Tag: Hong Kong Football Club

Hong Kong Announce Squad For Asia Rugby Championship Final

The Hong Kong Rugby Union announced the men’s XV to face South Korea in the finale of the 2023 Asia Rugby Championship at Hong Kong Football Club (kick off at 17.00). It is a largely settled squad with only two changes to the starting line-up that hammered Malaysia in last week’s opener 88-9.

“Consistency is key. Last week, players from 1 to 15 all performed, and there were some real selection headaches this week as we expected. Certain guys really stood up against Malaysia but there are also other guys we wanted to see more of as well,” said Hong Kong China coach Lewis Evans.

With both Hong Kong and South Korea returning heavy wins over Malaysia, the preamble to Saturday’s fixture has left little for observers to rely on when judging form.

“Expect the unexpected is what we told the team,” added Evans. “We are coming in confident, and have things in place to combat what South Korea can offer, but ultimately it comes down to us backing up our performance and getting consistency in our game.”

That desire for consistency has left the starting XV largely unchanged from that against Malaysia.  Captain Tom Hill retains his spot at inside centre while his vice-captain and club teammate Patrick Jenkinson reclaims his second-row starting spot from Malaysia.

Hong Kong ARMC 2023 Seb Brien

Prop forward Ash Hyde has dropped out of the matchday 23 after struggling with illness in the conditions against Malaysia, with veteran Ben Higgins earning the start on his 25th appearance.  It is the only change in the starting pack with Higgins joined by Alex Post (who scored a natural brace versus Malaysia) and Fai Solomona in the front row. Jenkinson will again partner with sevens squad member Callum McCullough in the locks, with an unchanged back row of Luke van der Smit at No.8 and Sam Tsoi Kin-san and James Sawyer on the flanks.

In the backline, fullback Paul Altier is forced to make way for utility back Nate DeThierry after picking up a red card in the game versus Malaysia.

“Paul was really good under the high ball against Malaysia and we expect to see a lot of that from South Korea. Nate is a very confident player and is comfortable at 15 having played there for us during the repechage,” said Evans.

DeThierry started in the centres last week. His vacated outside centre spot will be occupied by Harry Sayers who started last week’s tie on the bench.  Jamie Lauder and Gregor McNeish resume their half-back pairing with Seb Brien and Charles Higson-Smith retaining their spots on the wings after combining for six tries against Malaysia.

Despite the successful performance against Malaysia, Evans has opted to give opportunities to more new players in the reserves.  With a strong forwards battle expected against South Korea, the bench has a 5-3 forwards to backs split with two potential first caps waiting in the wings in front rower Matt Keay and back Dylan White.

White moves into the matchday 23 with a chance at collecting his first Hong Kong China cap and provides added depth at fly-half and fullback, while Bryn Phillips and Will Panday also retain their places in the 23-man squad for the South Korea test.

“With the likes of Dylan and some of the other players we are starting a slow transition into that environment. Come November, players like that will need bigger opportunities and we want to start getting them involved now in the international environment, so that when they get the call up to start which probably comes in the next 12 or 18 months, they will be ready,” Evans added.

Keay, Keelan Chapman and Zac Cinnamond add to a deep supply of front rowers while former Hong Kong captain Josh Hrstich is also returning to international action after suffering a calf strain in May.  He will start off the bench providing back-row support alongside Pierce Mackinlay-West, who scored one of Hong Kong’s 13 tries last week after coming on in the second half.

“Josh is back in form and having him back in training has had a huge impact on the squad. He has completed his fitness tests and is confident and capable to play international rugby this week. Our back row combination played really well and made this a difficult selection, but with strong players like Josh and Pierce coming off the bench we can maintain that intensity and physicality we are after in the second half against Korea,” noted Evans.

“The coaches were really proud of the way the boys conducted themselves versus Malaysia. South Korea are a different beast and we know that. We need to manage them in the set piece and at the contact area and they have a very strong kicking game that we will need to deal with as well. But we are entering this game with confidence and have had a really good week of training. The boys look sharp. They are ready,” said Evans.

Can’t stand the rain? Watch the live stream on HKRU TV.

Hong Kong, China squad versus South Korea, HKFC 17.00 17 June 2023:

Hong Kong, China squad versus South Korea, HKFC

Hong Kong v South Korea
Asia Rugby Championship 2023
Date: 5pm, 17 June, 2023
Venue: Hong Kong Football Club
Tickets: tbc

Additional reporting, images: Asia Rugby, HKrugby

ARMC 2023: Hong Kong 88-9 Malaysia

Hong Kong men’s XV marked its first home match since June 2019 with an emphatic 88-9 win over Malaysia in the Asia Men’s Rugby Championship at a packed-out Hong Kong Football Club.

