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Hong Kong Retain Asia Men’s Rugby Championship

Hong Kong successfully defended their Asia Men’s Rugby Champions title beating South Korea 64-3 at Hong Kong Football Club.

A day of superb individual performances at the Hong Kong Football Club saw the hosts secure a bonus point, and a 26-0 lead, after just 20 minutes.

Hong Kong were on the front foot from the kick-off, exerting enough pressure on the Korean defence to put fullback Jack Neville over for the game’s first try after 10 minutes. Wing Seb Brien and centre Ben Axten-Burrett added tries in the next ten minutes before Neville bagged a first half brace to push Hong Kong’s lead to 26-0.

Starved of both space and ball, South Korea could only muster a penalty in reply deep in the half. A red card for a dangerous tackle on Harry Sayers left Korea a man down for the remainder, creating space for a Tyler Spitz try late to bring the total to 31-3 at the break.

The second half was more of the same with Hong Kong entertaining the home crowd with four more tries.

Fly half Matt Rosslee started the scoring shortly after the re-start, tiptoeing down the line before breaking in behind the centre defence to push the score to 38-3 after he converted his own effort.

The forwards muscled in on the action with tries from Callum McCullough, who scored a brace in the second half, including a 60-metre solo effort that saw the big man swerving and dummying the defence beautifully.

McCullough, one of the finds of the ARC campaign, was joined by another new cap on the score sheet in the second half when Fai Solomona crossed the whitewash, showing some superior conditioning to finish off another long-range Hong Kong try.

Ben Axten-Burrett served up that try and capped a fine individual performance with a battering try of his own moments later when the forwards demolished the understrength Korean pack on their line to produce another in a day-long series of fine attacking platforms. Axten-Burrett shoulder charged his way through two defenders for an emphatic finish.

McCullough’s loping effort, with hooker Alexander Post in eager support served as the perfect capping for a day when Hong Kong scored nine tries, running their last two match total to 20, to remain Asian champions.

Hong Kong’s bonus point win sees them finish on a perfect 20 of 20 possible points with South Korea on ten and Malaysia on one.

While it took Hong Kong a half-century to claim its first ever Asia Rugby title, a second convincing run against the region’s top contenders sets an exciting stage for the return of Japan to the competition in 2020.

Hong Kong v South Korea (Hong Kong Football Club, 29 June)

1. Ben Higgins, 2. Alex Post, 3. Grant Kemp, 4. Fin Field, 5. Kyle Sullivan, 6. James Cunningham, 7. Callum Mccullough, 8. Kane Boucaut, 9. Liam Slatem (Captain), 10. Matt Rosslee, 11. Harry Sayers, 12. Ben Axten-Burrett, 13. Tyler Spitz 14. Seb Brien, 15. Jack Neville,
Reserves: 16. Callum Mcfeat Smith 17. Mitch Andrews, 18. Faizal Solomona, 19. Craig Lodge, 20. Sam Tsoi, 21. Jamie Lauder, 22. Lewis Warer, 23, Rob Keith

Additional reporting and images HKRU, Tiger Super Sports

Hong Kong Thrash Malaysia 71-0 in Kuala Lumpur

Hong Kong stayed on track to retain the Asia Rugby Championship with a clinical 71-0 whitewash of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.

After a positive performance last week, Malaysia’s negative tactics at home were a surprise, but seemingly from the outset the hosts planned to frustrate Hong Kong. That plan failed, with the visitors leading 33-0 at the break having secured a bonus point for scoring four with minutes left in the opening stanza.

Hong Kong added lineout dominance to its scrum superiority from last week’s reverse fixture, frustrating the Malaysian attack on multiple levels. Hong Kong also dominated possession, but unlike last week, converted it into points with a 10-try haul.

The reigning Asian Champions made their intent clear from the kick-off, forcing the Malaysians back deep into their own twenty-two where their defence repelled the initial engagements, but eventually conceded one too many professional fouls with the referee awarding a penalty try in just the 6th minute, handing Hong Kong a 7-0 advantage.

In the 12th minute, Malaysia’s cynical play was again penalised with a sin bin, putting them under further pressure. Given all of Hong Kong’s early possession, the scoreboard looked frustratingly similar to that from last week at Hong Kong Football Club, where the hosts could not convert opportunities into points.

