Category: August

Hong Kong 7 Spain 31

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The 31-7 scoreline belies what was a pulsating contest as Hong Kong’s ladies applied the tough lessons of the pool stages to good effect with their best performance so far, and if we want to be hyper critical they could and should have got something from the game.

The difference was experience. Hong Kong had 61% of the territory and possession but could not crack a solid defence, while Spain were able to turn Hong Kong’s few miscues into points, scoring five tries, several against the run of play.

Spain set up a second meeting with Italy in the ninth place play-off after battling past a Hong Kong side that kept them on their toes for the full 80 minutes. Las Leonas, ranked 15 places above Hong Kong in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings, went into the match as strong favourites and nearly opened the scoring in the fifth minute when centre Marina Bravo was held up over the line. They didn’t have long to wait, though, as from the resulting scrum number eight Angela del Pan controlled the ball at the base of the scrum and dived over the line.

The rain began to fall at Queen’s University and both sides found it hard to keep control of a damp ball, but that didn’t stop them throwing it around and trying to attack from anywhere. Hong Kong missed an opportunity to get on the scoreboard when centre Adrienne Garvey, the scorer of their first World Cup points against Wales last week, saw her penalty come back off the post.

Spain doubled their lead just before the half-hour mark when captain Isabel Rico profited from some quick ball, the prop handing off one defender to race clear and dot down.

Hong Kong, though, fought back with fly-half Rose Hopewell-Fong picking the ball up off her shoelaces and juggling it before she spun out of a tackle and sprinted away under the posts to the delight of her team-mates.

 The try was nothing more than Hong Kong deserved, but they were unable to add to that solitary try with the only other action of the first half a yellow card for second-row Elena Redondo for a high tackle. Hong Kong couldn’t make the most of their player advantage and instead it was Amaia Erbina who crossed, linking well with her fellow centre Bravo before dancing her way through the defence.

Spain’s ability to turn defence into attack so quickly was highlighted by their fourth try just before the hour, winger Iera Echebarria receiving the ball on her own 22, stepping inside and out as she left the defence behind to touch down. Las Leonas were ruled held up in the 74th minute, but did fashion another try, Echebarria stopped just short but looping a pass up which replacement Carlota Meliz gratefully grabbed to put the gloss on a second win for Spain at Ireland 2017.

“We expected them to come out fast and they did,” said Hull, the only female head coach at the World Cup. We held them off quite well from the start and I’m proud of the girls. That game shows how much we have improved over the World Cup. We’ve now shown we can close the gap on teams like that, compared to what we were doing against them even a few months ago.” Hong Kong lost 41-18 to Spain in June.

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For the first time Hong Kong controlled significant periods of the match, racking up multiple phases against a resolute Spanish defence that made 201 tackles on the day. Hong Kong though could not penetrate the final line of defence and the breakneck pace of the match and physical effort took its toll in the later stages.

“We were competitive for 50 or 60 minutes, but once they got their momentum up it was quite difficult to score and they did well to take advantage of our mistakes,” said Hull. “At half-time there was one try in it, despite the fact that we didn’t manage the contact area as well as we wanted to. Even with a lot of possession we couldn’t generate much momentum in the first half.”

“But we made them defend. There were plenty of times that if we would have just gotten that final pass away we would have been under the posts. The girls made them play and forced them into a type of game that wasn’t to their liking and that took a lot of bravery to go out and make those tackles and continue to reload,” Hull added.

The momentum built from an aggressive defensive effort punctuated by a succession of Hong Kong danger women, Chong Ka-yan, Rose Hopewell-Fong and Adrienne Garvey, intercepting passes early on, unsettling the Spanish attack.

Hong Kong flustered the Spanish, whose raised tempers led to raised tackles. Spain conceded 10 penalties in the first half while a composed Hong Kong gave up only two, both late in the second half.

The day’s result set up a tantalizing finale for a Hong Kong side that has won hearts and minds in Ireland against rivals Japan with both teams in search of a first Rugby World Cup win.

“We will take a lot of confidence from this game. That is very telling now for us in our last game, said Hull. “Now we have a chance to really challenge Japan and go into that game with some belief. They put a heavy score on us before the World Cup and this will be another opportunity, like Spain, to benchmark our progress and to continue to close that gap.”

Spain centre Marina Bravo: “It was a really tough match that we played and we are here in the World Cup to enjoy it. They were really strong but in the second half we showed our rugby and I think we did it well. We are really enjoying our rugby. We are really happy, we want to continue playing rugby and showing our rugby and also to learn because Spain came here to learn and improve our rugby and to show the world we play rugby and we enjoy it.”

Hong Kong captain Chow Mei Nam: “It’s the first time for us to be on this world stage and we have had really tough opponents, but we have really enjoyed it. We are showing improvements, however the result is not what we want, but we have many more improvements to come. We put our bodies on the line and we made it hard for them to score a try.”

Additional reporting and images: HKrugby

Spain v Hong Kong Match Preview

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Hong Kong will look to build on their pool match performance against Wales as they face familiar foes Spain in the 9th place semi-final which kicks-off at 9:30pm Hong Kong time and will be live streamed on the World Rugby facebook page.

Coach Jo Hull has named a strong squad for what she calls the side’s most important match of the Rugby World Cup so far.

