Cook Islanders living in Hong Kong celebrated Aotearoa New Zealand’s fantastic wins in both the men’s and women’s Hong Kong 7s tournament held earlier this month from April 5-7.

Teremoana Mato, the Pacific Islands Forum trade commissioner in China, was stoked to attend his first Hong Kong 7s and be a part of the Kuki cheering squad comprising Bredina Drollet, Rachel Guinea, Rangi Short Mitchell and Janice Nicholas in the stands.

“The vibe, hype, and energy on the last day of the HK7s was next level, then to have both the New Zealand men and women teams make the finals and then go on to win both cups brought it closer to home for us,” said Mato.

“However, it would’ve been greater to have our Cook Islands team back in this competition,” he added.

The All Blacks Sevens scored the first two tries in a 10-7 win over France in the men’s final to successfully defend their title and bring an end to the three-day carnival in the traditional home of the rugby sevens format, AP reported.

Michaela Blyde scored three tries in a player-of-the-final performance and Mahina Paul crossed for a late double in New Zealand’s 36-7 win over the United States for the women’s title.

It was the third consecutive tournament title for the Black Ferns Sevens and moved them above Australia in the women’s world series standings.

The next stop in the global sevens series is Singapore from May 3-5.

• Melina Etches/AP