Unlike that fixture, Hong Kong maintained its discipline and composure and the relentless pressure soon forced the floodgates open with visitors scoring three more first-half tries:

Wing Harry Sayers pushed Hong Kong’s lead to 14-0 after scoring untouched from an attacking scrum in the 19th minute. Five minutes later, captain Liam Slatem added a good line break to get behind the Malaysian defence and produced a well-timed outlet pass to the onrushing Tyler Spitz with the pugnacious centre flashing the final 35 metres for another try. Matt Rosslee’s conversion was wide but Hong Kong had extended its lead to 19-0.

Paul Altier converted another attacking opportunity seconds later, benefiting from a line break sparked by fly half Jack Neville, for the bonus point try as Hong Kong pushed its lead to 33-0 with 40 minutes of action left.

The second half proved more of the same as Hong Kong exorcised its frustrations from a fortnight ago, with seven tries down the stretch.

Slatem started the action with a typical sniping try after the forwards continued to plague the Malaysian lineout in the second half, stealing their third throw-in of the game on the Malaysian line with Slatem darting in to touch the bouncing ball down over the line.

A nice solo effort from Altier saw the current Hong Kong U20 captain, playing alongside his co-captain Sam Tsoi tonight, convert a 60-metre break for his brace, before No.8 Kane Boucaut burrowed over for his first try moments later as Hong Kong pushed its lead to 52-nil.

Sayers, another player capped for the first time in this year’s Asia Rugby Championship, collected his brace in the 67th minute finishing off a broken attacking play as the Malaysian defence capitulated down the stretch. Jack Neville and Lewis Warner added tries in the final quarter with Matt Rosslee converting seven of nine on the day to give Hong Kong the 71-0 win.

Slatem credited the win to a more experienced selection this weekend and a more professional outlook saying, “Last week, we played a young side and Malaysia really brought it, which was great for the young guys to get that experience and Malaysia really brought it. This week we really worked hard in our preparation and I think that experience in the squad and that little bit more professionalism got us over the line.

“Now we need to reset, get our recovery on point and do our homework on Korea and hopefully get a result next Saturday,” said the captain.

Hong Kong Squad V Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, 22 June):

1. Ben Higgins, 2. Alex Post, 3. Grant Kemp, 4. Fin Field, 5. Kyle Sullivan, 6. Callum Mccullough, 7. James Cunningham, 8. Kane Boucaut, 9. Liam Slatem (C), 10. Jack Neville, 11. Conor Hartley, 12. Matt Rosslee, 13. Tyler Spitz, 14. Harry Sayers, 15. Paul Altier
Reserves: 16. Mitch Andrews, 17. Dan Barlow, 18. Faisal Solomona, 19.Sam Tsoi, 20. Cris Pierrepont, 21. Jamie Lauder, 22. Benjamin Axten-Burrett, 23. Lewis Warner

Additional reporting and images HKRU, Tiger Super Sports

Hong Kong Made Hard Work of Malaysia in 30-24 Win

Hong Kong earned a tough 30-24 win over Malaysia in the Asia Men’s Rugby Championship 2019. The bonus point win lifts Hong Kong – defending its first ever Asian title, to the top of the table, level with South Korea but with the better points differential and a game in hand.

The taut nature of the match, makes next week’s return leg in Kuala Lumpur that much more interesting, Malaysia coach Brad Mika was pleased with his team’s outing, saying, “I’m really proud of the boys, they showed some character we hadn’t seen in the first two games. We talked about self-belief a lot this week and I think they surprised themselves a bit today. We are looking forward to having another crack at them next week, but I am sure they will come back much stronger.”

Malaysia took the early lead in the match and narrowed a 17-point margin to three points in the final ten minutes, despite conceding significant possession and territorial advantage to the hosts. Hong Kong generated an overwhelming number of chances on the day, but a mixture of stiff defence from the visitors and a bit of offensive rustiness saw most of those chances go awry.

Hong Kong started brilliantly, turning Malaysia over from the kick off to drive to the visitor’s try line; but, as they would throughout the day, the Malaysian defence managed to produce a turnover or force the ball from Hong Kong’s grasp at key moments.

With the turnover Malaysia were on the counter-attack, one of the strengths of their game, with big No.8 Etoni Saukura doing the early damage scoring the game’s opening try after just 8 minutes.