“We are expecting a big one. That’s the World Cup, every game is important, but for us, these next games are the most crucial games of the tournament. These next two games are where we need to make our mark a bit more in terms of showing we are not just a brave team, but are able to play rugby and execute our game plan at this level,” said Hull

She will be looking for more improvement against Spain who beat Hong Kong 41-18 in June. That follows a previous tour to Spain in 2015 which marked Hong Kong’s first ever test against a non-Asian opponent.

“We are calm and focused but also very excited because for us this is a genuine benchmark opportunity. We have played Spain in the last couple of years but this is a different match-up for us now, to have a chance to play them again after being at the World Cup and to help measure our progress,” Hull continued.

“The most significant point is that every game we are improving. That was one of our key goals coming into [the Rugby World Cup] and that is what our stats and the way we are playing are showing.”

“The girls are very focused and they know the challenge ahead. I also think the girls know they have won some hearts and minds of the fans here and have been given a lot of respect, which is really heart-warming, but the girls know that to create their legacy they now need to play some better rugby.”

Reflecting the do or die nature of the match, in which Hong Kong will hope to advance to the 9th place final against the winner of Japan versus Italy, Hull has stuck with a majority of the squad that posed problems for Wales.

Nine of the starting fifteen against Wales will again start against Spain, including four forwards in locking partnership of captain Chow Mei-nam and Chan Ka-yan, tighthead prop Lee Ka-Shun and flanker Agnes Chan Tsz-ching who continues to impress.

Sevens captain and fifteen-a-side flanker Christy Cheng Ka-chi comes in to the starting pack alongside another experienced campaigner in No.8 Amelie Seure.

The halfback duo of scrumhalf Chloe Mak-yee and flyhalf Rose Hopewell-Fong have also been retained as have Adrienne Garvey and Natasha Olson-Thorne, who scored Hong Kong’s first points and try respectively at a Rugby World Cup in the final pool match.

Laurel Chor Lik-fung and Colleen Tjosvold round out the back three with pocket rocket Chong Ka-yan, another try-scorer against Wales who has owned the left wing spot since the start of the World Cup.

Following the Wales outline, scrumhalf Jessica Ho and flyhalf Lee Tsz-ting will back up the halfbacks on the bench with Tsang Sin-yan resuming her spot in the reserves from Hong Kong’s last outing. Back Lau Sze-wa and forward Winnie Siu round out the reserves ahead of the Spain test.

Spain lost its opening two pool matches against England (5-56) and the United States (0-43) before bouncing back for a 22-8 win over Italy.

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Hong Kong v Spain (WRWC 9th place semi-final)

1. WONG Yuen-shan, 2. Karen SO, 3. LEE Ka-shun, 4. CHOW Mei-nam (captain), 5. Chan Ka-yan, 6. Christy CHENG Ka-chi, 7. CHAN Tsz-ching, 8. Amelie SEURE, 9. MAK Ho-yee, 10. Rose HOPEWELL-FONG, 11. CHONG Ka-yan, 12. Natasha OLSON-THORNE, 13. Adrienne GARVEY, 14. Laurel CHOR Lik-fung, 15. Colleen TJOSVOLD, 16. Royce CHAN Leong-sze, 17. LAU Nga-wun, 18. PUN Wai-yan, 19. Winnie SIU, 20. TSANG Sin-yan, 21. Jessica HO Wai-on, 22. LEE Tsz-ting, 23. LAU Sze-wa.

Photos: JFS Rugby Photography
Additional reporting: HKrugby

Ocean Park Halloween Fest

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All Hallows Eve, which has evolved over the centuries to become Halloween, has been embraced locally as a time to dress up, have fun and eat sweet treats. Commercially a single night has become a season, and there’s no better example of this than Ocean Park where it’s Halloween Fest is a 7 week branding bonanza for sponsors stretching from 15 September to 31 October.

The theme this year is the SAW movie franchise with an added twist of Kowloon Ghost City and a dash of the Mexican Festival of Souls to spice up the party.

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As well as some spooky rides, there’s also a selection of edible delights as the Ocean Park chefs have gone all out to stimulate your senses. At Neptune’s Restaurant and Tuxedos Restaurant  SAW-themed dishes are the terror of the day with ‘blood’ dripping from a cutter blade that has just pierced through a ‘human brain’ (Poached Shrimp Ravioli with Truffle Cream and Tomato Sauce) or see the Jigsaw Killer’s proxy Billy the puppet floating on the red sea of Bell Pepper and Tomato Soup.

So grab a few friends, set aside your cynicism and have a little fun. Entry prices have jumped (from $345 in 2015) to $538 this year, but nothing these days is ever that simple and there are almost as many discounted entry tickets, passes and ways avoid queues as there days in the Halloween Fest, take a look at their website to see how to save www.oceanpark.com.hk

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Halloween @ Ocean Park
Date: 5-31 October, 2017
Venue: Ocean Park
Tickets: $8,888, $900, $800, $538, $438

Déjà Vu in Rugby World Cup Semi-finals

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While all eyes will be on the semi-finals as New Zealand take on USA and France tackle defending champions England, there is still plenty for the other eight teams to play for at the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 where the action has moved to Belfast.

There’s also a sense of déjà vu about the semi-finals as they are a repeat of those from the inaugural tournament back in 1991. On that occasion in Wales, USA edged past New Zealand 7-0 and England overcame France 13-0. Four-time champions New Zealand and France, bidding to reach their first final, will hope that history does not repeat itself to end their title dreams prematurely in Ireland.

