Former Hong Kong Sevens captain Bob Lloyd relives 50 years of rugby magic at the tournament
The 83-year-old, who competed in the first edition that kicked off on March 28, 1976, also coached the city team and was an avid spectator
Returning to the scene of the first-ever Hong Kong Sevens, former city rugby captain Bob Lloyd admitted there was “no way” he could have imagined 50 years ago that the tournament would become what it is today.
The first edition that kicked off at the Football Club on March 28, 1976, was the only Sevens tournament Lloyd competed in.
A former England international with five caps and two career tries between 1967 and 1968, after he finished playing, Lloyd became the coach for the city’s team in 1977 for one year.
Looking back at the Sevens tournaments he has attended as a player and spectator, Lloyd recalled to the South China Morning Post about witnessing a “fantastic” defensive play by Fijian legend Ilaitia Tuisese up close in the Hong Kong Football Club stands 50 years ago.
“He was huge, and he could run like the wind. He had huge feet,” the 83-year-old Englishman said. “I remembered he tackled a player who was just going on for what would look like a certain try.
“But he buried him in the corner, absolutely buried him because of his size, and his speed, absolutely fantastic.