Scrumhalf Bryn Phillips put the hosts on the board seven minutes later, as he collected the ball off the back of a driving scrum to score neatly to the right of Malaysia’s sticks. Flyhalf Paul Altier’s conversion was off target, 7-5.

A penalty against Hong Kong saw Malaysian fly half Mohammad Rahman extend that lead to 10-5 minus later. That score held until the final minutes of the half, despite both teams having plenty of chances to cross the whitewash.

Late in the first half, Hong Kong forced a series of attacking scrums on the Malaysian line. The defence foiled those attacks, but Hong Kong capitalized when the tables were turned and Malaysia had the put in to a defensive scrum beneath their own posts. Hong Kong took the scrum against the head, producing the ball quickly for their backs.

Wing Sam Purvis was the beneficiary, giving Hong Kong its first lead of the game in the 35th minute – 12-10 after Altier’s conversion. Altier slotted home a penalty on the stroke of half-time to send Hong Kong into the break leading 15-10.

After a convincing second half performance last week against South Korea, the crowd expected an easy win for the hosts. But the game stayed scrappy with Malaysia working hard in defence to keep the score at 15-10 for most of the third period.

Malaysian prop Bryan Willfreddoline was sin-binned for infringing at the scrum and the visitors were on the back foot for the entirety of the penalty, ultimately conceding a try to back rower Callum McCullough as Hong Kong pushed their lead to 22-10 after the conversion was wide.

Hooker Mitch Andrews, making his debut, scored a fourth try moments later to secure the crucial bonus point, 27-10.

Malaysia though were not finished, a second try from Saukura closed the gap to 27-17, and minutes later courtesy of a fortunate bounce added a third to further erode the lead to 27-24. A late Jack Neville penalty was the final score of the match, giving Hong Kong a narrow 30-24 win.

“We’re pleased to get the win, first of all,” said coach Andrew Hall after the game, “Credit to Malaysia, they really tested us. They are probably 15 to 20 points better at home, so that gives us some real food for thought this week. But we continued our momentum in the competition, we blooded some new caps, and we tried out some new combinations and gave some players a chance, which are all positives. We need to look at to what extent those combinations worked and to what extent the players took their opportunities.

“You would prefer to have a more comfortable win, but this may actually be best for us. This is probably good to show us that it is damn hard and if you are 1 or 2 per cent off your game these teams will sting you,” Hall added.

Hall credited prop Jack Parfitt, the most capped player on the field for Hong Kong with 28, with a typical steadying presence around the park, picking up significant metres with ball in hand in the loose.

But the veteran was left wanting more from Hong Kong’s performance a week today.

“We weren’t clinical enough today. Fair play to them, they played really well, but I think we bought into their stuff a bit and went off track. We didn’t stick to our game plan or execute the way we can or want to. We will go away and look at our individual performances, and what we can do better as individuals, and work on what went wrong as a team and how we get better from here,” said Parfitt.

Hong Kong and South Korea are now level on the championship table on 10 points with Malaysia earning its first point for a loss within seven.

Hong Kong travel to Kuala Lumpur next week for the return leg.

Hong Kong Squad v Malaysia (HKFC, 15 June):
1. Dan Barlow, 2. Jamie Tsang (Captain), 3. Jack Parfitt, 4. Craig Lodge, 5. Kyle Sullivan, 6. Callum Mccullough, 7. Cris Pierrepont, 8. Kane Boucaut, 9. Bryn Phillips, 10. Paul Altier 11. Sebastien Brien, 12. Ben Axten-Burrett, 13. Lewis Warner, 14. Sam Purvis, 15. Rob Keith,
Reserves: 16. Mitch Andrews, 17. Callum McFeat Smith, 18. Keelan Chapman, 19.Sam Tsoi, 20.James Cunningham, 21. Jamie Lauder, 22.Jack Neville, 23. Tyler Spitz

Additional reporting and images HKRU

Hong Kong Overpower South Korea 47-10

A Conor Hartley hat-trick was the highlight of a six-try, bonus point victory as Hong Kong began their Asia Rugby title defence under new head coach Andy Hall in Incheon.

With a squad featuring three new caps and several players in their first test against Asian opponents it took twenty minutes for Hong Kong to settle, but once they found their footing and grew into the game, the new-look team expanded a 14-10 half-time lead into a convincing 47-10 win.

