It was tough opening pool game for the Manu Samoa 7s as they went down fighting against Fiji at the Hong Kong 7s on Thursday evening.

Samoa went down 12-7 in a gutsy show where Fiji was ahead 12-0 with just three minutes to play.

Strong interplay and solid passing had Neueli Leitufiascore close to the posts allowing for the conversion to take place.

It was a five point ball game and Samoa managed to gain possession but it was a forward pass that allowed Fiji to get hold of the ball and they made Samoa pay as they ran down the clock.

Overall, it was a good performance by the Manu Samoa Sevens. They still have two more pool games.

Samoa plays Argentina at 5.16pm and Canada at 9.13pm on Saturday night. The team still has a chance to make the Cup quarterfinals as anything can happen in this pool.

Results of the opening pool games.

New Zealand beat Kenya 29-5, while there was redemption for South Africa as they beat Ireland 14-7. Argentina cruised past Canada 17-7.