Category: feature

Farewell to White Hart Lane

Tottenham Hotspur will live stream it’s poignant Farewell to White Hart Lane on it’s official Facebook page on Sunday 14 May, 2017.

The Ceremony will follow the Club’s Premier League match with Manchester United – the last ever to be played at the famous 118-year-old stadium.

It will feature former players, along with the current First Team and coaching staff and players from within the Club’s Academy – marking the past, present and exciting future – as well as emotive musical performances.

The Facebook live stream will enable the historic event to be broadcast to the widest possible audience – the Club has an estimated global fanbase of 450 million, with over 8 million followers on Facebook.

A downloadable party farewell kit will also be available.

King Ly Chee Break-up

After 18 years it looks as though one of Hong Kong’s most enduring bands King Ly Chee has reached the end of it’s current road with the hardcore band’s mainstay Riz Farooqi posting this message on their facebook page yesterday.

我中文真係唔夠好…十分抱歉…

Tonight my brothers Brian, Joe and Ho announced that they will be leaving the band. In fact the band has been taking a break since January of this year to figure out where we are emotionally and within the various stages of our lives. Making a commitment to a band like this (and a person like me) has not been easy and will never be easy – you can ask anyone in the photo here about their experiences both within and outside the band.

Either way…when we all look back at this and what we were all able to accomplish together – all these faces in this photo (and the ones who aren’t here Mike, Gaeon, Wing, G, Fei Hin who kept the band going in dire times) took a little dream that I had when I started in 1999 and made it their own.

At 22 years old I came back to Hong Kong wanting to do something to help Hong Kong’s underground community, who knew it would turn into what it did  

There are so many memories come flooding back…I still remember the day King Ly Chee joined a music festival in Tuen Mun (Gold Coast) in the summer of ’99 and at the same competition a death metal band got on stage to compete. After they finished I ran to go say hello to them because I was so happy to hear extreme music in Hong Kong! They turned out to be Departing Cross…that guitar player Chai became a great friend of mine later. The drummer who would join them later (Man) would also become a member of King Ly Chee many MANY years later. I remember having the same response when I went to a show at the Warehouse in 1999 and saw a band called Hyponic get on stage and play doom metal and how happy I was to meet Roy and his wife Anita. They later even helped me translate MANY of the articles that were in my zine called 由零開始 Start From Scratch, as did Sammy of Lam Kei, and so many other friends.

I remember touring China in 2000 for the first time and we stayed at Wu Wei (singer of SMZB)’s house with his mom, I remember traveling by train from Wuhan to Beijing for the first time and arriving in Beijing Train Station while the snow was falling around us, I remember getting on stage with Reflector-Brain Failure that night and becoming lifelong friends, I remember the next day Xiao Rong of Brain Failure took me to Scream Records to try to get the label to release our album We Are Who We Are in China.

https://youtu.be/R_7qkw4G4P0

I remember putting my arms around Stephane and Alex as they cried on the plane leaving Korea after we played 6 shows in 3 days in Seoul in 2000, I remember getting my daily 4pm phonecalls from Kevin when he joined King Ly Chee, he would call every single day for the first year exactly at 4pm on his way to work at a tattoo shop and we’d talk about whatever like only brothers did, I remember Andy-Alex-Kevin and I recording “Stand Strong” until 5am every day and then going home for one hour then getting changed and going to our jobs, I remember touring Southeast Asia for the first time and meeting so many great people who are still good friends today, I remember touring Europe in 2006 in the fucking cold with Ming-Andy-Alex-Pong and dying cause it was so cold, I remember how on the way back from Europe while we were at the Dubai airport Alex told us that he had decided to leave and my heart broke into a million pieces because never in my life would I have ever thought he would leave the band, I remember after that Andy and Pong were like “Don’t worry – we’ll keep the band going with you”, I remember so many people saying that to me every time something happened – like Mike, Gaeon and Wing who sprung into action and helped the band continue somehow someway, I remember going on tour with NOFX and even though Fat Mike didn’t like anything that was too metal sounding – El Hefe and Smelly always came to watch us play every night and they always said “Man your guitar always sounds so HEAVY! I love it!”, I remember receiving a random message from some guy named Brian who was living in Australia and played in a nu-metal band, I remember many months later receiving his band’s CD, I also remember later he sent me tracks of some really progressive metal songs that he had written, I remember that around this time the next heartbreak happened when Andy decided he couldn’t continue either, many months later that random ICQ (or was it MSN?) friend Brian was in King Ly Chee, I remember touring the Philippines and after the last show of the tour we all stayed out with our Filipino brothers until the next morning talking – laughing, how about the time that I picked up my ultimate heroes from the airport in Hong Kong – the band that GOT me into hardcore back in ’94 – mother fucking Sick Of It All! Holy shit…not only was I picking them up but I was the one organizing their first ever show in Hong Kong…Holy fuck…

