an early-morning run into Kai Tak so as to be able to grab a seat in the coveted south stand ahead of the lengthy scrum of spectators expected later in the day.

"This [Hong Kong Sevens] is the event of the year," she said.

"I wasn't going to come up until this morning, but I looked in the mirror and I thought... why would I miss the Hong Kong Sevens?

"If I miss the Hong Kong Sevens, I'll be missing the whole year of Hong Kong. So I'm here, and I'm loving it."

Of the party atmosphere in the south stand, another fan, Cameron Taylor, said he had never seen anything like it.

"It's crowded but I'm having a great time," he told RTHK. "The south stand is packed, the vibes are exactly what we're looking for. We're having a great time so far, Hong Kong are smashing it... great time so far."

Tristan Ganahl, a Hong Kong resident who recently returned from Austria, said he arrived at the south stand before 9am to get ahead of raucous crowds.

Ganahl's wife Izza added that crowds had begun to build within half an hour of their arrival.

"At the beginning [the south stand] was very nice and quiet, we were able to watch some games. By around 9.30 it became a bit louder and more crowded, but I think it's pretty good. Got to see some pretty creative costumes."

Another fan, Asif, hailed the well-organised convenience of the stadium's facilities, saying he was impressed on his first-ever visit to the 50,000-capacity arena.

"This is my first time in Kai Tak, and I spent my whole life [going to] the Hong Kong Stadium," he told RTHK.

"Once I got into [Kai Tak], as I was walking up I thought... this is a proper stadium. Everything's working conveniently, I'm having the best time ever."

The half-century edition of the iconic rugby tournament runs until Sunday, with all three-day passes having already been sold out.



Edited by Thomas McAlinden