While the attention is inevitably on the two semi-finals at Kingspan Stadium, there is still plenty for the other eight teams to play for on the penultimate match day of Ireland 2017, be it automatic qualification for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 or simply to win a match!

The top seven teams will secure direct passage to WRWC 2021 and avoid the global qualification process. For hosts Ireland, Australia, Canada and Wales that means if they can taste victory on Tuesday they will confirm their place and avoid the winner-takes-all seventh place play-off on Saturday.

The action gets underway with the ninth place semi-final between Italy and Japan at 12:00 local time (HK 7pm) at Queen’s University in Belfast, followed by the other tie involving Spain and Hong Kong and the fifth place play-off between Canada and Wales. The fifth place play-off between hosts Ireland and Australia will open proceedings at the Kingspan Stadium at 11pm with attention then turning to the two semi-finals, with New Zealand taking on USA before England meet France.

In the knockout stages, there can be no draws so if any of the matches are level at full-time, sudden death extra-time will be played in two 10-minute halves with the first score by any team the winning score, be that a penalty, drop goal or try. If that additional 20 minutes fails to produce a winner, then a kicking competition will take place.

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Semi-Final: New Zealand v USA

New Zealand captain Fiao’o Faamausili has achieved her first goal for WRWC 2017 by reaching the semi-finals, but there is one more thing she wants to add to her already impressive resume before she brings the curtain down on her international career.

That, inevitably, is a fifth title for the Black Ferns and fourth for her personally after being part of the 2002, 2006 and 2010 winning teams.

And while many will view top seeds New Zealand as strong favourites to progress against USA, the best runner-up across the three pools, Faamausili is taking nothing for granted and knows the number one side in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings will have to produce their best rugby to beat the Women’s Eagles in the first semi-final at Kingspan Stadium.

“It was a massive relief (to make the semi-finals after 2014),” admitted Faamausili, who will take her place in an unchanged starting line-up from the 48-5 win over Canada in their Pool A decider.

“Some of the girls don’t know how it felt because you don’t bring it up, but it was a massive relief and to know we have got into the semi-finals and every game is a final for us now. That is what we tell our girls, you come off that field crawling, you leave it all out there.

“I quite like pressure on us, you kind of like being that one that everyone is talking about. It is how you go on the field and absorb it, there is always going to be talk out there but at the end of the day it is about us, our team on the day, and how we perform and how we work as a team.

“I can say we haven’t seen the best yet. We are happy with how we are progressing but we know there is a lot to work on and that is good for our team, we are always wanting to learn new things and the best is yet to come.

“We are going to expect pretty much the same again from USA. Everyone picks up their game when they play the black jersey. We are going to expect a wide game from them, we are going to expect their forwards to be brutal.

“We are just going to make sure we stay on top of our game, focus on us, get our set pieces right, get our connections between our backs and forwards right and then we should be all right. We have got a lot of respect for the USA team, we last played them in 2015 and we can see their level of rugby has picked up and that is awesome for women’s rugby in general.”

This will be the fourth time the sides have met on the World Cup stage, two of them coming in 2014 when New Zealand won emphatically in the pool stages and the fifth place play-off in France. New Zealand won the WRWC 1998 final against the Women’s Eagles just as comfortably (44-12), but USA can lay claim to being one of only two teams to beat the Black Ferns in the tournament’s history, 7-0 in the inaugural semi-final in 1991.

That is USA’s only win in 10 meetings with New Zealand and captain Tiffany Faaee knows her side will need to show the same determination they did in securing a try bonus point with the last play against England if they are to maintain the Women’s Eagles’ perfect record in WRWC semi-finals, having won their three previous appearances in the last four.

“Twenty years is a long time (between semi-finals) and especially with the current squad finally meeting some of the alumni, I think coming here we started to build that bridge and we were interacting and it was nice to put some names to faces of those legends. To come here and be able to make history ourselves is something that is going to be memorable, especially for the squad because I think they deserve it and to put our name on the map too, to contribute to the legacy of the Eagles before us is amazing and we are very proud of the achievement,” said Faaee, who will lead an unchanged starting line-up from their 47-26 loss to England.

“There is still a lot more to go so we will see what happens. Our best is definitely still to come, even after England. England was a different opposition (to Italy and Spain) so they tested us in a different way. They kicked behind us a lot so now we have to go back and work on that transition which is something I look forward to so we can implement that against New Zealand because I would imagine they will have a similar game plan as well.

“I really like the way New Zealand, play, I like their style. I think individually they are all very strong players and I know they are going to try and move us around and are probably going to kick behind us as well, so I think we are going to stick to our structure, which is lots of pressure up front, force them to kick behind us and then just work on that transition of how we can bring that ball back and keep it in their territory.

“We haven’t played a team like New Zealand for a couple of years so if we again trust in our structure, I think the pressure we apply on defence and just keeping that possession when we do get it we should be able to put some points on and just take it each ruck at a time. It’s very exciting stuff, I think we’re prepared, the girls are ready.”

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Semi-Final: England v France

Two familiar rivals meet in the second semi-final in England and France, but their records in Women’s Rugby World Cup knockout matches could not be more different.

