Tag: Rugby World Cup

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.

Photo by : Ike Li / Ike Images

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)

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 80 Minutes Away From Rugby World Cup Debut

Looking to emulate the women’s team and play in the Rugby World Cup, Hong Kong’s men need a bonus-point win – for scoring four tries or more – and have to prevent Canada from securing a losing-bonus point (for a loss within seven points) to advance to next year’s tournament in Japan.

It’ll be a tough challenge as Canada have looked imposing in the repechage, claiming bonus point wins against Kenya and Germany, as they to look to continue a proud tradition of qualifying for every Rugby World Cup since the first in 1987. The match kick’s off at 4am Hong Kong time Saturday morning.

https://youtu.be/wzQgxm6uYFQ

Their poor performance in the loss against Germany sees Hong Kong needing to take risks, Dai Rees, Chief Rugby Operations Officer at the HKRU, believes that the reward is worth it.

“We have made changes to the squad again and have taken some chances along the route in our selection and learned some important lessons for this game. We want a squad that can come in with high energy.

“Canada have played basically the same squad both games, while we have had a different line-up each time, and have now been able to use everyone. We’re confident that if we bring that energy and are in it at half time, then the game will look after itself.

“It’s going to take a ten-out-of-ten performance but we have prepared with specificity for Canada and are hoping that this group brings energy and takes some risks to qualify.

“The reward is to come off with a victory and four tries. We aren’t coming in just looking for a win, we’re going in with a game plan to qualify for the World Cup.”

The need to first establish parity with physical Canadians has seen Hong Kong revert to its heavy unit, with a selection that resembles the squad named against Germany.

Reflecting the balancing act required in needing both a supercharged attack and a spotless defence, Hong Kong has called up two players from the wider travel squad as injury cover, with 6’7”, 15-stone lock Craig Lodge earning the start – and his first Hong Kong cap – in a high-pressure situation, while scrumhalf Jamie Lauder moves to the reserves bench.

The inclusion of Lodge into the second row alongside Fin Field forces captain James Cunningham to the flank, where he frequently plays for his club Kowloon, adding more muscle to what has already been an impactful back row with No.8 Thomas Lamboley and flanker Toby Fenn productive both offensively and defensively in France.

The starting front row against Germany, loosehead prop Dan Barlow, hooker Dayne Jans and tight head prop Grant Kemp, will man the coalface to start against Canada. Nick Hewson and Michael Parfitt have been named as backrow reserves, with props Ben Higgins and Jack Parfitt and reserve hooker and former U20s captain, Alexander Post, making his first match appearance in France, shoring up the tight five.

“Bringing a guy like Craig, who is 6’7”, 6’8”, on to the park, and moving JC [James Cunningham], another 6’4” big man, into the back row, will help us better combat Canada’s size and strength early on,” said Rees.

“We need to bring a lot of power and strength in the first half, but we’re also in it for the long haul, and are hoping that if we can keep close entering the last 30 minutes or so, then the tries will start to come,” Rees added.

Hong Kong will look to its ever dangerous backs to capitalize on what is hoped will be a flagging Canadian defence in Marseille, with another 6’7” behemoth in winger Conor Hartley eager to get the ball in hand more than in his first outing against Germany. Hartley’s physicality should present a jarring contrast for the Canadians with his silky back-three partners Salom Yiu and Casey Stone at full-back.

Typifying the energy Hong Kong selectors are after is Liam Slatem, the cagey scrumhalf who gets the start over Lauder and Jamie Hood, both capable nines in their own rights, while steady fly-half Matt Rosslee anchors the backline and looks to continue what has been a fruitful tournament with the boot.

The centre pairing of Ben Axten-Burrett and Tyler Spitz also gets another run after testing well against Kenya.

Utility backs Jamie Hood and Jamie Lauder provide attacking threats at every position across the backline, while the direct running of reserve centre Max Woodward should further help break down the Canadian defence late in the game.

Rees complimented the call-ups for the impact they have had, saying, “It’s been tough for both of them. They weren’t selected in the original 30, and now they get this huge opportunity for the last game, but they’ve come in and added energy for us.

“Alex Post as well, they have all come in and contributed, and the entire 35-man travel squad has been tremendous in supporting the group as well. You couldn’t ask for more from any of the players or management.

“One of the true tests of a group is how they handle themselves on tour. Here we are five and a half weeks away from home and the energy level is as high as it was when we left. The camaraderie and the professionalism the players and coaches have displayed should make all of Hong Kong proud,” Rees added.

Hong Kong v Canada
RWC 2019 Repechage, Marseille, 23 November 2018

1. Dan Barlow, 2. Dayne Jans, 3. Grant Kemp, 4. Craig Lodge, 5. Finlay Field, 6. James Cunningham ©, 7. Toby Fenn, 8. Thomas Lamboley, 9. Liam Slatem, 10. Matt Rosslee, 11. Conor Hartley 12. Ben Axten-Burrett 13. Tyler Spitz, 14. Yiu Kam-Shing, Salom 15. Casey Stone. 16. Alexander Post, 17. Ben Higgins, 18. Jack Parfitt, 19. Michael Parfitt, 20. Nick Hewson, 21. Jamie Lauder 22. Jamie Hood, 23. Max Woodward

Additional reporting and images: HKRU, World Rugby

Hong Kong v Canada for Rugby World Cup 2019

Canada and Hong Kong will play off for the 20th and final place at RWC 2019 on Friday 23 November after both sides came through difficult challenges from Germany and Kenya respectively to pick up bonus-point wins in round two of the RWC repechage at the Stade Delort in Marseille.

