Samoa and Tonga experienced disappointment at the recent third-tier Sevens tournament held in Dubai, failing to secure promotion in both the men’s and women’s competitions. The tournament concluded with teams vying for advancement, but unfortunately, Samoa finished third in the men’s event, while Tonga ended in eighth place.
Samoa started strong, remaining unbeaten in the pool stages with victories over Colombia (26-7), Hong Kong China (31-17), and a decisive 34-12 win against Tonga, where they scored six tries to their opponents’ two. However, their journey came to a halt in the semifinals against Belgium, who demonstrated their strength by defeating Samoa 26-14, scoring four tries compared to Samoa’s two. Despite the semifinal loss, Samoa rebounded in the third-place playoff, achieving a solid 26-5 victory over Hong Kong China.
Tonga’s performance was less favorable, with a difficult start in their opening match against Hong Kong China, where they lost 33-14. They managed to secure a win against Colombia, finishing 19-12, but their hopes of reaching the semifinals rested on a crucial victory against Samoa. Ultimately, they could not overcome Samoa’s strong performance, resulting in an eighth-place finish after a loss to Colombia in the seventh-place playoff.
In the women’s tournament, Samoa struggled throughout, finishing in seventh place after a series of defeats, including a heavy 45-0 loss to Argentina and additional losses to Colombia (21-14) and Poland (31-5) in pool play. They initially exited from playoff contention but managed to secure a victory over Mexico, winning 29-0 in the seventh-place playoff.
Advancements were made by the men’s finalists Belgium and Canada, along with women’s finalists South Africa and Argentina, who all earned promotion to the second tier of the SVNS. Although Samoa and Tonga did not achieve their desired outcomes, the tournaments offered valuable experience that could bolster future performances in international competitions.
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