Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series 2025 Leg 1 Review – HKCR Men and Japan Women Crowned Winners

The Japanese Women and Hong Kong China men were deserved champions of the first leg of the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series 2025, with the Chinese women and Japanese men runners-up. The second day had a number of fantastic, closely fought matches in Hangzhou.

Feature Photo Credit – Asia Rugby

Three of the four final matches went down to the wire. The Hong Kong China women, thanks to a Julia Oyana hat-trick, pipped close rivals Thailand 19-17 to third overall after the hooter to edge ahead of them in the chase for the SVNS 3 spot available.

The Chinese men also beat Sri Lanka after the hooter to win 22-17 and win bronze, ahead of the likes of Korea and the UAE.

The Japanese Sakura 7s women came from three tries down to turn around the margin and win after the hooter and beat the Chinese at home, thanks to debutant Savannah Bodman. Both sides are already on the new SVNS format series.

The Hong Kong China men only conceded three tries all weekend (two of them in the final) and beat close rivals Japan 31-12. They now also have their noses just ahead in the chase to qualify for SVNS 3.

We have posted a lot on our socials (Instagram, X, and Facebook) with additional photos, results, and key events.

Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series 2025 Leg 1 Women

Yuka Kanematsu, Head Coach of the Japan Sakura 7s said, “It is a great pleasure for the Sakura Sevens to start the 2025-2026 season with a victory. Thank you very much for all your support. In our shutout victories up until the semi-finals and our comeback victory in the final, all 13 players believed in themselves and worked hard until the end.

I believe that the accumulation of each individual challenge has led to a new step for the Sakura Sevens. Going forward, all of us at the Sakura Sevens will continue to take on challenges without being afraid of change,” she added.

The Japanese team sets out a theme for each tournament they play in, and the Sakura 7s captain Koide Mifuyu added, “The theme of this tournament was ‘challenge’, and the whole team approached it with the determination to grow with each match. Not everything was perfect, but I think that attitude of continuing to challenge ourselves no matter what the situation was led to our victory this time.”

Photo Credit – HKCR – Hong Kong China Women’s Head Coach Andy Vilk with match winner Julia Oyana

Hong Kong China Women’s Head Coach Andy Vilk said, “It’s been two incredible battles against Thailand this weekend. Both teams left nothing out there, and they were really good matchups. The intent from the girls is what we asked for, and bouncing back from that semifinal defeat to Japan showed some good character, and we can build on this.

He added, “Our connections and the players backing each other up are aspects we can be pleased with, and the intent they showed. All of those build trust in the team when you see how hard they work for each other. We need to ensure we recover well over the coming weeks, and we have two full training weeks, and see where we are.”

HKCr player, Nam Ka Man added, “We are super proud of that result, and beforehand we said we needed to stick together for the whole game and be switched on, and we showed that for more than 14 minutes.”

You can read more from a Hong Kong China perspective in this detailed weekend review we have written in collaboration with HKCR.

Men’s Asian Rugby Sevens Series 2025 Leg 1

Jevon Groves, Hong Kong China Men’s 7s Head Coach, said. “The boys started well, and it could have gone either way, but I am pleased with how we managed the game and slowed things down…We have spoken a lot about how the game of sevens can change so quickly, and we focused on tournament momentum and started with a performance we were happy with and improved every game we played. We had enough experience that the momentum would come through in the final.”

Photo Credit- HKCR – Jevon Groves, Hong Kong China Men’s 7s Head Coach

Experienced campaigner Cado Lee added, “I feel fantastic. The boys worked really hard over the Summer to get fit and to another level, and I think we showed that in all five wins, especially in the final against Japan. That game was close until the last few minutes. We controlled the ball well at the end. They did well to attack our breakdown when we had the ball, and they are good at the transition. We supported well and scored some good tries.

Losing finalists Head Coach Phil Greening of Japan said, “This team, which has many young players, has grown in both physical ability and mentality during this tournament.

In rugby, especially in the final, it’s all about controlling the flow of the game. Although we still have some work to do to achieve our goal, I am personally proud of the team and the fact that we demonstrated the effort and character required to embody the Japanese style of rugby.”

Photo Credit – JRFU -Japan Men’s 7s Head Coach Phil Greening

Japan Co-captain Kerevi Joshua added, “I am truly proud of the performance of our team in this tournament. This is a young team with great potential, and although we came up just short against a more experienced opponent in the final, in order for this team to aim for even greater heights, we need more game time and experience to play together.”

Some Stories to Highlight from the ARESS 2025 Opening Weekend

• According to the AR data, four Men’s players finished as tied top try scorers with 7 each: Bryn Phillips (HKCR), Yeonsik Jeong(Korea), Mohammed Ali (UAE), and Naoya Ogita.
• We think Julia Oyana led the try scoring stats for the women, but dont agree with the number AR has (we think 8, they say 10).
• Well done to the Indian women who finished 6th overall in their first appearance at the highest level.
• Congratulations to the Sri Lankan men who were fourth overall.
• Respect to the UAE and Malaysia Men’s teams who gathered to show respect to the Allahyarhamah Faridah binti Mat Zain, mother of Wan Azley Wan Omar, who passed away before the start of their last match in the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series on Sunday.
• According to the JRFU website, they also awarded the match-winner, Savannah Bodman, the Sakura Ribbon Award (via translation) – the Sakura Ribbon Award is awarded to the player who embodied the theme of the tournament and contributed most to the team, and was determined by votes from players and staff.

Bodman was making her debut for the national team this weekend, and scored a hat-trick in her first game, and then scored the match-winner in the final against China to claim the Cup after the hooter! The Kiwi-born player has been with the Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix for the past two seasons and said of playing for Japan:

“I feel truly grateful and proud to be able to represent Japan and to be part of such an incredible team. This opportunity to wear this jersey was so special, and I’ll continue to give my best at the next selection camp,” said Bodman.

Photo Credit – Mr Wu / Chinese Taipei Rugby Union -Savannah Bodman – Sakura 7s Japan

Women’s Standings ARESS 2025 Leg 1

Final Women’s results day 2 at the ARESS 2025 leg 1 in Hangzhou.

• 11th place Philippines 15-5 Indonesia
• 9th place Singapore 0-12 Sri Lanka
• 7th place UAE 17-10 Malaysia
• 5th place India 10-17 Kazakhstan
• 3rd place Thailand 17-19 HKCR
• Cup final China 19-24 Japan

All of the Women’s results can be found online. There are also lots of stats from Asia Rugby, but these are not all reliable, we have found.

Men’s Standings ARESS 2025 Leg 1

Asian Rugby Sevens News

• Full Fan Guide to Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series 2025 Leg 1 Hangzhou.
• Fans Can Buy Tickets for 50th Anniversary Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2026 From October.
• 2026 HSBC SVNS Series Dates and Venues Mostly Confirmed.
• Your Guide To Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Calendar 2025.