6 days Ago By Paul McNamara
The head of Hong Kong rugby said innovative moves were under way to secure regular high-level opposition for the city’s men, ahead of a potential World Cup debut in 2027. Hong Kong served up a terrific display of aggressive, resourceful rugby to christen their new Kai Tak Sports Park home with a 38-17 victory over Brazil on Saturday. The result was enough for the hosts to win a competitive two-match series on aggregate, following a 23-10 first-Test defeat seven days earlier.
As it stands, the team will not play again until next year’s Asia Rugby Championship, where the prize for the winners is a place at the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Chris Brooke, the chairman of Hong Kong, China Rugby, said it was “absolutely critical” for Hong Kong to encounter strong opposition on a more regular basis. “To improve, you have to play better sides,” he added.
But Hong Kong are hamstrung by having only July and November windows to arrange Test dates. A potential solution, Brooke said, could be to organise matches against sides from the Super Rugby Pacific and Japan Rugby League One competitions. Hong Kong prepared for their Brazil series with a four-day camp in the Japanese city of Fukuoka last month.
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