RUGBY SEVENS: The Qantas Men’s Sevens have defeated Kenya 12-5 overnight to claim the Bowl final at the Glasgow Sevens.

The Australians were determined to win the Bowl on day two of the HSBC Sevens World Series tournament, after a disappointing run on day one saw them miss out on the Cup playoffs.

The Qantas Men’s Sevens won just one of their three pool games on day one of the tournament, but bounced back to defeat Portugal in the Bowl quarter-final and Samoa in the semi-final.

Australia led Kenya 7-0 at half time of the Bowl final, but the Africans staged a fight back in the second half and closed the gap to 7-5 within the first two minutes. A late try to Australia’s Pama Fou, a standout of the tournament, sealed the match.

While disappointed with his side’s performance in the pool stage, Qantas Men’s Sevens coach Michael O’Connor was pleased with the way his side responded.

“It was a very satisfying day two performance, beating the higher ranked Samoan and Kenyan teams to win the Bowl trophy,” O’Connor said.

“Certainly since I have been coaching, I have not witnessed such a high quality game in a Bowl final.

“Kenya really turned up to play, but our young players tackled aggressively, turning over crucial ball to seal the victory.”

Earlier in the day, the Australians turned on an impressive attacking display, scoring six tries, to defeat Portugal 36-0 in the Bowl quarter-final.

The semi-final against Samoa was a more tense affair, as the Pacific Islanders led 12-10 with barely any time remaining before a break by Cam Clark stole the win for the Aussies.

The pool stage of the tournament saw the Qantas Men’s Sevens suffer losses to Argentina, 17-10, and Fiji, 19-17, with their sole win coming over Spain, 42-14.

The Qantas Men’s Sevens now travel to London for the final stage of the HSBC Sevens World Series which runs 11-12 May. The Australians will face South Africa, USA and France in pool play.

Australian Rugby Union