Wing Conor Hartley led all scorers with three tries, while wing Harry Sayers and fullback Paul Altier scored on their debut and Dayne Jans was also among the tries. Centre Matt Rosslee had a near-perfect outing with the boot as he struck three penalties and four conversions on the day.

Hall was pleased to have his first win under his belt and for the squad to have their first test victory since the disappointment of the Rugby World Cup repechage last November.

“It’s always nice to get a win, especially with some big shoes to fill,” said Hall, who had called for the team to put a marker in the sand in Asia ahead of today’s match.

“We really responded to that today, especially with that second half. Our forwards deserve a lot of credit. Our scrum was a weapon today for us against Korea, particularly early on, and that gave us a good attacking platform.”

The pack set up Hong Kong’s first scoring opportunity in the fourth minute when they blew up the hosts’ forwards in the game’s opening scrum, gifting Rosslee his first chance of the day, which he buried.

Korea replied immediately with their only try of the match, as they capitalised off the sliver of daylight allowed by the defence to pierce the try-line after seven minutes, claiming the lead 7-3.

Rosslee replied with a second penalty after 15 minutes to pull matters back to within a point at 7-6, before Hong Kong’s first try-scoring opportunity came five minutes later off an attacking lineout on Korea’s 10-metre line. The attacking lineout is one of Hong Kong’s go-to attacking weapons, but Korea managed to disrupt the driving maul.

Hong Kong shifted gears and produced some good chaos rugby that eventually saw lock Fin Field flick an overhead basketball pass out wide for Conor Hartley who smashed over for the score as Hong Kong took the lead 11-7.

Fly half Han Gumin scored a penalty (11-10) but missed a second that would have given Korea the lead. Rosslee kept his cool to slot home a penalty that put Hong Kong ahead 14-10 at the break.

A Korean miscue to start the second half gave Hong Kong possession in a strong attacking position. The pressure told quickly as Hartley picked a devastating line to crash over for his second close range score. Rosslee’s conversion pushed Hong Kong’s lead to 21-10 after 50 minutes.

The floodgates then opened as Hong Kong scored twice more in the next ten minutes, with both of the debutants in the back three crossing the whitewash. First Sayers made his splash with a change of direction break that led to a 40-metre try and a 28-10 lead after Rosslee’s conversion. Moments later, Altier was on hand to finish another positive attack with a try in the corner, as Hong Kong extended the lead to 35-10 with 20 minutes left.

The forwards got on the score sheet in the 70th minute when hooker Dayne Jans ultimately trundled the ball over the line to convert an attacking lineout. In the 80th minute, Hartley strolled through some flailing arm tackles to complete his hat trick, final score 47-10.

Hall was pleased with his side’s clinical display in the second half, saying, “We talked a lot about taking our opportunities at half-time and I was pleased that we executed that. Paul and Harry both scored on their debut, which is an important bit of confidence for those back three players.

“Conor had a great game as well; beyond the tries, he really showed a lot of maturity in his game today and led the young guys in the back row well.

“It’s a good start and we have a bit of momentum now, but we have Malaysia next week and that is a quick turnaround, said Hall.

“We need to get home and get into things quickly. Malaysia are much improved and have some shock value. They have the potential to surprise us if we don’t get our approach correct,” Hall added.

Hong Kong’s win sees them leapfrog Malaysia into second place on the leader board with five points. Korea are on top on ten points after their two bonus point wins over Malaysia.

Hong Kong Squad v South Korea (Incheon, 8 June)

1. Ben Higgins, 2. Alex Post, 3. Grant Kemp, 4. Fin Field, 5. Kyle Sullivan, 6. James Cunningham, 7. Callum McCullugh, 8. Kane Boucaut, 9. Liam Slatem (Captain), 10. Jack Neville, 11. Conor Hartley, 12. Matt Rosslee, 13. Ben Axten-Burrett, 14. Harry Sayers, 15. Paul Altier, 16. Dayne Jans, 17. Dan Barlow, 18. Jack Parfitt, 19. Craig Lodge, 20. Cris Pierrepoint, 21. Bryn Phillips, 22. Lewis Warer, 23, Rob Keith.

Additional reporting and images HKRU

Hong Kong Begin Asia Men’s Rugby Championship Defence in South Korea

Hong Kong begin their defence of the Asia Men’s Rugby Championship against South Korea in Incheon on the 8 June. New head coach Andrew Hall will be looking both to the future and to see how the team can make, what permanently seems a step too far and qualify for the Men’s Rugby World Cup.