Seb Brien paced all scorers with five tries while Hong Kong scored 13 tries in total to push a 45-6 lead at the break into the final 79-point margin in front of over 1,200 fans.

“We are delighted to mark the return of men’s international rugby to Hong Kong for the first time since June 2019,” said Chris Brooke, Chairman of the Hong Kong Rugby Union after the match.

“This is another milestone in Hong Kong rugby’s recovery from the pandemic. Today was a great celebration and the support from the rugby community throughout what has been a challenging period has been incredible. The team has picked up right where it left off and I am sure that next week will be an electric finale for the Asia Rugby Championship,” added Brooke.

https://www.youtube.com/live/Uh7W4Zb2bmw?feature=share

 

Hong Kong’s first men’s home test in four years brought out a reaction in the squad as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead after 90 seconds through a penalty from fly-half Gregor McNeish, currently playing for VPC Andorra. That lead soon ballooned to 31 points by the half-hour marker as scrumhalf Jamie Lauder, Brien and No.8 Luke van der Smith added first quarter tries before Malaysia fly-half Fairuz Ab Rahman notched his side’s first points with a penalty after 17 minutes to make the score 24-3.

Poor kicking from hand and general indecision plagued Malaysia throughout as they continued to serve up possession for Hong Kong. The visitors could only muster one further foray in to the Hong Kong half in the early going when fullback Paul Altier, currently playing for Stade Olympique Chamberien in France, was sin-binned for an intentional knock-on, foiling a dangerous intercept attack from Malaysia.

Hong Kong would score two short-handed tries despite their opponents’ numerical advantage with McNeish crossing the whitewash followed by lock Callum McCullough, who alongside Seb Brien and Pierce Mackinlay-West was one of three sevens athletes to score today. McNeish’s fifth conversion brought the score to 38-6 before a relieved Altier exited the bin.

A moment of panic by the Malaysian winger with the ball in his own dead ball area set the stage for Hong Kong’s sixth score as a great rush defence produced ball for Brien’s second score and gave Hong Kong, China a 45-6 advantage at the break.

Seb Brien dots down one of his 5 tries against Malaysia

Malaysia’s hopes of stabilizing were dashed at the restart when van der Smit nearly ran the ball back for another rapid-fire score from the kick-off. He was clawed down at the line but Brien popped up with ball in hand shortly thereafter to complete his hat trick as Hong Kong passed 52-6.

Richmond hooker Alex Post then scored back-to-back tries at the base of Hong Kong’s driving maul, capping a highly efficient day for the forwards who also stole two lineouts from Malaysia this afternoon.

Post’s second try brought the score to 62-6 after McNeish missed his first conversions of the day, going eight for eight from the tee until that moment. Coach Lewis Evans then emptied his bench down the final stretch with forward Tang Man-chung earning his first senior cap for Hong Kong, China.

In the final quarter, Altier was shown a red card for a poor challenge in the ruck leaving his side a man down for the remainder. Hong Kong didn’t look any worse for wear as they added a third short-handed try from close to the line with another sevens athlete, Pierce Mackinlay-West, scoring to push the lead to 67-6.

Brien then collected back-to-back tries to run his personal tally to five and bring the lead to 81-6 before Malaysia’s Nazvi Fitri slotted a penalty to bring the score to 81-9. Reserve scrumhalf Bryn Phillips added an exclamation point to Hong Kong’s big win with Hong Kong’s 13th try of the game at the hooter pushing the final score to 88-9 after a conversion from Nate DeThierry.

“That was so much fun,” said a delighted Brien post-match. “It’s really nice to get back to fifteens rugby in Hong Kong and it was an awesome team performance today, which was exactly what we wanted. Sometimes games like that can get off script, but we just kept building that momentum for next week. We have quite a new squad so to have a performance like that ahead of next week is huge,” he added.

It was also an excellent debut as captain for centre Tom Hill in only his fifth appearance for Hong Kong: “That was a really pleasing performance,” said Hill.

“It is awesome to be playing rugby again in Hong Kong in front of our home crowd and it is a huge honour to captain this team. We’re just looking forward to next week now. The Asia Rugby Championship is really important. We have won it the last few years and we want to keep winning it and go on to the next level,” added Hill.

Today also marked the debut home test for coach Lewis Evans who was equally complimentary about his side’s performance saying: “It was a very comprehensive performance. We were focused on that more than the win and the boys delivered.

“We knew Malaysia would come out with intent and energy and I think we controlled that and took our chances well. So very positive and very pleased with that result. There will be a lot of headaches for selection against South Korea coming our way,” he added.