Defending champions England are bidding to reach their seventh final in eight tournaments, while France have fallen at the semi-final stage on six occasions and will hope their form at Ireland 2017 will see them finally reach a first title decider.

England, who ended Les Bleues’ hopes in the WRWC semi-finals in 1991 and 1994, won 26-13 when the rivals met in the Six Nations in February and nine of the starters that day will line-up again at Kingspan Stadium, including try-scorer Danielle Waterman and Emily Scarratt, who kicked 16 points in the win at Twickenham. France have 10 players from that match, among them try-scorer Shannon Izar and captain Gaelle Mignot.

The Red Roses have made only two changes to their starting line-up from the 47-26 win over USA. Rachael Burford replaces Amber Reed at inside centre to renew her long-standing partnership with Scarratt, while Lydia Thompson has recovered from a knee injury to replace Amy Wilson-Hardy on the right wing.

“They (France) have obviously been probably the team in form, their forwards have got them on the front foot and given them good ball to play off and their backs have put some good combinations and really looked very threatening with ball in hand,” admitted England captain Sarah Hunter, the World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year in 2016.

“We know they will pose some threats, but we will be looking at areas that we can take advantage of as well. The French will always turn up in a semi-final, so we know it will probably be one hell of a game out there.

“This is the biggest World Cup there has been, probably the most competitive. We have seen some really tight games out in the pool stages and France have probably led the way in some of their performances as well.

“Everyone wants to get out of a semi-final and into a final, they have that ambition to get to their first World Cup final but we have that ambition to get to our seventh World Cup final and to go on and win it. As much as they will keep pushing for that, we have also got that desire to get into a World Cup final again.”

France coach Samuel Cherouk has also kept his changes to a minimum, the most significant of them being the absence of flanker Romane Menager who has been outstanding in the tournament but misses out as a result of a head knock she suffered in the 21-5 win over Ireland. She is replaced in the back-row by Julie Annery, while Elodie Guiglion replaces Chloe Pelle on the right-wing.

“We achieved our goal which was to finish top of our pool, with three matches and three victories. We’ve done what has been asked of us, so we are satisfied,” Mignot said.

“We are confident in our chances. I think there is a possibility to go beyond this step. We now need to be focused because we are going to have a tough match.

“It’s a semi-final where the chances are 50-50. It’s up for grabs to both teams. We really hope that we can go to the final for the first time.

“We believe it’s going to be a great rugby match with two teams who will give it their all, who will do their best to go through to the final. England will do everything to defend their title. It’s going to be engaging, with a lot of action. I think it’s going to be a great rugby match on Tuesday.

“England is a capable team, which is able to produce a high performance, they play just as well in front as behind, scoring great tries on carries. They’ve scored beautiful tries with movements and passes with their half-backs. They’ve got good footwork. It’s a well-rounded team, and it will be very difficult to get the better of them. We will need to be very clean, making no mistakes if we want to win.”

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Fifth Place Semi-Final: Ireland v Australia

Only two points separated Ireland and Australia when the sides met on the opening day of WRWC 2017 at UCD Bowl and the carrot of qualification for the 2021 edition will ensure another tough battle in the first match at Kingspan Stadium.

Ireland coach Tom Tierney has made three changes to the starting line-up from the loss to France as the hosts look to salvage fifth place with a strong finish to the tournament. Cliodhna Moloney gets the nod at hooker with Ciara Cooney coming into the second row alongside Marie Louise Reilly, while Louise Galvin takes her place on the left-wing in the only change in the backline.

“We know what the Australians will bring to the game tomorrow, and we will have to be ready to match their physicality from the start,” said Tierney. “We’ve reviewed our own games and looked at areas where we can improve in both attack and defence.

“There is huge pride in this team and we’re looking to finish this tournament with two performances.”

Australia will again be captained by Sharni Williams, her fellow Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist Shannon Parry having returned home after an ankle injury suffered against France cut short her tournament.

Williams moves in one position to inside centre with Sarah Riordan shifting to outside centre to accommodate Ashleigh Hewson at fly-half, the experienced versatile back having recovered from the injury that has kept her sidelined for the last two matches. Rebecca Clough comes into the second-row with Millie Boyle dropping into the back-row as a result.

Fifth Place Semi-Final: Canada v Wales

Canada’s dreams of bettering their runners-up finish in 2014 disappeared with the heavy loss to New Zealand, but victory over Wales for the second time in 10 days will preserve their record of never finishing outside the top six at a Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Coach Francois Ratier has taken the opportunity to make two changes to both his forward pack and backline. Prop Olivia DeMerchant and second-row Cindy Nelles come in for DaLeaka Menin and Kayla Mack respectively, while Brittany Waters makes her first start of WRWC 2017 at inside centre in place of Alex Tessier. The only other change sees Frederique Rajotte replace WRWC 2017 top point scorer Magali Harvey, who is unavailable for selection, on the left wing.

“I feel that we have to wake up and remember what this game is all about. It’s a physical game and I think we’ve been a bit too tentative and we can’t be anymore,” insisted Canada assistant coach Gary Dukelow.

“The two words we’ve been using in our sessions are ‘next’ and ‘connect.’ We have to let the past go and do the best we can with what we have right now. Physicality is at the heart of our game and it will come back against Wales. We can’t be fancy at this point.

“What we do is what we leave for the next group. We recognise that these are important games for ourselves, but bigger than ourselves is Canadian rugby and certainly the women’s programme.”

