The Hong Kong Rugby Union announced the men’s XV to face South Korea in the finale of the 2023 Asia Rugby Championship at Hong Kong Football Club (kick off at 17.00). It is a largely settled squad with only two changes to the starting line-up that hammered Malaysia in last week’s opener 88-9.
“Consistency is key. Last week, players from 1 to 15 all performed, and there were some real selection headaches this week as we expected. Certain guys really stood up against Malaysia but there are also other guys we wanted to see more of as well,” said Hong Kong China coach Lewis Evans.
With both Hong Kong and South Korea returning heavy wins over Malaysia, the preamble to Saturday’s fixture has left little for observers to rely on when judging form.
“Expect the unexpected is what we told the team,” added Evans. “We are coming in confident, and have things in place to combat what South Korea can offer, but ultimately it comes down to us backing up our performance and getting consistency in our game.”
That desire for consistency has left the starting XV largely unchanged from that against Malaysia. Captain Tom Hill retains his spot at inside centre while his vice-captain and club teammate Patrick Jenkinson reclaims his second-row starting spot from Malaysia.
Prop forward Ash Hyde has dropped out of the matchday 23 after struggling with illness in the conditions against Malaysia, with veteran Ben Higgins earning the start on his 25th appearance. It is the only change in the starting pack with Higgins joined by Alex Post (who scored a natural brace versus Malaysia) and Fai Solomona in the front row. Jenkinson will again partner with sevens squad member Callum McCullough in the locks, with an unchanged back row of Luke van der Smit at No.8 and Sam Tsoi Kin-san and James Sawyer on the flanks.
In the backline, fullback Paul Altier is forced to make way for utility back Nate DeThierry after picking up a red card in the game versus Malaysia.
“Paul was really good under the high ball against Malaysia and we expect to see a lot of that from South Korea. Nate is a very confident player and is comfortable at 15 having played there for us during the repechage,” said Evans.
DeThierry started in the centres last week. His vacated outside centre spot will be occupied by Harry Sayers who started last week’s tie on the bench. Jamie Lauder and Gregor McNeish resume their half-back pairing with Seb Brien and Charles Higson-Smith retaining their spots on the wings after combining for six tries against Malaysia.
Despite the successful performance against Malaysia, Evans has opted to give opportunities to more new players in the reserves. With a strong forwards battle expected against South Korea, the bench has a 5-3 forwards to backs split with two potential first caps waiting in the wings in front rower Matt Keay and back Dylan White.
White moves into the matchday 23 with a chance at collecting his first Hong Kong China cap and provides added depth at fly-half and fullback, while Bryn Phillips and Will Panday also retain their places in the 23-man squad for the South Korea test.
“With the likes of Dylan and some of the other players we are starting a slow transition into that environment. Come November, players like that will need bigger opportunities and we want to start getting them involved now in the international environment, so that when they get the call up to start which probably comes in the next 12 or 18 months, they will be ready,” Evans added.
Keay, Keelan Chapman and Zac Cinnamond add to a deep supply of front rowers while former Hong Kong captain Josh Hrstich is also returning to international action after suffering a calf strain in May. He will start off the bench providing back-row support alongside Pierce Mackinlay-West, who scored one of Hong Kong’s 13 tries last week after coming on in the second half.
“Josh is back in form and having him back in training has had a huge impact on the squad. He has completed his fitness tests and is confident and capable to play international rugby this week. Our back row combination played really well and made this a difficult selection, but with strong players like Josh and Pierce coming off the bench we can maintain that intensity and physicality we are after in the second half against Korea,” noted Evans.
“The coaches were really proud of the way the boys conducted themselves versus Malaysia. South Korea are a different beast and we know that. We need to manage them in the set piece and at the contact area and they have a very strong kicking game that we will need to deal with as well. But we are entering this game with confidence and have had a really good week of training. The boys look sharp. They are ready,” said Evans.
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Hong Kong, China squad versus South Korea, HKFC 17.00 17 June 2023:
Hong Kong v South Korea
Asia Rugby Championship 2023
Date: 5pm, 17 June, 2023
Venue: Hong Kong Football Club
Tickets: tbc
Additional reporting, images: Asia Rugby, HKrugby