Copy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login A group of men in personalised green and gold polyester cricket gear are settling into their seats on a Cathay Pacific flight. The men, who know each other through work, are discussing whether to avail themselves of the drinks list at the beginning or end of the nine-hour trip to Hong Kong.

If this were any other day, their palpable excitement would seem weird. But they’re on their way to the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. The New Zealand men’s and women’s rugby teams celebrate after the Hong Kong Sevens this year.

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