Wales field the same starting line-up from their 15-0 loss to Canada in their Pool A encounter, only six of whom began their 39-15 win over Hong Kong last Thursday – among them try-scorers Sioned Harries, Jess Kavanagh-Williams and captain Carys Phillips.

Coach Rowland Phillips labelled his side’s performance against Hong Kong as “unacceptable” and knows Wales must “be at our best” if they are to avenge that pool loss to Canada.

“We competed well in our last match against Canada and we know their quality, which is reflected in their world ranking,” says Phillips of a Canadian team now ranked fourth in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings. “Our positive performance against them gives us a lot of confidence as we move forward – not only in the Women’s Rugby World Cup, but as we continue to build the Welsh women’s game for the future.”

“What makes this game even more compelling is that we are now familiar with each other’s threats. I’m sure Canada will have learnt a lot about us in that game, and they’ll prepare accordingly, but the key for us coming out of that encounter, and the pool stage as a whole, was that we gained belief in ourselves and our structures.”

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Ninth Place Semi-Final: Italy v Japan

Two teams searching for their first win of WRWC 2017 will get the action underway at Queen’s University in what is their first meeting since the 2002 tournament in Spain.

Italy won 30-3 that day and two members of their current squad were involved 15 years ago in fly-half Veronica Schiavon and flanker Silvia Gaudino. The former comes back into the starting line-up for this encounter with Japan, with the younger Beatrice Rigoni moving back to inside centre as a result, with Gaudino on the bench just as she was in Spain.

Schiavon is one of four players returning to a starting role following the 22-8 loss to Spain, the others all in the forward pack in prop Elisa Cucchiella, second-row Flavia Severin and flanker Ilaria Arrighetti. Centre Maria Grazia Cioffi will become the third Italian player to reach 50 caps during WRWC 2017, while captain Sara Barattin plays her 75th test for the Azzurre.

“Japan are a very tough team that fights for every ball,” said Italy coach Andrea Di Giandomenico. “They challenged Ireland and Australia on many occasions of those matches. For us it will be crucial not to think about the pool stage, we only have to think about the next opponent and bring home the victory.”

The Sakura 15 are not only targeting their first win of this tournament but also only their second in WRWC history, having only tasted victory over the Netherlands back in 2002.

Coach Goshi Arimizu has only made a handful of changes to the starting line-up after their 29-15 loss to Australia, all of them in the backline. Honoka Tsutsumi returns on the left wing with Riho Kurogi shifting from inside centre to the opposite wing, making space for Ayaka Suzuki to return alongside Iroha Nagata in the centres.

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Ninth Place Semi-Final: Spain v Hong Kong

Spain came into the tournament targeting a top eight finish but, with that no longer possible, Las Leonas will be looking to build on their performance against Italy and finish the World Cup strongly with three wins in a row.

Coach Jose Antonio Barrio has made five changes to his starting line-up from that 22-8 victory, three of them in forwards with Isabel Macias replacing captain Aroa Gonzalez at hooker with Berta Garcia and Elena Redondo forming a new second-row partnership. Prop Isabel Rico takes over the captaincy for this match with Hong Kong. The other changes see Amaia Erbina start at outside-centre with Uri Barrutieta coming onto the wing.

“We did not achieve our initial goal coming to the WRWC which was to play for fifth to eighth, but we did achieve a very important win against a Six Nations team in Italy that has gotten better with each year. The manner in which we won was also important, in a very difficult situation,” Barrio said.

“We had to reinvent ourselves against Italy and we are happy with the win but also with the way we played. We wanted to return to playing the way Spain plays and that we did, which comes at the right time as we head into two important games against Hong Kong and then probably Japan. We have to enjoy these games.”

Hong Kong, buoyed by scoring their first points in WRWC history against Wales, will look to continue their progression through the tournament against a Spain side ranked 15 places above them in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings and who beat them 41-18 in Valladolid in June.

Try-scorers Chong Ka Yan and Natasha Olson-Thorne retain their places in a backline with Adrienne Garvey, the scorer of Hong Kong’s first WRWC points through a penalty, switching from full-back to outside centre as Laurel Chor and Colleen Tjosvold come into the back three.

Two of the other three changes made by Hong Kong coach Jo Hull see Wong Yuen Shan and Karen So take their place at loose-head prop and hooker respectively, while Amelie Seure will pack down at number eight.

Photos: World Rugby, James Crombiem Dan Sheridan, Oisin Keniry, Bryan Keane

 

CNBlue ‘Between Us’ Live in Hong Kong

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A boisterous crowd enjoyed Korean band CNBlue’s two gigs at AsiaWorld Expo over the weekend. The band’s Between Us tour set featured 22 songs including from their latest mini album 7°CN.

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Photos: iMe Group (HK) Ltd

Elvis 40 Years On

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92 year old Uncle Ray and the International Elvis Presley Fan Club (HK) hosted a party to remember the 40th Anniversary of Elvis’s death. Over 250 fans rocked, danced and sang the night away including Ray Cordeiro, Anders Nelsson, Christine Samson, Philip Chan, Joe Jr., Albert Au, Norman Cheng, Ricky Fung, Danny Diaz, Vikki Samson, Larry Samson, Krystal Diaz, Rudy Souza and Arthur Manuntag.