After taking maximum points for the second match in a row with a 29-10 victory over Germany, Canada lead the standings by five points from Hong Kong, who need to win with a bonus point when the sides meet in the third and final round and also deny the Canucks anything from the game to make it to their first Rugby World Cup.

A place in Pool B alongside defending champions New Zealand, two-time Rugby World Cup winners South Africa, Italy and Namibia awaits the winner of the round-robin repechage tournament.

For Kenya and Germany, the qualification dream is now over.

Additional reporting and images: World Rugby

Hong Kong v Wales @ Cardiff Arms Park

Hong Kong take on Wales tonight [03:00 HK time] at the iconic Cardiff Arms Park in the second and final test of their European Tour. In announcing the team Coach Jo Hull, needing to expose a largely inexperienced squad to international rugby against top ranked countries, has kept the team largely intact from last week’s first, with a few tweaks.

Centre Grace Hood starts in place of Sarah Lucas, whom she replaced at half-time in Alicante.  Lucas moves to the bench for the start of the match. Hong Kong sevens contract player Stephanie Chan will get her first start at full-back, while U20s star Jessica Eden earns her first cap for Hong Kong on the wing.

New prop Debby Lam Ka-wai has been named to the bench and Flanker Pun Wai-yan comes in for Maggie Au Yeung who moves to the opposite flank, pushing first test try-scorer Winnie Siu to the bench. Experienced scrum half Sham Wai-sum and utility back Lau Sze-wah also make the bench.

For Hull, the measure of success lies in how much improvement the side shows from game one to two.

“The challenge we have set for the team is that we must see improvement from game to game. The whole purpose of this trip is to improve. This is year one of our three year journey for 2021 [Women’s Rugby World Cup] qualification and even, in the bigger picture, 2025″ said Hull

“This is the group and this is the first step. By playing these teams, the players will get invaluable experience and exposure at this level. We need to expose them as much as possible before 2021 and 2025.”

Hull is under no illusions that the difficulty level is increasing in Wales, ranked ninth in the world entering tonight’s clash.

“Looking at the Spain game, it really was a huge defensive effort from us. The key areas we were lacking in were our set piece and being able to get ahold of the ball initially, and then keep ahold of it and keep that possession.

“We were defending from the start of the game, so our defence has again been a focus for us ahead of Wales. They are a very strong and physical team.

“The breakdown is going to be important for us in terms of being able to stop them from gaining momentum. So we have been looking at our scrum and lineout a lot this week and we need to see significant improvement there.

“It is difficult to play rugby if we are missing a lot of tackles, as we did in Spain. The big challenge is to match their physicality and make sure they don’t run away with the game or build too much momentum early on and not to let them bully us,” continued Hull.

“We felt the subs did well against Spain, so it is reassuring to see that we are starting to develop a bench that can add impact to the game,” Hull added.

Hong Kong v Wales Test (Cardiff Arms Park, Wales, 16 Nov 2018)

1. Lau Nga-Wun, 2. Dr. Karen So (Captain), 3. Yip Cho-Kwan, 4. Chan Ka-Yan, 5. Tsang Ching-Man, 6. Pun Wai-Yan, 7. Maggie Au Yeung, 8. Melody Li (Vice Captain), 9. Jessica Ho, 10. Cheng Lok-Tung, 11. Chong Ka-Yan, 12. Grace Hood, 13. Natasha Olson-Thorne (Vice Captain), 14. Jessica Eden, 15. Stephanie Chan, 16. Charlotte Myrans, 17. Vincci Leung, 18. Lam Ka-Wai, 19. Amber Chan, 20. Winnie Siu, 21. Sham Wai-Sum, 22. Sarah Lucas 23. Lau Sze-Wa.

Additional reporting and images: HKRU, Gai Wu

New Zealand to Host Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021

New Zealand will host the ninth Women’s Rugby World Cup in July and August of 2021. World Rugby awarded the hosting rights for the first tournament in the Southern Hemisphere to Auckland and Whangarei on New Zealand’s North Island by 25 votes to 17 ahead of Australia.

Women’s rugby continues to experience global growth and participation levels are at an all-time high. The six week tournament will be played at four stadiums with the final at the iconic Eden Park, which hosted the men’s Rugby World Cup 2011 final.

According to World Rugby New Zealand and Australia both submitted strong and compelling bids based on the hosting criteria which looked to build on the popularity of the 2017 tournament in Ireland. Which was the best attended Women’s Rugby World Cup and saw over 45 million views across official tournament platforms.

World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said: “Congratulations to New Zealand on being elected Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 host. They presented a very strong and compelling bid and we look forward to working with New Zealand Rugby to host a successful and inspiring tournament.

“Women’s rugby continues to grow with over 2.4 million women and girls playing rugby at all levels, accounting for more than a quarter of players globally. With Women’s Rugby World Cup attracting record crowds and broadcast audiences in each of the last three tournaments – Ireland 2017, France 2014 and England 2010 – I am in no doubt that the 2021 tournament, the first to be held in the Southern Hemisphere, will continue this record breaking trend.

“I would also like to thank Australia for its exceptional bid. We hope to welcome Australia back to bid again in the future.”

The New Zealand Government strongly supported the bid and after the announcement, New Zealand Rugby Board Member and former Black Fern Farah Palmer said: “We are honoured and excited to be awarded the WRWC2021 and look forward to delivering the first Women’s Rugby World Cup tournament in the Southern Hemisphere. We are looking forward to working together to deliver a world-class tournament for players, officials, fans, commercial partners and spectators watching around the world.”

New Zealand are the current World Champions after winning their fifth Women’s Rugby World Cup, beating England 41 – 32 in a pulsating final at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast.

Additional reporting and images: World Rugby