Hong Kong Aiming to Claim Asian U20s Sevens Title This Weekend

The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) has named the squad selected for this week’s Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) Under 20s Sevens Series.

Hong Kong will face off against China, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates in a full round-robin tournament on the coming Friday and Saturday at King’s Park in Kowloon (19-20 December 2014).

2014 marks the inaugural year of the Asian U20s Sevens Series as ARFU looks to enhance competitiveness across the region in advance of the debut of rugby sevens in the Olympic Games in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Hong Kong won the opening leg this summer in Johor Bahru, Malaysia and will be looking to claim the Asian U20s Sevens title with a win in front of their home audiences in the Series finale this weekend.

A victory will see Hong Kong’s U20s complete an unbeaten run in ARFU junior competition in 2014 after winning the Junior World Rugby Trophy qualifier earlier this year in Colombo, Sri Lanka. That victory qualified Hong Kong for the World Rugby Junior World Rugby Trophy that will be held in Portugal next April.

If the U20s claim the Series title this weekend it will also mark a clean sweep of elite men’s sevens titles for Hong Kong in the region, as the men’s senior sevens squad claimed the ARFU Asian Sevens Series title in October in Beijing.

The U20s team are excited to have the opportunity to close out the year’s campaign in front of home audiences. “Home advantage is always great,” said team firebrand Hugo Stiles. “I played in the JWRT and we had a great crowd for every game. Everyone’s parents were there cheering us on, so it’s a lovely atmosphere to have when we are at home. Hopefully we will see similar support at King’s Park.”

Stiles’ enthusiasm was matched by Hugo Chui Ho Ching who commented on the relative rarity of international tournaments at this level in Hong Kong. “Home support is going to be a huge advantage for us. It’s rare to have an international youth tournament like this in Hong Kong so it is our honour to host. As players, we need to make sure that we repay the Union for offering to host this event with some silverware.”

The selectors have gone with a tried and tested combination for the finale with eleven of the 12-man squad having represented Hong Kong at the opening series event in Johor Bahru.

Leighton Asia HKCC hooker Alex Post and Societe Generale Valley’s Liam Owens have been named as co-captains for the squad, which features several other HKRFU Premiership players in Hugo Stiles (Valley), Hugo Chui Ho Ching and Richard Lewis, who made is senior fifteens debut in last month’s Ustinov Cup series versus Russia, from Natixis HKFC and Calvin Hunter and Daniel Davidson, both of Borrelli Walsh USRC Tigers.

From outside the Premiership, Joshua Clery of Discovery Bay Pirates has also been tipped for the final squad, as has City RFC’s Eric Kwok Pung Nga. Kwok will look to cap a strong season as he was present in both Hong Kong’s opening series win in Malaysia and the JWRT victory in Sri Lanka where he proved a scoring threat.

A trio of United Kingdom-based university players have also returned for the finale including Rupert Phillips (University of Brighton), Jason Jeyam (Hartpury College) and Tomos Howells (University of Wales in Cardiff). Phillips and Jeyam were both in the squad for the opening series event in Malaysia.

Hong Kong will face a stiffer test this week compared to the opening leg as China, Chinese Taipei and South Korea - all strong competitors at Asian age grade levels - are marking their Series debut this week.

“Malaysia have always been quite tough but in the second leg we have South Korea and China, who we know are quite fierce, so we expect it will be a tougher competition,” said Stiles.

Head coach Fan Shun Kei, himself a former age grade and men’s sevens player, commented on the team’s build-up saying, “Our preparations are now in their final stages and things have progressed well.

“The guys returning from university have integrated well with the locally based players and now we are focusing on putting everything together for our game plan for the tournament as we bid to become the inaugural Asian U20s Sevens champions,” said Fan.

Hong Kong currently tops the table on six points ahead of runners-up Malaysia on five points.

Hong Kong U20s Squad: ARFU U20s Sevens (Hong Kong)

Richard Lewis (Natixis Hong Kong Football Club), Alex Post* (Leighton Asia Hong Kong Cricket Club), Calvin Hunter, (Borrelli Walsh USRC Tigers), Joshua Clery, (Discovery Bay), Rupert Phillips (University of Brighton), Jason Jeyam (Hartpury College), Liam Owens* (Societe Generale Valley), Hugo Stiles, (Valley), Hugo Chui (HKFC), Tomos Howells (University of Wales in Cardiff), Erick Kwok Pung Nga (City RFC), Daniel Davidson (USRC Tigers). [*=co-captains]