Nathan Hirayama makes Canada rugby sevens history by reaching 1,000-point plateau
HONG KONG — Nathan Hirayama became the first Canadian to reach the 1,000-point plateau in rugby sevens as Canada tied for seventh Sunday at the Hong Kong Sevens.
Olympic champion Fiji won the famed tournament for a record 17th time, beating Series leader South Africa 22-0 in a lopsided final.
The Fijians started the day by dispatching Canada 29-12 in the Cup quarter-finals, its 44th win in 46 meetings between the two. Canada, which went 2-1-0 in pool play, then exited in a 20-19 loss to Argentina on a last-second try by Franco Sabato.
Still there were positives for coach Damian McGrath’s team, which climbed another rung to ninth place in the World Series overall standings. Hong Kong marked the third event in a row that the Canadians made the elite Cup quarter-finals.