The Jamie Hood-led Hong Kong men’s team will have home ground advantage as they make their fourth attempt at becoming a core team on the international series next season. The team is one of the leading contenders for the single available spot on the Sevens World Series in 2015/16 awarded to the winners of the 12-team international qualifier tournament held in Hong Kong. The men’s qualifier features two teams from each of World Rugby’s six regions. Hong Kong’s pool has a distinctly Latin flair with Mexico, Brazil and Uruguay in the same pool.
HKRFU head sevens coach Gareth Baber has kept faith in the core squad that finished as ARFU Asian Sevens Series champions in 2014 and took home the silver medal at the Asian Games in South Korea in October. The team won the ARFU-FORU Cross-Regional Sevens earlier last month beating fellow qualifier teams Papua New Guinea and Tonga en route to the Cup.
Earlier this week, the team was recognised for the successes of the past season winning the Samsung Hong Kong Sports Stars Team Award. It was the side’s fifth consecutive win in the Team category and their sixth in the past seven years, but the squad is aware that those successes are in the past and that their performance next weekend in the heaving Hong Kong Stadium will beget bigger opportunities than ever.
The squad features significant experience with Rowan Varty marking his tenth Hong Kong Sevens appearance alongside familiar names like Salom Yiu Kam Shing, Nick Hewson, Lee Jones, Cado Lee Ka To, and Tom and Alex McQueen. Only one change has been made to the squad that won in Borneo with forward Jack Capon dropping out due to injury. Mark Wright, Hong Kong’s only player in the professional Japanese league, replaces Capon, marking his first appearance for Hong Kong since the Asian Games.
Chris Maize who has regained top form after a long layoff with injury was rewarded for being a mainstay of the side after playing in all three of Hong Kong’s build-up tournaments this season in Margaret River, Darwin and Borneo. Maize is the only men’s player making his debut appearance in the Hong Kong Stadium next weekend.
Men’s Squad
Michael COVERDALE
Jamie HOOD (captain)
Nick HEWSON
Lee JONES
LEE Ka To, Cado
Christopher MAIZE *
Alex McQUEEN
Tom McQUEEN
Rowan VARTY #
Max WOODWARD
Mark WRIGHT
YIU Kam Shing, Salom
Gareth BABER (Head Coach)
Kane JURY (Coach)
Martin KIBBLE (Manager)
* Debut Hong Kong Sevens
# 10th Hong Kong Sevens
Hong Kong Match Schedule (Pool Rounds)
Friday 28th March:
14.50 Hong Kong v Brazil
17.02 Hong Kong v Mexico
Saturday 29th March
10.50 Hong Kong v Uruguay