Korea overcame their fiercest rivals and top seeds Japan twice in two days to win the Shanghai Sevens in China, the first event on the new Asian Rugby Sevens Series, thanks to an emphatic 42-19 victory in the final on Sunday.
The Koreans, playing one less match on Sunday due to the tournament format, had earlier survived a scare in the semi finals at the Shanghai Rugby Club when Chinese Taipei missed a difficult conversion to tie the match at 12-12.
Like Korea, the Japanese also had to fight tooth and nail to reach the final. In the tournament's third round, Japan, Korea and China were all seeded in the pool of death with the Koreans beating Japan 28-17 and then drawing 17-17 with China on Saturday.
The latter result meant that Japan would need to beat the hometown heroes in their first match on Sunday and, with a trio of talented Tongan-born players - Manase Folau, Pohiva Lotoahea and Mifiposeti Paea - they did so 33-5.
The margin of defeat would have been even worse had it not been for some brilliant work by Chinese star Zhang Zhiqang, who was tireless as the lynchpin of the attack and played a vital role in organising China's defence.
Relegated to the Plate competition, China never looked back, dominating their opponents throughout and posting wins over Singapore 48-0 and India 21-0 to set up a final with Thailand.
Plate success for hosts
China proved too much for their opposition yet again, but the plucky Thais at least managed to get on the scoreboard with China romping home 59-5 in front of an ecstatic and very vocal crowd.
After beating China, Japan progressed through to the Cup semi finals against Hong Kong, the winners of the other pool who at that point were the only undefeated team left in the tournament.
Japan outlasted Hong Kong 17-5 in a match that was closer than the scoreline allows and one that could have gone either way for most of it. Hong Kong bounced back to beat Chinese Taipei 24-10 with Rowan Varty scoring two tries in what had been an impressive tournament for him.
Chinese Taipei, missing four players from its World Games squad earlier this summer, took the opportunity to blood a few new players and are looking to be a force to be reckoned with alongside the big three of Japan, Korea and Hong Kong at the next event, the Kota Kinabalu Sevens, at the end of October.
As the sun went down on a beautiful Shanghai day, the stage was set for another classic Asian rugby rivalry between the two dominant teams in much of the Asian Rugby Football Union's 40-year history - Japan and Korea.
In the final, Japan's trio of Tongan stars seemed finally to feel the effects of playing pretty much continuously throughout the tournament as the first signs of fatigue emerged.
Fatigued or not, nothing seemed to be able to slow down the Koreans, who raced into a 21-point led with player of the tournament Kim Won Yong pulling the strings and scoring their first try of the final.
Frenetic final tussle
Kim seemed to be everywhere the ball was in the final as the Koreans engaged in some free-flowing, attacking rugby which entertained the crowd but also at times gave the Japanese opportunities to get back into the match.
At the half time the score was 21-5 with hard charging number 8 Han Kun Kyu, a star of Korea's Asian Five Nations campaign earlier this year, scoring a brace and showing he is equally versatile at Sevens, while Tomohiro Shokai scored Japan's only try.
Korea were tenacious in the second half, increasing their advantage to 35-5 by following tries by Mun Sang Yong and Lee Chang Suk. However, Japan rallied again with Shokai converting his second try to cut the deficit to 35-12.
Lotoahea helped Japan claw back even further with another try that was successfully converted by Shokai. Korea, though, put paid to Japan's dreams of a miracle comeback as fly half Hong Jun Ki scored the final try.
The frenetic finale was the perfect finish to an exciting first ever Asian Rugby Sevens Series event with each of the top five teams showing that little separates them at the elite end of Sevens rugby.
Unbeaten run for China's women
While the men's teams were battling to win the first event on the Asian Rugby Sevens Series, hosts China had invited the Guam Women's Sevens team to Shanghai to play a four-match series.
With both sides preparing for the East Asian Games, which will be held in Hong Kong in December, the series was important for both sides, particularly Guam in their quest to learn as much as they can to improve going forward.
China, the Bowl winners at the first ever Women's Rugby World Cup Sevens competition earlier this year, inevitably proved too big, too fast and too strong as they overpowered Guam in all four matches.
The Asian champions raced into an early lead using their speed out wide to win the first match 42-0. Guam restricted China to only one score in the first half of the second match, but the hosts kicked on and triumphed 30-0.
This half-time score was repeated in match three as Guam pressured China into early mistakes, but this time the visitors held the hosts to a respectable 20-0 win. China then ran out 30-0 winners in the final match.
Results
Day One
Japan 36-0 Singapore
Hong Kong 38-0 Singapore
China 55-0 India
Thailand 7-26 Sri Lanka
Korea 51-0 Singapore
Chinese Taipei 33-0 India
Japan 38-5 Thailand
Hong Kong 26-17 Korea
China 35-5 Chinese Taipei
Thailand 19-7 India
Hong Kong 42-7 Sri Lanka
Japan 17-28 Korea
Singapore 10-7 India
Chinese Taipei 17-10 Sri Lanka
China 17-17 Korea
Day Two
Thailand 17-24 Singapore
Japan 33-5 China
Hong Kong 21-5 Chinese Taipei
China 48-0 Singapore
Sri Lanka 19-26
Semi Final: Hong Kong 5-17 Japan
Semi Final: Korea 12-10 Chinese Taipei
China 21-0 India
Singapore 0-31 India
7th Place Play-off: India 10-38 Sri Lanka
5th Place Play-off (Plate Final): China 59-5 Thailand
3rd Place Play-off: Hong Kong 31-10 Chinese Taipei
FINAL: Korea 42-19 Japan
