Huge punch-up that made Aussies villains in Hong Kong as iconic sevens tournament turns 50 this week
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From little things, big things grow.
The Hong Kong Sevens turns 50 on Friday as rugby's unruly child reflects on how far they have come at the sparkling new Kai Tak Stadium.
To be clear, the party will be as wild and wonderful as ever.
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The Hong Kong Sevens Captain Photo Call at Kai Tak Stadium. Getty
But the event is now an iconic fixture on the sport's calendar and a bucket list trip for any rugby lover.
It all started as something of a marketing gimmick for cigarette company Rothmans.
Sevens rugby wasn't a thing but with no entry free, a curious crowd of 3000 rocked up in 1976 for the single day event at the Hong Kong Football Club in Happy Valley.
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Bob Lloyd kicks off to mark 50 years of the Hong Kong Sevens. HKCR by ESA
Hong Kong's team was captained by former England international Bob Lloyd.
"We had no idea that the tournament would become what it is today - not a bit of it," the 83-year-old said, while taking a ceremonial kick-off to celebrate the anniversary this month.
"The same applies to the game. The men and the women today - they are phenomenal. The Hong Kong union were on to a good thing. Look at where the game is today with the Olympics and the World Series. Hong Kong started it."
Australia celebrate with the trophy after defeating Fiji in 2022 in Hong Kong. Getty
Australia's men's team was called the Wallaroos - which is now the nickname of the country's national women's XVs side.
Watching on from the sidelines was Peter Reed, who has attended every single edition of the Hong Kong Sevens since.
"I'd only arrived in January of 1976 so it was a great way to start," Reed recalled.
An Australian player is thrown to the ground by a Fijian player in the 1998 Hong Kong Rugby Sevens. Getty
"It was well attended and it went really well. I remember there was a huge punch up between the Aussies and the Fijians and it just took off from there."
Aha. So begins the tale of Australia's unpopularity at the tournament.
The legendary Mark Ella was stunned to be booed when he first graced the field in Hong Kong.
Kimami Sitauti of Australia loses his shorts when he is tackled by Mat Turner of England. Getty
But he and teammate David Campese quickly learned to use it as motivation.
''It was a bit bewildering at first," Ella recalled.
"I would think to myself, 'what did we do to deserve this?' It actually did spur us on a bit and after a while we took it a bit more light-heartedly. But it didn't matter how much the crowd booed us, it was clear that the crowd did appreciate good football, and that made it a little bit better.''
Vilimoni Derenalagi of Fiji lies injured on day two. Getty
So what did Ella and company do to deserve this?
New Zealander Jamie Scott explained it best in a 1994 article in the South China Morning Post.
''The origin of this eminently laudable practice stems from the sending off of Fijian Jo Rauto in the semi-finals of the 1976 Rothmans Sevens," the cheeky Kiwi wrote.
The Barbarians have some fun. Getty
"Rauto and the feisty Wallaroo hooker were having a difference of view of the proceedings only to be interrupted by Hong Kong-based referee Harry Brickwood.
''Rauto threw a haymaker which, instead of finding the Australian, found Brickwood.
''Fiji, a crowd favourite even in those days, even managed to score despite being reduced to six men. But six good men can't beat seven good men and this was when the booing started as the Wallaroos went through to face the Cantabrians in the final...
Fans at the 2013 Hong Kong Sevens at Hong Kong Stadium. Getty
''Over the years, booing Australia became more fashionable and many a commentator at the ground has tried to persuade the crowd that it was not the thing to do.
''In one incident, Australia had just scored and the crowd booed. 'Don't boo' said the announcer. Australia missed the conversion and the crowd cheered.''
The booing has relaxed in recent years.
Maddison Levi of Australia breaks a tackle. Getty
Australia's crack women's team will kick off their 2026 campaign with pool games against South Africa (2.25pm AEST) and Great Britain (5:35pm AEST) on Friday.
Coaches Tim Walsh has made just one change from New York with Bienne Terita coming in.
"We head off to round one of the world championships in iconic Hong Kong - the traditional home of rugby sevens," Walsh said.
"The first six legs have provided the squad with a lot of confidence and belief of performing well.
"The (New Zealand) Black Ferns obviously go in as favourites but we will only be looking towards our pool games with South Africa emerging from the SVNS 2 Championship, the ever-improving Great Britain and then Paris silver medallists Canada."
For the men's, James McGregor returns for Liam Barry's side with Ethan McFarland making way.
"It's a competition restart after six regular rounds and with four additional teams that now adds another layer of pressure to play well and qualify for the World Series in 2027," Barry said.
Australia's men will meet Kenya, USA and New Zealand in the pool stages.
Sam Worthington travelled to the 2026 Hong Kong Sevens thanks to the Hong Kong Tourism Board and Cathay Pacific
