Rugby 7: The Blues claim silver in Hong Kong after narrowly losing to New Zealand
A new medal for the French team in this season of the Sevens Series. With the silver medal after a narrow defeat (10-7) against New Zealand on Sunday in the final of the Hong Kong stage, the Blues top the podium for the third time in a row. And for the first time without Antoine Dupont, half the crowd is packed with XV and his club Stade Toulouse.
As in the semi-final against Ireland, Varian Baskett (formerly Stade de France) scored a try for the Tricolour, at the end of the match. But it was already too late to reduce the second-half lead taken by the All Blacks, who scored two tries in less than two minutes. New Zealand achieves women's-men's double in Hong Kong.
The Blues Seven's fantastic season continues. They were manhandled during the first three stages (9th in Dubai, 8th in Cape Town, 6th in Perth), and managed to come back to life in Canada (bronze in Vancouver) and, above all, in the United States (medal Gold in Los Angeles) under the leadership of Antoine DuPont. Here is the third medal in a row. The next meeting is from May 3 to 5 in Singapore.
Les Bleues at the foot of the platform
The French team has already secured its place in the top eight for the final stage in Madrid (Spain) from May 31 to June 2. With Antoine Dupont, for the final competition before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Earlier in the morning (French time), the women's team lost in the small final after being narrowly defeated by Australia (24-21). The Blue Team have not won a single stage this season, but have made podium finishes in Dubai (bronze), Cape Town and Vancouver (silver). The French will also be in Madrid for the final stage, in third place in the general classification.
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