Additional reporting and images: HKRU

Aston Villa Win 2023 Soccer Sevens

Aston Villa secured a record-extending seventh HKFC Soccer Sevens title on Sunday as the Premier League outfit defeated Hong Kong’s Tai Po FC 3-0 at a packed Hong Kong Football Club to claim the trophy for the first time since 2016.

Omari Kellyman scored twice in the first half before Lee Ka-ho’s red card for a foul on the 17-year-old left Tai Po short-handed, with Frankie Ealing hitting his side’s third ahead of Luizinho’s late sending-off, which saw the Hong Kong side finish the game with five players.

“At the start of the tournament we had a disappointing result against Tai Po, so to bounce back and win all the games after that hasn’t been an easy thing to do,” said Kellyman, who ended as the tournament’s leading scorer with five goals.

“But we did it and I’m proud of the boys. It’s been a great experience. The tournament has been all about experience and to come out here and play the game I love has been great.

“The physical side of the game, the heat is very different from England. Coming out here, you’ve got to run the hard yards and do everything to the best of your ability. It’s been great.”

Hong Kong Soccer-Sevens 2023

Tai Po had pulled off a surprise 1-0 win over Villa in the group meeting between the teams on Saturday but there was to be no repeat of that result as the Premier League side raced into an early lead.

Kellyman gave Villa the perfect start when he bent the opener into the top corner with less than two minutes on the clock and, five minutes later, he doubled the advantage with another strike from outside the area, steering a low left-foot shot beyond Tse Ka Wing.

Lee’s clumsy attempt to halt Kellyman in the ninth minute saw him receive a direct red card and Villa exploited their advantage, with Ealing netting his side’s third from close range after a miss-hit attempted clearance by Tse.

Luizinho received a second yellow card seven minutes into the second half to leave Tai Po with only five players and effectively ensure Villa were crowned champions once again.

Earlier in the day, defending champions Newcastle United crashed out in the quarter-finals, losing 2-0 to Aston Villa, who took on Kitchee in the last four after the Hong Kong Premier League champions had seen off Queens Park Rangers.

Tai Po, meanwhile, notched up a 1-0 win over Leicester City to set up a semi-final meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion following their 1-0 win over fellow Premier League club Fulham.

The Hong Kong Premier League outfit eliminated Brighton & Hove Albion in a penalty shoot-out as Villa beat Kitchee to set-up the decider, with the English club ultimately emerging victorious.

Hong Kong Soccer-Sevens 2023

In the Masters Event, defending champions Wallsend Boys Club retained the title with a 2-1 sudden-death extra-time win over 2018 winners Ampcontrol Discovery Bay in the final, with Kim Dong-jin netting the winner.

Wallsend had seen off Rio Cricket Association Athletic to advance to the final for the second tournament in a row while Ampcontrol Discovery Bay defeated Hong Kong Football Club Masters to progress to the decider.

This year’s HKFC Soccer Sevens was the first since 2019 after the event was forced to take a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The 2023 HKFC Soccer Sevens has been a resounding success and I would like to thank all of our sponsors, the teams, Hong Kong Football Club members, and the fans who turned out in fantastic numbers to support this very special event,” said Hong Kong Football Club Chairman Neil Jensen. “We hope through future editions we can continue to showcase the positive qualities of our unique city and its love for this remarkable game.”

Hong Kong Soccer-Sevens 2023

Soccer Sevens
Date: 26-28 May, 2023
Venue: HK Football Club
Tickets: $200 (Weekend pass), $120 (Day ticket), Free (Friday night)
More info:
22 May (Fri): 6 – 9pm; exhibition youth matches start at 4.30pm
23 May (Sat): 9am – 7.40pm
24 May (Sun): 8:30am – 6pm

images: HK Soccer Sevens

Soccer Sevens Return

Defending back-to-back champions Newcastle United and six-time winners Aston Villa headline the Premier League clubs competing at this weekend’s Soccer Sevens, which returns for the first time in four years.

This year’s Soccer Sevens is the 21st edition of the competition, first held in 1999, and runs from 26-28 May featuring 26 teams across a main event and masters tournaments at Hong Kong Football Club.

Sixteen teams will compete in the main competition, with Aston Villa looking to win a record-extending seventh title and their first since 2016, while Newcastle will be aiming to become the first club to win the trophy at three consecutive events.

“We are delighted to be returning to the HKFC Soccer Sevens,” Mark Harrison, Aston Villa’s academy manager, said. “We are looking forward to defending our record at the tournament and our players and staff are excited to come and experience all that the tournament has to offer.”

soccers sevens newcastle champions

Other clubs coming to take part include Leicester City, who have won the event twice, as well as Brighton & Hove Albion and Fulham.