Hall’s first selection underlines the fresh feel, with just nine of last year’s squad for the same tie selected, a number that reflects retirements after the repechage and the omission of most of the sevens squad as they prepare for the Asian series and Olympic qualifier later this year.

Three players are set to earn their first caps in Korea: flanker Callum McCullough, fullback Paul Altier and winger Harry Sayers. Sayers and McCullough, Hong Kong born players raised in the United Kingdom and New Zealand respectively, returned to the SAR in 2018 to press their international claims.

Altier, meanwhile, is the poster boy of the HKRU’s development schemes having earned representative honours at every age grade level. The fullback, who will return to his studies at University of Bath in the fall, is the current captain of the U20s squad and will lead that team to the Junior World Trophy later this summer.

All three will look to seize on the opportunities presented in this transitional period, according to Hall, who is keen on rewarding form and players who put their hands up when given chances.

The 25-year old McCullough earns his first cap as, “reward for some really good club form this season and some hard work in his ERP trial,” said Hall, who also noted that McCullough’s height will provide an added benefit in pressurising the Korean line-out.

Sayers will complete his collection of Hong Kong caps by adding a fifteen a-side appearance to his sevens debut last month at the Singapore Sevens.

“Harry is another guy who really took his opportunity well with the sevens this season. He has some real gas, and adds another weapon and a bit of aggression for us on the outside,” said Hall.

“I’m delighted for Paul as well,” added Hall. “He has worked hard and proved himself at every level in our age grade programmes. In our view, he was always the next cab off the rank in terms of being named in the squad by merit, and we have watched him progress for a long while now. It’s hugely pleasing to see a guy like that get a first cap.”

Joining the three newcomers in the squad are several players who have yet to experience Asian international competition – after debuting at last year’s World Cup Repechage, including forwards Grant Kemp and Craig Lodge, and backs Ben Axten-Burrett, Lewis Warner and Bryn Phillips.

Hall reflected on selecting his first squad and the start of a new cycle, saying, “There are all sorts of emotions, really; excitement, for me and the players, and a bit of nerves as well. We have some big shoes to fill, but I have had great support from the coaching team and the last say on this selection, which is exciting.”

“There is a lot of anticipation – from me, the coaches and the players – to get back to the international game. This is our first opportunity since the repechage; we have put that result behind us mentally and it will be good now in an international to really bury that.

“We have an opportunity to put a marker in the sand,” Hall added. “We have had success in Korea the last few years, but it’s never easy and we recognise that. That success has come down to having the right approach, players who are ‘on it’, and executing well. Nothing changes now.

“We have to stop their momentum, that is it. If you give them a sniff of the game, they are extremely difficult to contain.”

The early momentum is already in Korea’s favour after they swept Malaysia and had a week’s rest ahead of Hong Kong. Should they defend home turf, Hong Kong will not be able to afford any miscues over the coming month.

“They are coming into it with two games and two wins under their belts. They are comfortable in their combinations and patterns, and will be very happy with that, so we are going to have to disrupt that and ensure they don’t get into their stride.”

Hong Kong Squad v South Korea (Incheon, 8 June)

Additional reporting and images HKRU

Cook Islands 3-26 Hong Kong @ Rarotonga

In the first ever test match between the two teams, Hong Kong claimed the upper hand in their Rugby world Cup 2019 qualification battle with the Cook Islands after a comprehensive 26-3 win in the home and away play-off.

Hong Kong ranked 21st in the world held the 54th ranked Cook Islands try-less in Rarotonga, allowing the hosts just a single first-half penalty as they took a big step towards November’s repechage tournament in France.

“It was a tough game and that was a hell of a win,” said a delighted Hong Kong coach Leigh Jones after the match. “I don’t get overly excited about things, but I think it was a historic day for Hong Kong. Cook Islands brought everyone back and they have some top quality players in that side but our performance was just outstanding.”

“Ahead of the game, we talked about every point being precious, whether we are giving them away or getting them; so that [holding Cook Islands to a single penalty] was a great credit to the boys. They wanted to keep the clean sheet and they did.” Jones added.

Canada have booked their place in the final four repechage already while Samoa have opened a big lead on Germany in another bracket. The winner of Hong Kong versus Cook Islands will join them and the winners of the Africa qualification campaign next November.

