Fiji lose but reach Tokyo Sevens quarters

Series leaders New Zealand and nearest challengers Fiji rumbled into the quarter-finals of the Tokyo Sevens on Saturday, but they did not have it all their own way. New Zealand, who kicked off the tournament by beating the United States 26-5, thrashed Hong Kong 40-0 and saw off Australia 22-10 to finish top in Group B. They take on Argentina in the quarters on Sunday. "It was a good start. Playing in Japan is always pleasing, but the wind was tough," Kiwi captain DJ Forbes said after strong winds and rain made for tricky conditions at the Prince Chichibu stadium. "So we have to use more small space and kick more. We all boys get used to playing in severe weather conditions, so we can adopt any conditions," he added. Team-mate Waisake Naholo said: "The level of this tournament is just the same as others, just with the wind. New Zealand's team is doing a great season, so we can keep this level until it ends." Fiji, who defeated New Zealand last weekend in Hong Kong to trail the Kiwis by only two points in the overall standings, hammered France 17-0 and defeated the hosts 26-7 in Group A. But they crashed to Dubai champions England 14-7 in the last game of the day, surrendering the top group place to England. They were winners over Japan 15-5 and France 19-7. The result left the Fijians in the same half with New Zealand in the quarter-finals of the seventh leg of the World Series. Also into the quarters are Wales and Samoa, who finished top in Group C and D respectively, and South Africa. Coming into the Tokyo round, New Zealand led the table on 111 points, followed by Fiji (109), South Africa (93), England (89) and Samoa (82).