They will be joined by Scottish giants Rangers as well as a Hong Kong Football Association representative side, while domestic champions Kitchee and WoFoo Tai Po will fly the flag for the city’s top flight.

In the master’s tournament, the Citi All Stars will take on defending champions Wallsend Boys Club in a 10-team event that will also boast sides representing the Portuguese Football Association and the Professional Footballers’ Association.

Neil Jensen, the HKFC chairman, said the club was “absolutely thrilled” to bring the Soccer Sevens back to the city “The last three years have been challenging for everyone, but the love of football runs deep in Hong Kong and we are looking forward to seeing some of the finest young talent in the global game back on the pitch at Hong Kong Football Club.”

Match schedule here

soccer 7s 2019

Soccer Sevens
Date: 26-28 May, 2023
Venue: HK Football Club
Tickets: $200 (Weekend pass), $120 (Day ticket), Free (Friday night)
More info:
22 May (Fri): 6 – 9pm; exhibition youth matches start at 4.30pm
23 May (Sat): 9am – 7.40pm
24 May (Sun): 8:30am – 6pm

Soccer Sevens Cancelled

The 2020 edition of the HKFC Soccer Sevens scheduled for 22-24 May has been canceled due to the ongoing issues in Hong Kong.

Tournament director Chris Plowman said “the difficulty in securing the necessary commitments to be able to deliver an event of the scale and quality that is expected of the Soccer Sevens” left the organising committee no alternative.

Plowman continued “Naturally we are very disappointed and we would like to thank all the teams, sponsors, stakeholders and fans who had committed to the 2020 event. We will be back in 2021,”

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2019/HK-Soccer-Sevens-HK-Football-Club-18-May-2019/i-KXsGgZx

Images: HK Soccer Sevens

Newcastle United Win Twentieth Anniversary Soccer Sevens

Captain Owen Bailey scored an extra-time winner as Newcastle United defended their HKFC Soccer Sevens title defeating Scotland’s Rangers 4-3 in a thrilling final at Hong Kong Football Club on Sunday.

In a repeat of the 2018 final, Rangers raced into a two-goal lead at half-time courtesy of a brace from Andrew Dallas only for Bailey and Luke Charman to restore parity.

Elias Sorensen completed the comeback for Newcastle from the penalty spot only for Rangers’ Josh McPake to force extra-time, setting the scene for Bailey’s dramatic winner to hand Newcastle a third title.

“We’re really happy because we’ve worked really hard over the weekend, defended really well and I think we’ve got the result we deserve,” said Bailey, who was also part of the triumphant 2018 team.

“At 2-0 down at half-time it didn’t seem like we had much chance because it’s so hard to score in these kind of games, but we got two goals, we got the job done and we’ve won it again.

“I can’t remember much about the goal, it just came back to me and I thought I’d have a go; thankfully it went in and we got the result we wanted.”

Newcastle, who also won the title in 2012, had earlier beaten Portugal’s Portimonense in the last eight and Hong Kong’s Kitchee in the semi-finals as Ben Dawson’s side posted an unbeaten record from their six games.

Rangers were forced to settle for a fourth runner-up finish having also lost in extra-time to Newcastle in 2018 despite earlier beating two-time champions Leicester City and West Ham United in the knockout stage.

“We started the game so well and missed a few chances to kill it, and losses of concentration then affected us,” said Rangers captain Cameron Palmer.

“But we’ve done so well this tournament so we’ve got to be proud of ourselves and hold our heads up high. We’re devastated but we just need to focus, not let it bring us down and look ahead to next year.”

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2019/HK-Soccer-Sevens-HK-Football-Club-18-May-2019/i-KXsGgZx

Two-time runners-up Wallsend Boys Cub, meanwhile, won the Masters title for the first time after beating Citi All Stars 2-1 after extra-time in the final following a brace from striker Craig Dundas.

“I feel elated! With the team being in the final twice and not winning it, it was really time to bring it home and it feels really good,” said Dundas, who was making his debut in the tournament.

“To get the two goals is a beautiful feeling. A few of the guys are crying so you know how much it means to everyone.”

Debutants Wolverhampton Wanderers, meanwhile, won the Main Shield after beating Leicester 2-1 after extra-time in the final.

And six-time champions Aston Villa won the Main Plate following a 2-0 victory over Hong Kong’s Kerry Yau Yee Select in the final.

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2019/HK-Soccer-Sevens-HK-Football-Club-18-May-2019/i-dR6MWkb

Additional reporting and images: HK Soccer Sevens