Fullback Play
The Hong Kong team kicked off well in the Asian Five Nations tournament by winning their first two games against Arabian Gulf and Kazakhstan, but the going will get tough when the team faces Japan and Korea on May 18 and 24 respectively. We talk to 22-year-old fullback Rowan Varty, who will also play for the world famous Penguins in the Rome Sevens on June 6-7, for his impressions of the tournament so far.

Varty is enthusiastic after his team’s recent performances – especially against Kazakhstan. “A lot of forwards in the Kazakhstan team are actually bigger than us,” he says, “but we showed that we are the tougher team. We are really strong and also defend very well. I’d like to get more involved in the game and we could have exploited them if we pushed the ball wider. But I think our forwards played well, so it is good to let them keep doing what they are doing. I always like to get my hands on the ball but I didn’t get much chance during that game.”

Team coach John Walters is also happy with the win as, according to Varty, he is more concerned about defence than attack. “Johnny wants us to be the most physical team in Asia, and I think we are going pretty well in that direction. One of Johnny’s favourite drills is what he calls ‘100 tackles’.” Basically the players have to tackle each other 100 times over about 45 minutes. “It is pretty painful. But if do you it well, it really pays off during the match.”

Japan are ranked No 1 in Asia and 16th internationally right now, so the upcoming game won’t be at all easy. Does this faze team Hong Kong? “Japan are by far the best team traditionally in Asia but that is definitely something we want to challenge in the coming years,” says Varty. “It is good to play them because we can show we have actually improved a lot. The nice thing is, no one will expect us to really pull off a win but I think we will play really well. Korea will put us under a lot of pressure – because we won last year, people will expect is to win again.”

Out of the seven games he has played for the SAR so far, Varty hasn’t lost a match. “Yeah, that’s true,” he chuckles. “Maybe he [the coach] will not pick me for the game!” Joking aside, the player hopes to keep the record going despite the Japanese might. “At the moment there is quite a distance between us and Japan, but it is closing very quickly. As a national team we are training harder than anyone in Asia actually.” The players train as a team two to three times a week, and individually another three times weekly. “If the Hong Kong team now played against the Hong Kong team six months ago,” Varty says, “we would win very convincingly. That is how far we have come!”

What: Asian Five Nations Tournament
When: 4pm, May 24
Where: King’s Park
How much: Free admission
Enquiries: www.hkrugby.com

Scouting the Soccer Sevens
Look at the line-up of the coming Soccer Sevens and you may sniff: No ‘big’ teams like Manchester United or Real Madrid are involved, but that is not the point of this nine-year-old tournament. The fun is being inspired by the performances of the young stars and spotting the next Cristiano Ronaldo. Tony Bratsanos, chairman of the Soccer Sevens, talks about how teams are chosen for the tournament and of his scouting moments in past games.

On what basis does the Soccer Sevens choose which teams to invite for the tournament?
Our first priority is to attract teams from the strongest and most high profile league in the world, the English Premier League. So, we are delighted that Aston Villa, the reigning Soccer Sevens champions, are back to defend their title and we’re fortunate to have West Ham United, a club with a tremendous reputation for producing outstanding young players, returning for the first time since 2002. We like to have at least one team from the Scottish Premier League – this year, in fact, we have both Celtic and Rangers – and, because of the Philips connection, we invited PSV Eindhoven.

Wouldn’t it be a little bit unfair for amateurs to play against professional teams?
We mix it up with a couple of semi-professional teams because we like the idea of semi-pros and amateurs playing against the stars of the future. The nice thing about the semi-pro teams is that they bring a band of supporters and create a great atmosphere. The semi-pros and amateurs love playing against the big teams and, because the games are seven-a-side and just seven minutes each half, anything can happen. In previous years we’ve seen Hong Kong Football Club beat West Ham and the Yau Yee Select beat Celtic, so upsets do take place.

The Soccer Sevens has a reputation of showcasing young talent. Do you recall yourself being impressed by a particular young player during the past tournaments?
The list of young players who have appeared at the Soccer Sevens reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of the English Premier League. The most obvious example is Aston Villa’s Gabriel Agbonlahor, who is now one of the most exciting young strikers in Europe and would have played for England by now but for injury.

What: International Soccer Sevens
When: 6-8:30pm May 23, 8am-8pm May 24, 8am-7pm May 25
Where: HK Football Club
How much: Free on May 23. A ticket costs $200 for two days or $120 for one day.
Enquiries: www.hksoccersevens.com