The evening closed with 92 year old Uncle Ray belting out Proud Mary and Can’t Help Falling in Love accompanied by a stage full of friends. Great night and some classic songs that well stand the test to time. Click on any photo for the full gallery.

https://youtu.be/SApm_2DE_II

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Six Teams Battling for Semi-final Places on Match Day 3

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Who will reach the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 semi-finals when the curtain falls on the pool stages after match day 3 and the title dream ends for two of the six teams still in contention?

The equation is simple for defending champions England, Canada, France, Ireland, New Zealand and USA on Thursday – win and a place in the semi-finals of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 is yours.

Lose and you could face a nervous wait to see if you will join the pool winners in the last four as the best runner-up across the three pools.

New Zealand, England and France currently sit top of the pools, the defending champions only on points difference with USA also having accumulated the maximum 10 points.

That means the Women’s Eagles occupy the best runner-up spot going into the climax of the Ireland 2017 pool stages, although Canada are only a point adrift of their North American rivals with hosts Ireland on eight points.

Canada, therefore, must get something out of their match with New Zealand or their dreams of going one better than their runners-up finish at WRWC 2014 will be over, while hosts Ireland hopes rest on beating a France side that have impressed so far because their points difference is the worst of the other contenders.

The action gets underway at Billings Park with the mouth-watering Pool A decider between Canada and New Zealand at 12:00 local time (GMT+1). Defending champions England then meet USA in the Pool B decider before Australia tackle Japan in Pool C. Over at UCD Bowl, the remaining Pool B match between Italy and Spain kicks off proceedings, followed by Wales v Hong Kong in Pool A and finally the Pool C decider between France and hosts Ireland.

Pool A: New Zealand v Canada

Captain Fiao’o Faamausili will become the first Black Fern to play 50 matches in an encounter everyone has been looking forward to since the pool draw was made in Belfast last November.

New Zealand and Canada were ranked first and second in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings that day and, while they have since slipped to second and third respectively, the rugby on show is still likely to be of the highest order.

Faamausili is not the only Black Ferns star to reach a personal milestone as they bid to secure New Zealand’s seventh semi-final appearance as second-row Eloise Blackwell and scrum-half Kendra Cocksedge (pictured) win their 30th and 40th caps respectively.

Cocksedge scored two tries in New Zealand’s 28-16 win over Canada in the International Women’s Rugby Series in June with Faamausili and full-back Selica Winiata also crossing for tries with Jacey Grunswick and Elissa Alarie scoring Canada’s tries that day.

The two starting line-ups named for this Pool B decider are very similar to that day in Wellington with 12 Black Ferns and 11 Canadians set to come face to face again when the whistle blows at Billings Park.

New Zealand have reverted to almost the same team that started against Wales with try-scorers Winiata, Renee Wickliffe and Eloise Blackwell returning to the run-on XV. The backline features threats throughout, not least winger Portia Woodman who scored eight tries in the 121-0 defeat of Hong Kong to top the scoring charts with nine.

“Whoever wins this game, wins the pool. We need to win it and ultimately, we’d like to win it with a bonus point,” admitted New Zealand coach Glenn Moore. “The Hong Kong match was critical for us to score a good tally of points and have none scored against us. It will stand us in good stead if points differentials need to be calculated.

“Everyone is very buoyant and excited. This will be a very memorable day for Fiao’o, reaching a 50th cap while at a World Cup is extremely special. As captain she puts the team before everything. It will be a very proud day for the entire Black Ferns family and for rugby.”

Canada captain Kelly Russell reached her own half century against Wales last time out and the number eight is part of an unchanged forward pack to take on the four-time world champions. The only personnel change sees Amanda Thornborough handed her first start of the tournament at inside centre in place of Andrea Burk, while Alarie and Julianne Zussman swap positions to start at full-back and wing respectively.

“I’m happy with the girls. Obviously, we wanted to get a few more things executed against Wales that didn’t go our way, but their energy is good and we know exactly what the game plan is going into New Zealand,” said Canada assistant coach Colette McAuley.

“The girls are going to bring it. I’m proud of these girls. They just such a tremendous group of athletes. They’ve worked very hard on the game plan and on our defence. We’re going to go out and play some good rugby and have some fun. New Zealand is going to be a tough opponent and it’s going to be a great game.”

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Pool A: Wales v Hong Kong

Lleucu George will make her first start for Wales against Hong Kong, the 17-year-old flanker one of nine changes coach Rowland Phillips has made to the side beaten 15-0 by Canada in round two.

Full-back Jodie Evans, inside-centre Robyn Wilkins, second-row Siwan Lillicrap and number eight Shona Powell-Hughes all make their first starts of the tournament, while winger Jasmine Joyce and scrum-half Keira Bevan return in the backline and props Cerys Hale and Meg York join captain Carys Phillips in the front-row.

“We’ve surpassed many people’s expectations in terms of our performances against two of the world’s best teams, but we’re always looking to improve standards,” said coach Phillips. “We’re not content with just putting up a fight, we’re working towards winning big games.

“Our commitment and improvement was there for everyone to see against Canada. We pushed a very good team all the way, and we’ve got to take inspiration from that. The main thing now is to keep up that momentum in this competition, starting with Hong Kong. They will be out to prove a point against us, and we won’t be taking them lightly.”

