Australian men's sevens too good for Pumas

Australia got their Hong Kong Sevens campaign off to a flying start with a 28-0 victory over Argentina on Friday.

Andy Friend’s side scored two tries in each half to seal the win which in a match that was also notable for skipper Ed Jenkins scoring the 100th try of his Sevens World Series career – just the second Australian to do so after Peter Miller.

After a tight first five minutes with both teams exchanging penalties, it was Cameron Clark who expertly found John Porch on the left to open the scoring.

Jenkins added the second when he powered over to give the Australians a 14-point lead at the break.

Fine individual efforts from Lewis Holland and Allan Fa’alava’au sealed the win against a side that reached the Cup Final in Cape Town last December.

Wallaby outside back Nick Cummins almost marked his return to the Sevens arena with a try late on while Frank Winterstein made his World Series debut in the second half.

“It was a good win that was built on defence against a tough side,” Friend said.

“We knew if we fought hard and put them under pressure then we would force mistakes and that’s how it worked out.

“Lewis Holland was once again excellent. He asks questions of each defence he comes up against and defences are finding it hard to come up with the answers.

In the other Pool C game, the United States saw off a plucky Portugal team 21-5.

Australia plays its remaining Pool C games at Hong Kong Stadium against Portugal and the USA on Saturday, with the top two teams in the group qualifying for Sunday’s Cup quarter-finals.