Singapore's hopes of finishing in the top six of the Singapore leg of the HSBC Asian rugby sevens series were dealt a severe blow after they fell to China 14-24 at Yio Chu Kang stadium on Saturday.

The hosts started brightly, scoring two tries and two conversions as they raced to a 14-0 lead. However, they allowed China to score two tries and one conversion before half-time to cut their lead to 14-12.

In the second half, the visitors scored two tries and a conversion within the first three minutes to take the decisive lead. They then kept Singapore at bay for the rest of the half to seal the victory.

The Republic have to beat favourites Hong Kong in their 5pm match on Saturday in order to achieve their top-six target in the 12-team tournament.