New Zealand star plays through heartache

New Zealand's Zar Lawrence steered the defending champions towards the Hong Kong Sevens final on Saturday despite learning of his teenage brother's tragic death only hours before.

Lawrence scored twice against Australia, including a mazy 50-yarder, to put his team into the quarter-finals. Afterwards he revealed the 4:00 am phone call in which he was told his brother Wirenu, 16, had died in a car crash.

"It's very hard. It's all emotional at the moment," Lawrence said.

"But my thoughts are back with my family and theirs are with me. I'm doing this for my family."

Lawrence, 27, said his family had told him to play on at the prestigious Hong Kong Sevens as a tribute to his brother. He will fly home on Sunday or Monday.

"My thoughts are back there but my family told me to stay here and do it for him," he said. "That's what I'm doing. I'm trying to play my best for my little brother."

The New Zealand team wore black armbands and coach Gordon Tietjens paid tribute to the courage of the bereaved Lawrence, whose second-half double secured the vital 17-5 win.

"He was outstanding in that match with the circumstances he's under," Tietjens said. "He's playing for his brother and I think that's great."

Meanwhile England survived a second-half fightback by World Cup champions Wales to reach the quarter-finals, while second seeds South Africa subdued France 26-12.

England were 26-0 up and cruising at half-time but let Wales get back to 26-19 before the final hooter. Rank outsiders Wales were shock winners at this month's World Cup, where England crashed out in the quarter-finals.

"It was unacceptable," fumed coach Ben Ryan. "It's not what we wanted. We still feel the frustrations of the World Cup and this was another opportunity for a strong victory.

"Wales did well to come back but we shouldn't have let them."

Fiji were held 12-12 by Samoa as their campaign stumbled. The eleven-time winners were five points down at the break but levelled through Vereniki Goneva before Apasai Naiyobo, with the line begging, fumbled in the closing stages.

Hong Kong brought the crowd to their feet with an electrifying 14-12 upset of Tonga, which followed their surprise win over Portugal. Japan held off China 21-17 and Scotland pipped unheralded West Indies 19-17.

Argentina meanwhile beat Portugal 22-14 with a last-gasp Lucio Lopez Fleming try making sure of the win. Argentina are currently fourth in the Sevens World Series, 12 points off the leaders.

England and South Africa top the series table with 60 points each while New Zealand have 52 and Argentina 48, with 30 points going to the winners here.

The showpiece Hong Kong Sevens is the fifth stop on the eight-leg World Series with further tournaments to come in Australia, England and Scotland.

The Hong Kong Sevens, played this year against the backdrop of recession, began in 1976 and has become a mainstay of expatriate life in the former British colony.

Sevens is also pushing for inclusion in the 2016 Olympics with a decision expected in October.