Hong Kong coach Jo Hull has also rung the changes to her starting line-up for this final match of Pool A with only eight players remaining, among them the tournament’s oldest player in number eight Christine Gordon, captain Chow Mei Nam and the centre pairing of teenager Kelsie Bouttle and Natasha Olson-Thorne.

Among the players returning are half-backs Mak Ho Yee and Rose Hopewell-Fong and the experienced Adrienne Garvey, although at full-back rather than the centre berth she occupied on day one against Canada.

“It would be nice to get some points on the board, but to do that we have got to get our handling right, we’ve got to get our ball skills right and we have got to get our breakdown skills right,” Hull said.

“We want to see some attack against Wales. Obviously against New Zealand we were strangled in pretty much every area, so against Wales we are just trying to make sure when we have got the ball, we are executing.

“This Welsh team have significantly improved over the last six months since the Six Nations. They’re very rugby smart and we know we are in for another very, very tough day at the office.”

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Pool B: England v USA

England captain Sarah Hunter and WRWC 2014 winning captain Katy Mclean return for this Pool B decider after coming off the bench against Italy in round two.

Kay Wilson, who scored four tries on day one against Spain, takes her place back on the left wing with full-back Danielle Waterman the only Red Roses player to start all three matches.

England lead the head-to-head 15-1 with USA’s only victory being 19-6 in the inaugural World Cup final in 1991 at Cardiff Arms Park, a loss the Red Roses avenged in the 1994 final with a 38-23 win in Edinburgh.

“This is a winner takes all game in terms of topping the pool and will require a full 23-woman squad effort to get the job done. Regardless of whether players have been selected to start or will come on as finishers, everyone has equal weight in the team, fully understands what their role is and what they need to deliver come match day,” said coach Simon Middleton.

“We know playing against USA will be tough, they play a very physical game and have some dangerous players on the ball, but we have prepared well and the squad are in a good place, not only physically but mentally. We have confidence in the entire squad and it’s now about going out and making sure we put in a full 80-minute performance.”

USA coach Pete Steinberg has made only two changes to the side that brushed Spain aside 43-0 in the second round, hooker Katy Augustyn and second-row Alycia Washington returning starting that match on the bench.

“People didn’t look at us as a team that could come in and compete, but I think if you look at our history over the last couple of years we have been able to compete in moments and now against England we have to make that moment 80 minutes,” said Steinberg.

“We have a lot of respect for England. They play a very similar game to us and obviously they have got a huge amount of experience, most of their squad probably has more caps than our squad in total but we have to match them with the physicality in the forwards and then we have to have accuracy.”

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Pool B: Spain v Italy

Spain will have a point to prove in their final Pool B match with Italy, the Azzurre having replaced them in the Six Nations in 2007 when the women’s tournament was aligned with the men’s event.

Las Leonas have won nine of their 12 meetings with Italy dating back to their first meeting on the Women’s Rugby World Cup stage in 1991, although three years have passed since their last meeting ended in a 38-7 win for Spain.

Coach Jose Antonio Barrio has made only two changes to the side beaten 43-0 by USA in round two to create a new-look back three. Barbara Pla returns at full-back after sitting out that loss with Iera Echeberria moving to the left-wing, while Barbara Garcia will make her test debut on the other touchline.

“We have a game against Italy and if we win we could reach one of our goals which is to finish between fifth and eighth, although other scores must go our way. Before that, we must beat Italy with bonus point.”

For the third match running, Italy have players reaching a milestone appearance with tight-head prop Lucia Gai the second to hit 50 caps during the tournament after Flavia Severin. Their fellow forward Silvia Gaudino, a veteran of their WRWC 2002 campaign, will play her 70th test as the Azzurre look for only their fifth win in the tournament’s history.

Gaudino returns at number eight with Isabella Locatelli and Elisa Giordano moving across the back row as a result. Coach Andrea di Giandomenico has made the rest of his changes in the backline with Beatrice Rigoni resuming her partnership with captain Sara Barattin at half-back with veteran fly-half Veronica Schiavon dropping to the bench.

Maria Magatti has been ruled out of the tournament with a shoulder injury so Michela Sillari fills the vacated left-wing berth with Sofia Stefan coming onto the opposite wing after starting the 53-16 loss to England on the bench. The only other change to the backline sees Paola Zangirolami, playing her last tournament with the Azzurre, given the nod at inside-centre.

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Pool C: Australia v Japan

Sharni Williams takes over the captaincy from her fellow Olympic gold medallist Shannon Parry who is unavailable to face Japan because of injury.

Parry is replaced on the openside by Chloe Butler, her place in the second-row being taken by Alisha Hewett for her first start of WRWC 2017. The rest of the changes come in the backline with Sarah Riordan moving from outside-centre to fly-half as Kayla Sauvao returns to renew her centre partnership with Williams.

Kate Brown could make her Wallaroos debut off the bench in the first meeting between the nations as Australia look to bounce back from the 48-0 loss to France on day two.

“Last Sunday’s loss to France was a tough one for our team, but the group still have a lot to play for and we’ve named a side that we believe can get the job done against Japan,” said coach Paul Verrell. “Japan were impressive against the Irish in their last match and we must be mentally and physically ready for them as we head into our final pool game.

“We’ve unfortunately had to make a number of changes to the squad through injury and it’s disappointing to lose some of our more experienced players. Shannon has led this side admirably on-and-off the field and it’s a shame to have such an influential member of our squad unavailable.”

