Japan's women edge closer to Rio with three wins at second Asian rugby sevens regional qualifier

Japan edged closer to Rio 2016 with three victories at the Asian rugby sevens regional qualifier in Tokyo ©Getty Images

Japan remain on course for Rio 2016 qualification as they came through the opening day of the second Asian rugby sevens regional Olympic qualifying event unbeaten on home turf in Tokyo.

The hosts, who won the opening leg of the qualifier in Hong Kong earlier this month, claimed victory in all three matches and look well-placed to earn a spot in tomorrow’s final.

The Japanese side began in ominous fashion with a comfortable 20-7 success over China, who beat them in the group stages of the first event, before they went on to hammer a hapless Guam outfit 39-0 in their second encounter of the day.

That left them full of confidence before they took on Hong Kong, who themselves harboured slim hopes of doing enough to clinch a berth at next year’s Games, where rugby sevens makes its Olympic debut.

Japan seized the initiative with an early try but Hong Kong managed to keep pace with their opponents, drawing level when Aggie Poon Pak-yan went over in the corner following a free-flowing move.

However, that try proved to be a fleeting moment of success for the Hong Kong side as Japan ran riot, eventually closing out a commanding 27-5 win to finish the day with three consecutive victories.

Kazakhstan, who suffered a crushing 22-0 defeat in the final in Hong Kong to the Japanese, are the only other unbeaten side in the competition, with their match against Japan tomorrow deciding who tops the group.

Hong Kong's feint hopes of earning direct qualification appear to be over following two defeats today ©HKRU

Though Japan remain favourites to qualify, they will be wary of the threat posed by the Kazakhsd, who started with a rampant 34-0 thrashing of Sri Lanka.

Kazakhstan proved too strong for Hong Kong as they capitalised on a poor first half from their opponents, running in three tries before the break to open up a 19-0 lead.

Despite crossing over in the second half, Hong Kong never looked likely to spring a surprise comeback as the Kazakh side breezed to a 29-5 triumph.

In their final game of the day, Kazakhstan faced perhaps their sternest test other than Japan as they took on China, but their stout defence allowed their attacking unit to prosper on their way to a 14-0 victory.

The teams who finish in second, third and fourth places will enter a repechage tournament, due to take place next July at a yet-to-be-confirmed venue, along with other sides who failed to secure direct qualification from their respective continental qualifiers.