A warm breeze and sunny skies overhead heralded day two of non-stop rocking rugby at the Emirates Airline Edinburgh Sevens. As the back pitches filled with festival-goers for the P6 and P7 community rugby tournament, the record Edinburgh crowds in the stadium bowl were treated to another full day of top international action.

A further score from Revol was matched by a second half score from Sousa to put five points on the board for the Portuguese but the additional conversions from Revol made the final score 24-5.

A buzz around the ground heralded the arrival of the home team for their Bowl quarter meeting with Canada. After a hesitant start when they couldn’t turn possession into points – a 5-7 scoreline against them with one try from Jim Thompson – the Scots came alive in the second half. A steady volley of scores from Thompson, Gregor and Fedo was augmented by conversions from Skeen to make it 26-14 and a semi final berth for the Scots.

In the third Bowl quarter, perennial crowd favourites Kenya were pitted against Scotland’s final day one opposition, USA. With the Kenyans leading 12-5 at half time, the USA crept back to lead 15-12 with 90 seconds to go. As the hooter sounded for full time, Kenya were awarded a penalty and the USA reduced to six men; another infringement by the USA allowed the Kenyans to advance further, sneak advantage and Lavin Asego cross the line to wild scenes beneath the Kenya sign in the stadium as they won 17-15 and booked their place against Scotland in the final.

Russia took on Spain in the closing Bowl quarter final. Zaphorin made the first real break, for Russia, four minutes into the first half but a lack of finishing pace and fumbles as they threatened the Spanish line left it scoreless at half time. It was Pablo Feijoo who eventually found the line for the Spanish, crossing with two minutes to go, the conversion making it 7-0 and a meeting with Kenya in the Bowl semi.

New Zealand got off to a blistering start in the first Cup quarter final, a try after 13 seconds from Raikuna and two further five-pointers from Halai, answered by one from England’s Barrell in the first half. Halai completed his brace in the second half – Cama nailing his third conversion – and England could only reply with a Gollings- converted Norton try to make it 26-12 to New Zealand.

Fiji met Australia in the second Cup quarter final with the green and golds storming into a 17-0 lead in the first half, through tries from Jankins, Parahi (conversion from Foley) and Sefanaia. Two converted tries in the second period for the Fijians weren’t enough to take them any further in their Cup journey with Australia adding another Foley-converted Jenkins try to make the final tally 14-24.

In the penultimate Cup quarter final of the day, South Africa took on Samoa, the winner bagging the semi spot against Australia.  It was the Boks that put the first scores on the board with a try and a conversion from Hunt and Afrika, and who breached the line again in the closing seconds of the first period as the flowing locks and blistering pace of Cecil Afrika hurtled over the whitewash to make it 14-0 at half time. Despite a consolation score for the Samoans, courtesy of So’oialo, it was South Africa all the way in the second half (tries from Brown and Sithole, conversions from Afrika) and the match ended 28-5.

As a light shower preceded the run-out of the two remaining Cup contenders on to the Murrayfield turf, it was then sunshine all the way for France in the opening period of play as they outmanoeuvred the Welsh, a converted try putting them 7-0 ahead at half time. A drop goal from Albaladejo – the first of the weekend, put them 10-0 in front until a great run down the wing from Adam Thomas had the crowd on their feet and Wales on the scoreboard, the unconverted score making it 5-10. Intense pressure from the Welsh in the closing seconds saw them cross the line on the hooter, the crowd being jokingly encouraged by the French to discourage the Welsh conversion, the slapstick ploy leading to a 10-all final score and sudden-death extra time. A brisk wind did nothing to help either team, the loose ball kicked into touch time and again until a penalty successfully kicked by the Welsh put them 13-10 ahead and into a Cup semi final showdown with the South Africans.

Battle for the Shield commenced with a European – North American meeting between Portugal and Canada, the former donning white shirts, and both looking for their first win of the weekend. First blood went to the Canadians with two tries. A great diagonal run from Sousa brought the score back to 5-10 at half time. Some dogged pressure from Canada in the final minute, saw them add another seven points after a try from Mensah-Coker, converted by Mack, to make it 5-17.

Russia then took on the USA to decide who would meet Canada in the final. An early converted try from Russia was countered by a score from Malifa for the Americans, also converted to make it 7-all at half time. The Americans crossed for another five points then a touch of magic from the Russians – a backhanded flick  from Perov to Zaporzhin – saw the latter touchdown to level the scores and then dart across the line again to make it 12-17 as the clock ticked down and the hooter confirmed Russia and Canada as the finalists.

Then all eyes were on Scotland again as they contested the Bowl semi final against Argentina, the South Americans going 7-up after four minutes from Oliveri’s try, converted by Revol. With the last play of the first half it was advantage Scotland as they harried the opposition time and again, Michael Fedo the player with ball in hand to cross, the score converted by Colin Gregor to level the game. A neat move from Colin Gregor feeding the ball across to Fedo and offloading to Jim Thompson added another five points, closely followed by a great break across the line from Struan Dewar put the hosts 17-7 ahead with three minutes to go. A dangerous break from the South Americans was halted by a crunching tackle from Turnbull before turnover ball saw Lee Jones leg it from the halfway line, evading opposition hands on the way up the wing to score and make it 22-7. Captain Scott Riddell kicked the ball to touch on the hooter and Scotland were through.