Japan coach Goshi Arimizu has also kept his changes to a minimum, rewarding the players who impressed in the first half against Ireland and led the hosts 14-0 at half-time before ultimately slipping to a 24-14 loss at UCD Bowl.

After that defeat Arimizu said his players lacked the “right sort of mental control to see us through” to arguably the greatest shock in WRWC history and he will be hoping they have learned from that experience should the Sakura 15 find themselves in a position to win only Japan’s second World Cup match.

Aya Nakajima comes into the second row in the only change to the forward pack from the Ireland defeat, while Eriko Hirano switches to the left-wing to accommodate the selection of Akari Kato for her World Cup debut.

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Pool C: France v Ireland

Ireland may have edged a tight encounter with France in the Women’s Six Nations 13-10, but it is Les Bleues who are the form team going into this Pool C decider at UCD Bowl.

France have caught the eye with their victories over Japan (72-14) and Australia (48-0), the latter a sublime display of attacking rugby that the Wallaroos simply had no answer to with wings Shannon Izar and Chloe Pelle and impressive flanker Romane Menager running in tries from anywhere.

Izar scored a hat-trick inside 25 first-half minutes, while Pelle scored two herself and they will swap wings for the match against Ireland.

France coach Samuel Cherouk also welcomes back Caroline Ladagnous, a hat-trick hero against Japan, to renew her centre partnership with Elodie Poublan, while prop Annaelle Deshaye and captain Gaëlle Mignot return to the front row, the latter having come off the bench to score her trademark try off the back of a powerful driving maul.

“When we are in the French national team we have one duty – win games and wear proudly the colours of our country,” revealed Mignot. “We need all the girls back home to feel and to say I want to be like these people and do what they do.”

Ireland coach Tom Tierney, by contrast, has rung the changes as he looks to kickstart a campaign that has seen the hosts stutter past both Australia and Japan to record two narrow wins, crucially without bonus points.

Paula Fitzpatrick is rewarded for her two-try haul off the bench against Japan with a start at number eight in a rejigged back-row alongside captain Claire Molloy and Ciara Griffin. Leah Lyons and Ailis Egan return to the front row with Marie Louise Reilly to resume a second-row partnership with Sophie Spence.

Jenny Murphy takes her place in the centres alongside Sene Naoupu with Eimear Considine’s selection on the right-wing prompting a move back to full-back for sevens star Hannah Tyrrell.

“We’ve had lots of tough games against France over the years and we know tomorrow evening is going to be no different,” said Tierney. “They have looked really good in their opening two games of the tournament and they’ll be coming into this game full of confidence.

“It’s a cup final tomorrow night, with a place in the semi-finals up for grabs, so we want the players to go out there and give it everything. It won’t be easy, but with the crowd behind them they have the ability to claim a place in the final four.”

Images: World Rugby

Hong Kong v Wales Preview

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Hong Kong face Wales in their final match in the ‘pool of death’ at the Women’s Rugby World Cup (Kick-off Hong Kong time Friday 00:15am). Coach Jo Hull is looking for her charges to attack the ninth ranked team after hard fought but heavy losses against the second and third ranked teams in the world.

Having failed to trouble the scoreboard in either game, the first team objective is to score! The inclusion of backs Chloe Mak Ho-yee, Rose Hopewell-Fong and Adrienne Garvey in the starting 15 aims to help the quest for points.

“It would be nice to get some points on the board but to do that we have got to get our handling right, we’ve got to get our ball skills right and we have got to get our breakdown skills right,” Hong Kong coach Jo Hull said.

“We want to see some attack against Wales. Against New Zealand we were strangled in pretty much every area, so against Wales we are just trying to make sure when we have got the ball, we are executing.”

Prop Lee Ka-shun, second rower Chan Ka-yan and flankers Christie Cheng Ka-chi and Chan Tsz-ching also come into a starting line-up that Hull hopes will bring Hong Kong’s best performance to date.

“Rocky’s [Garvey] experienced, she brings that edge and she brings that toughness, and she brings it out in other players as well, so I think she is going to be a really strong addition” Hull said.

“We’ve bought Chloe back in at nine as she suits our game plan in terms of trying to play a quicker game.”

Wales opened their campaign with a 44-12 defeat by New Zealand before going down fighting in a 15-0 loss to Canada, but Hull is not expecting any sort of let up for her side come Thursday.

“This Welsh team have significantly improved over the last six months since the Six Nations, so I think they’re going to be a combination of New Zealand and Canada in one,” Hull said.

“They’re very rugby smart and we know we are in for another very, very tough day at the office. They’ve got a very strong back row and they are just knowledgeable players.”

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Natasha Olson-Thorne and 18-year-old Kelsie Bouttle combine in a strong centre pairing for Hong Kong, while Garvey starts at fullback after previously playing at centre in the tournament.

The ever-dependable Chong Ka-yan teams up with Lau Sze-wa on the wings, with Chong one of Hong Kong’s best players of the tournament so far.

Despite her size, Chong has stood tall in the face of heavy hitting from both Canada and New Zealand and Hull hopes her gutsy winger will get a chance to show what she can do with the ball in hand against Wales.

“She has showed a great resilience and I hope to get her with the ball in hand a little bit more, she really is a class player,” Hull said.

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Additional reporting and images: HKrugby