Abby Gustaitis, the former USA captain, says her nation is increasingly gripped by “frenetic and physical” rugby sevens.
The US women’s team are targeting a third world series tournament success in the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. Their male counterparts, who toppled series leaders Argentina on day one, are aiming for title number four, but only a second triumph outside their homeland.
An emphatic 33-7 win over Fiji, powered by 13 points from Alev Kelter, who scored one try and converted four of her side’s five scores, took the women into Sunday’s semi-finals.
Their male counterparts came up short, losing to Ireland 24-19 in a blistering quarter-final that went to extra time.
Both sides, who finished with two victories from three pool matches, will go to the summer Olympics as dark horses, a feat in itself for a country where rugby competes with a legion of more established sports for its public’s affection.
“I think the physicality of sevens gets Americans excited, the same way it does in American football,” Gustaitis told the Post. “No one is bored watching rugby sevens, and that is the case for both the men’s and women’s games, which is really cool.
“It is frenetic, and the attention span needed to watch is so short. It is 14 minutes of end-to-end action, you cannot blink, or get a drink, because you will miss something. Anyone can beat anyone, and one bounce of the ball can decide a game.
“Another thing that resonates with Americans is that rugby is a melting pot of cultures, and the country is the same. It is continuing to grow, and we need to keep eyes in America on the sport.”
Gustaitis, who skippered her team’s quarter-final campaign at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, rates the Hong Kong stop as “the pinnacle” of the eight-leg world series.
“Everyone speaks about iconic Hong Kong, and everything in the stadium lives up to that billing,” she said.
The atmosphere under the Friday night lights in So Kon Po reached fever pitch when Hong Kong’s women and men took it in turns to beat China in the Melrose Claymore tournament.
“They both smashed it with great performances, and it was really cool to watch,” Gustaitis, who is a Global Brand Ambassador for HSBC, said.
“I have played against Hong Kong, and China, and the skill level and teamwork of both teams really challenges you. Their fight is embedded in their culture, too.
“Hong Kong showed an ability to deliver all those qualities in front of thousands and thousands of people.
“The crowd were behind them from the moment they put the players’ names on the big screen. The players and the crowd fed off each other, and it lit up the stadium.”