Hong Kong shrugged off the 25-hour travel to the islands as they stormed deep into Cook Islands territory from the kick-off to set up their first try. No. 8 Thomas Lamboley crossed the line in the third minute after a series of well-executed attacking phases on the hosts try line.

Flyhalf Matt Rosslee missed the conversion attempt, he missed all four of Hong Kong’s conversions, but was more accurate on his penalty attempts, slotting tough chances on either side of half time.

Hong Kong extended their lead in the 12th minute when Jack Neville took a sneaky reverse pass from centre Lex Kalecka. Cutting against the defence Neville’s run and pass put scrumhalf Liam Slatem clear in the corner, 10-0.

The Cook Islands scored their only points of the game with a penalty after Nick Hewson was penalised for sealing off the tackler on the ground. Centre Greg Mullany’s kick putting the hosts on the board, 10-3 after 23 minutes.

Moments later winger Conor Hartley served a perfect pass by Slatem allowing him to stroll across the tramlines for Hong Kong’s third try and a 15-3 lead.

Rosslee closed out the first half with a successful penalty to send Hong Kong into the break up 18-3.

Throughout the first period Hong Kong regularly exploited overlaps in the Cook Islands defence, with all of their tries coming out wide, as the forwards penetrated the hosts midfield defence, luring defenders in from the flanks to create space for the backs.

The Cook Islands put in an improved showing in the second half, aided by a swirling wind that hampered Hong Kong in the final stages.

“You couldn’t see it on TV, but there was a really strong wind and that was why it looked like it was a game of two halves,” said Jones. “It was very difficult for us to get out of our half in the second half, largely because of the wind.”

Rosslee scored Hong Kong’s first points of the second half with a second penalty to push the lead to 21-3.

The visitors added a fourth try late in the game when Max Woodward, who moments earlier had accounted for a try-saving tackle, finished off some great interplay with winger Salom Yiu Kam-shing by crossing over in the left corner.

“It was a very physical game, we were expecting that. They are a big, big side and it was a very physical out there. We have a few battered and bruised, but so have they,” said Jones.

“If we are going to get to where we want to get, we have to cope with opposition and teams like that. Today’s result shows that we are progressing and are able to cope at that next level,” said Jones.

Both sides will now journey back to Hong Kong and Jones is curious to see what the opposition’s selection will look like. “It will be interesting to see what their travel party will look like and whether some of their big names travel, but it will be a similar approach for us. It’s cup rugby and we don’t need to be too flamboyant. We just need to do what it says on the tin and play good solid, percentage rugby.”

Hong Kong v Cook Islands:
James Cunningham (Captain), Daniel Barlow, Dylan Rogers, Jack Delaforce, Nicholas Hewson, Toy Fenn, Thomas Lamboley, Liam Slatem, Matthew Rosslee, Yiu Kam-shing, Max Woodward, Jack Neville, Conor Hartley, Jamie Hood, Alexander Post, Adam Fullgrabe, Jack Parfitt, Michael Parfitt, Kane Boucaut, Cris Pierrepont, Jamie Lauder, Max Denmark, Benjamin Roberts, Lex Kaleca.

Additional reporting and images: HKRU

RWC Japan Qualification Attempt Continues Against Cook Islands

Hong Kong take on the Cook Islands in the second of three possible qualification phases for the Rugby World Cup with a home and away series on 30 June (away) and 7 July (Hong Kong Football Club). The winner advances to a four-team repechage tournament later this year to decide the 20^th spot at Japan 2019.

The Cook Islands are ranked 54^th in the world, 33 spots behind Hong Kong at 21 and national coach Leigh Jones was perhaps a touch overly dramatic when he said “Not to overplay it, but it’s probably one of the most important games in Hong Kong rugby history,” ahead of the team’s departure on Wednesday night.

Hong Kong’s undefeated run in the Asia Rugby Championship earlier this month marked a successful first step on the Road to 2019, but the second is shaping up to be more sizeable, starting with a 25-hour away trip to Raratonga, Cook Islands that includes a forced 10-hour stopover in Auckland.

“It’s an horrendous trip in many ways, but we are preparing well for it. The larger problem is the time. The Cook Islands are 18 hours behind us, so it throws our body clock off significantly,” said Jones

“You can go down early and acclimatize and get your body on Cook Islands time, but then you have to travel back to Hong Kong and play here seven days later, so there is a potential that we could be kind of undercooked on both ends in terms of our body clock.”

