China women’s dramatic 24-19 sudden-death victory over Great Britain on Saturday saw them avoid the possibility of earning the “worst team of the tournament” tag at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens.
A dismal 24-10 defeat to the United States in their final Pool C fixture earlier in the day had left them in danger of a last-place finish but their first win of the weekend means they would finish ninth if they beat Spain on Sunday.
The Spanish beat Ireland 17-7, which means a derby against Great Britain to see who avoids finishing 12th.
“Actually, in the beginning [against Great Britain], we were very anxious, it was not easy,” China’s Wang Wanyu said.
“But we found the breakthrough, and in the end, we were able to take it. I feel that everyone believed we could win.”
China led the match twice through Zhang Le tries, but Great Britain hit back each time with tries for Georgie Lingham and Emma Uren.
