The 2022 Sevens Challenger Series kicks off in Santiago, Chile on the 12-14 August, with qualification to the World Sevens Series awaiting the winner. As Hong Kong’s coach Paul John puts it “Everybody wants to be on the World Series and test themselves against the best in the world.”
Speaking about the squad he’s picked John continued “There’s a lot of experience in the boys who got picked. They’re the ones who have been consistently putting their hands up during training and the competitions we’ve had recently.”
The Challenger Series is three-day tournament, with 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams competing to achieve core status on the Series. Hong Kong are in Pool B with Tonga, Jamaica and Zimbabwe.
Captain Max Woodward says the squad want to shed their ‘nearly men’ tag and is blunt about his desire: “As long as I’ve been playing 7s for Hong Kong I’ve wanted to get on the [World Sevens] Series. It would mean a massive amount to me, and I know the rest of the squad feel the same way. We’ve been so close before and the yearning is there.”
“We’re very excited to play a winner takes all tournament – knowing that we are one of the favourites and the chance to win is very much within our capability is a real boost.,” added Woodward.
Watch the 2022 Sevens Challenger Series live on the World Rugby website.
Hong Kong Men’s Sevens Squad
Max Woodward (Captain), Callum McCullough, Michael Coverdale, Kane Boucaut, Alessandro Nardoni, Pierce Mackinlay-West, Sebastian Brien, Lee Ka To Cado, Hugo Stiles, Russell Webb, Alex McQueen, Harry Sayers, Max Denmark, Yiu Kam Shing.
Additional reporting and images: World Rugby, HKRU