“Luke [Davey, Head of Performance at the HKRU’s Elite Rugby Programme] and our team have been planning meticulously for this for awhile. We will do our best to stay on Hong Kong time to make the home leg adjustment much easier, which throws up a lot of logistical issues for us, but we have overcome many of them,” Jones added.

During the 10-hour stopover in Auckland the team will have a training session at the Chiefs Super Rugby franchise.

“We must thank the Chiefs High Performance Manager Chris Tindall and Dave Galbraith, their Mental Skills and Leadership Coach, for their support. The Chiefs have been magnificent in arranging things on that end to make that 10 hours as palatable as possible,” Jones added.

The match kick-offs at 3pm local time, which is 9am Hong Kong time.

“We have changed our programme over the last three weeks. We have been getting up progressively earlier, so the guys were at Football Club at 7am yesterday going flat out to ensure their bodies are okay and adjusted for what is effectively a 9am kick-off,” Jones noted.

Jones is pleased with the squad’s preparations so far. “The players are ready to go. I am glad the game is this weekend, another week and the frustration may have started building, but the timing has been pretty good for us. We had a week to rest after the ARC and then two to three weeks to train and maintain intensity. We are in a good space.”

With some players under slight injury clouds and considering the lengthy travel, Jones has opted to be safe rather than sorry in taking 25 players in the travel squad with 23 set for the final selection.

The squad includes former Under 20s star hooker Alexander Post, who was capped for Hong Kong in last year’s tour to Kenya. Post will add cover for Ben Roberts, who picked up a niggling rib injury against Korea in the final match of the Asian championship.

“We’ve probably got eight to 10 injuries, but the guys really stepped up during the ARC and proved that they’re of the quality we need. That speaks well for the programme and our approach.”

Cook Islands had a circuitous route of their own to reach this stage. They lost to Tahiti in the Oceania qualifier, but that result was later overturned after Tahiti were found to have fielded ineligible players. The turnover in teams has left Hong Kong in the dark somewhat about what they will face on Saturday.

“We are going into the unknown to a large extent,” admitted Jones. “We’ve done our research on their players and they have some quality. Guys playing Top 14 in France, Mitre Cup in New Zealand, guys who’ve played against the British Lions in Super Rugby, so it will be challenging, particularly at forward, but we are very aware of how tough it’s going to be.”

“It’s cup rugby and we’re away from home, so we need to be smart, our discipline needs to be really good, our set piece needs to function, and we need to be playing in the right areas.

“The series will be decided on aggregate points across the two games, so we need to be really smart in how we manage the game and manage the crowd on Saturday,” Jones emphasized.

Hong Kong Squad Against Cook Islands:
James Cunningham (Captain), Daniel Barlow, Jamie Tsang, Dylan Rogers, Jack Delaforce, Nicholas Hewson, Toy Fenn, Thomas Lamboley, Liam Slatem, Matthew Rosslee, Yiu Kam-shing, Max Woodward, Jack Neville, Conor Hartley, Jamie Hood, Alexander Post, Adam Fullgrabe, Jack Parfitt, Michael Parfitt, Kane Boucaut, Cris Pierrepont, Jamie Lauder, Max Denmark, Benjamin Roberts, Lex Kaleca.

Additional reporting and images: HKRU

Hong Kong Win First Asia Rugby Championship!

Hong Kong won their first Asia Rugby Championship (ARC), since the inception of the new format in 2008, with a comprehensive 39-5 win over South Korea in the final game.

The win means Hong Kong have navigated the first hurdle in their bid to qualify for Rugby World Cup 2019 and progress to a home-and-away series with Oceania qualifiers Cook Islands at the end of June to decide the region’s entry into November’s international repechage stage.

An away win over Korea meant Hong Kong entered the game in a commanding position on the championship ladder only needing a losing bonus point to secure their first Asian title, but coach Leigh Jones was calling for more from his side.

“Only a win will do,” Jones said ahead of kick-off, and his squad delivered with a complete performance. Hong Kong had secured the title by half-time after collecting a bonus point for scoring four tries in the opening stanza as the hosts posted 31 points before the break.

Flyhalf Matt Rosslee opened the scoring with a penalty in the early stages as both sides settled into the encounter after a scrappy start. While unforced errors continued to plague the visitors, Hong Kong gathered momentum and confidence over a first forty minutes that saw the lion’s share of play in the Korean end.