Their opponents in the Bowl final were decided early on in the next game when a physical Kenyan side outplayed their Spanish opposition, 40-0 with tries from Ouma (2), Adema, Kayange and Ashioya, the conversions coming from Asego (4) and Adema.

With the sun really beginning to beat down on the inhabitants of the East Stand, the white, red and yellow strips of England and Fiji provided a splash of colour on the turf as they battled it out for a place in the Plate final. The South Sea islanders took charge of the early action, going 17-0 up, with tries from Lutumailagi (2) and Tonawai, the scores countered by 12 points, late on in the half from England. Despite a second-half burst from England it was Fiji who clinched the contest, 34-19, with three more second half tries from Matawalu, Nacagilevu and Batiratu.

Samoa and France were up next to compete for the remaining Plate final place, the French making a bold challenge to score the first try, courtesy of Acebes. 12-5 down at half time, the score hung tantalisingly at 12-10 as the hooter loomed, a last-minute try by Tupou for Samoa sealing victory 17-10.

Antipodean neighbours New Zealand and Australia were the combatants in the Cup semi final. An assured performance from the Australians, solid in defence and confident in attack saw them unexpected victors, 19-12, denying Gordon Tietjens side from making it a double podium appearance at Murrayfield as Ned Haig Cup and HSBC Sevens World Series winners. Australia’s three tries came from Taylor, Jeloudev and Jenkins with Foley adding the two conversions.

South Africa and Wales met for the remaining Cup final place, the Welsh leading the charge in the first half with two gas-guzzling breaks resulting in tries for Cuthbert and Phillips. On half time, Botha replied for the opposition, dotting down in the corner and making it 12-5. Sustained pressure from the South Africans added two tries to their tally early in the second half – from Brown and Hunt – with Paul Delport drawing the line under South Africa’s 22-12 victory, despite a last-minute score from Wales, Cuthbert completing a brace.

The Shield final pitted the physicality of Russia against the powerful running of Canada, the Russians taking an early lead through a try from Gostyuzhev, converted by Perov. The Canadians replied a few minutes later with two tries from Duke and Gudgeon followed by a second dotdown by Duke moments short of halftime, the conversion from Mack making it 17-7. Despite another try, from Perov, the Russians fluffed the restart and finished the game 17-12, the Shield destined to cross the Atlantic in the hands of the Canadians.

The Bowl Final pitted the home team heroes against constant crowd-pleasers Kenya in the Bowl final. Good numbers in the opening minutes led to a break, a run and a try for Kenya’s Kayange, the score converted by Asego. A fumbled ball near the line following the restart surely saved another score against the nervy Scots but a defensive gap gave Asego a window to the line and he crossed with less than a minute of the first half to go, converting his own try to put Kenya 14-0 up going into the break. Scotland were well fired up as the second half kicked off and within two minutes Michael Fedo had broken for the line and scored, the try converted by Colin Gregor. As the Kenyans made their way upfield again, the Scots counterattacked with so neat footwork and a sharp backflick from Gregor whose tap-and-go then started the run which ended in Scotland’s second try for Lee Jones, Gregor again adding the extras to make it 14-all and under two minutes to go. It was still anyone’s game after the hooter had sounded until Asego’s weaving unwavering run straight between the posts saw his converted score making it 14-21 and the Bowl presented to Kenya.

It was a south sea extravaganza as Fiji and Samoa met in the Plate final, the first points going to Fiji as Talebula converted his own try. Nakarawa followed up with another Fijian five-pointer, the try converted by Talebula, and the black and white army crossed the line again just before half time, the unconverted try Talebula’s second, making the half-time score 19-0.   There was more to come from Fiji in the second half as they Matawalu touched down, Talebula again converting. Two late scores from Samoa made for a more respectable scoreline, tries from Levasa and Aiono

Murrayfield became a sea of green and gold in the setting sun as South Africa took on Australia in the Cup final. It was real end-to-end action as Australia nailed the first seven points through Bernard Foley who converted his own try, matched by the same at the other end of the field by a Steven Hunt try converted by Cecil Afrika. Australia, playing fast and loose, then smashed their way through the South African defence to put another seven points on the board, Jonathon Lance’s try converted by Foley. Just before half time, Foley added another converted try to Australia’s tally (21-7).

Into the second ten-minute half which opened with a Henry Vanderglas try after 20 seconds. South Africa came back with two well-worked tries from Bernardo Botha and Frankie Horne to nudge the scores closer, 28-19 with five minutes to go. The Australians came back with another converted try, from Ed Jenkins, replied to almost immediately by two from South Africa (both Hunt) making it 35-31 with seconds to go. Passion, determination and the overwhelming will to win drove Sibusiso Sithole down the wing and over the line to make the final score 35-36. A truly thrilling end to a magical weekend of stunning running rugby as South Africa were awarded the Ned Haig Cup and New Zealand lifted the 2010/11 HSBC Sevens World Series trophy.