Rosslee added the opening try in the twelfth minute, after centre Max Woodward folded the midfield defence with a thumping crash ball. Prop Dan Barlow drove the ball to the line in second phase play before setting a perfect platform for the backs with Rosslee diving across the whitewash beneath the posts. Rosslee’s conversion gave Hong Kong a 10-0 bumper before scrumhalf Liam Slatem widened the margin with the first of a brace of tries on the afternoon.

Showing great field vision and an instinctual feel for the attack, Slatem took a quick tap and run from a penalty to leave the Korean defence flat-footed and score in the right corner. Rosslee’s conversion was true as Hong Kong extended its lead to 17-0.

Salom Yiu Kam-shing added to South Korea’s misery moments later after the veteran winger perfectly judged his entry into the backline and accepted a nifty reverse pass to cross over unmolested. Rosslee maintained his perfect conversion record as Hong Kong pushed the lead to 24-0.

Korean prop Kang Taehyon was sent to the sinbin shortly thereafter for repeated infringements at the breakdown. With the man advantage, Hong Kong looked to have scored its fourth try of the half, but flanker Toby Fenn’s effort was disallowed by the television match official.

Slatem scored his second shortly thereafter, finishing off a beautiful piece of open play by Hong Kong with wing Conor Hartley showing some great hands to reel in a tough pass from Rosslee before slipping the ball to Slatem, who also juggled for control before collecting the ball at pace and darting over near the posts. Rosslee’s conversion was successful and Hong Kong took a 31-0 lead and their first Asian title into the sheds at half-time.

Hartley and Slatem were standouts in the Championship campaign, finishing as joint top try scorers with four each.

Korea returned to full strength early in the second half but another slow start saw them concede an opening penalty, which Rosslee slotted to push the lead to 34-0.

The Koreans notched their only points of the game off a scrum on Hong Kong’s 5-metre line as captain Lee Yongseung dragged several defenders over the line to avert the shutout. The conversion was unsuccessful and Hong Kong led 34-5.

A second yellow card to Korea further distorted the game, as did a series of injuries and head injury assessments, that contributed to a stop-start second half, with neither side being able to introduce any fluidity in the proceedings.

Scrumhalf Jamie Lauder eventually capped a fecund day for the home side with his try to close out the proceedings. Despite a largely forgettable second half, Hong Kong will take momentum from a near pristine opening act as they prepare for the Cook Islands in four weeks time.

“I think it was probably the most clinical first half I have seen in a very long time. Everything we did on the training field just turned up on the pitch and we went into half-time knowing the job was pretty much done,” said Jones.

“It was an outstanding performance and it speaks volumes about the attitude and preparations of the players and coaching staff this week,” Jones added.

Celebrations for a first Asian title will be short-lived as Hong Kong prepare to front up for the Cook Islands.

“First of all the guys will have a week off as it has been a tough old campaign,” said Jones. “We are a bit in the dark with the Cook Islands. We know very little about them, so we are going to have do our research now to see how to prepare for them,” he added.

The month-long layoff before the next game will help the rest of the squad get fit as well. “We had almost another full team sat in the stand who were injured today and hopefully another eight or ten of them will be ready for selection for the Cook Islands,” Jones noted. “Today we were down to the last man standing almost behind the scrum, so it will be nice to have a few selection headaches for the Cooks,” he added.

Hong Kong
15. Rob Keith, 14. Kam Shing Yiu, 13. Jack Neville, 12. Max Woodward, 11. Conor Hartley, 10. Matthew Rosslee, 9. Liam Slatem, 8. Thomas Lamboley, 7. Toby Fenn, 6. Nick Hewson, 5. Kyle Sullivan, 4. James Cunningham, 3. Dylan Rogers, 2. Ben Roberts, 1. Dan Barlow

South Korea
15. Jae Bok Lee, 14. Jeong Min Jang, 13. Seong Min Jang, 12. Seon Gu Kim 11. Nam Uk Kim, 10. Youn Hyung Oh, 9. Ki Cheol Shin 8. Yong Seung Lee (captain), 7. Injo Hwang, 6. Sung Kun Cha, 5. Jin Seok Lee 4. Seok Hwan Jang, 3. Taeh Yeon Kang, 2. Ji Hoon You, 1. Kwanyoung Na