https://youtu.be/IfcAV984scE

Memories like this can go on and on…because there are COUNTLESS stories like this to be told and shared with all of you…maybe one day there may be a book made

For now…I want to first and foremost thank EVERY single person who has ever joined King Ly Chee for believing in me, believing in the band, believing in the purpose of the band, believing in the message…I know that some of these guys left the band not on good terms – but as my brother Kevin once said “Man – time heals everything” – I do hope that as time passes that every single one of these guys (and girl – we did have a girl vocalist for a year  will always remember their time in this band and the great things that we accomplished together.

Thank you everyone for giving us your hearts, believing in the band anytime in our 17 year existence…whether you were a fan of the Stephane-Ian lineup or the Stephane-Alex lineup or the Alex-Andy-Kevin lineup or the Alex-Andy-Pong-Ming lineup or the Andy-Pong-G lineup or the G-Brian-Pong-Man lineup or the Kent-Egas-Brian-Ho lineup or the Kent-Egas-Joe-Brian lineup or the Joe-Ivan-Brian-Ho lineup…whichever lineup you fell in love with – I can tell you from the bottom of my heart EVERY member gave 150% of their heart and soul to this band, to creating the music you heard, to playing those shows that you saw, to touring all over the world…

To this I live in eternal gratitude to these amazing individuals.

Lastly, thank you to every one of you all over this world who has supported the band. Thank you for your kindness, for your generosity, for your graciousness, for your heart…thank you for believing in this band.

I have about 13 demo songs that I had written this past year or so for a future King Ly Chee release – but now I guess I’ll just put those online as a heartfelt thank you.

For one last time…
我 － 地 － 係 － KING － LY － CHEE
1999-2017.

Buy King Ly Chee’s albums and eps on Bandcamp

Playon Squad Full of Internationals

Soccer Sevens debutants playonPROS have confirmed an all-star squad for this month’s Masters Tournament with Emile Heskey, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Mikael Silvestre, David James and Colin Hendry set for Hong Kong Football Club on 26-28 May.

Regi Blinker, Des Walker, Phil Babb, Paul Dickov, Lee Hendrie and Michael Hughes complete playonPROS’ squad, which is comprised entirely of former internationals. Playon is an initiative by former England international Viv Anderson that looks to offer a continued involvement in the game after player’s club careers are over. The team have been drawn in Group B alongside Wallsend Boys Club, Kowloon Cricket Club Veterans, HKFC Chairman’s Select and Yau Yee League Masters.

“The Hong Kong Soccer Sevens is, I know, a fantastic event in a fantastic city,” said former Chelsea and Netherlands striker Hasselbaink. “I can’t wait to take part.”

PlayonPROS are set to challenge defending champions Citi All Stars, who have already confirmed a squad that includes Frank Sinclair, Michael Mols, Luis Boa Morte, Marvin Andrews and 2016 Masters Tournament MVP David Thompson, for the title.

“As a playon ambassador, I’m delighted that the company will take part in its first tournament in Hong Kong, and we are in it to win it!” said former Liverpool and England striker Heskey.

Soccer Sevens

Date: 26-28 May, 2017
Venue: HK Football Club
Tickets: $300 (Weekend pass), $160 (Day ticket), Free (Friday night) from Ticketflap
More info:
26 May (Fri): 6 – 9pm; exhibition youth matches start at 4.45pm
27 May (Sat): 9am – 7.40pm
28 May (Sun): 9am – 6pm

Beauty in the Dark

Fireflies are small insects conspicuous by their use of bioluminescence during twilight to communicate, attract mates or prey. Even firefly larvae have a little ‘light’. The insect’s abdomens produce a ‘cold light’, with no infrared or ultraviolet frequencies which is usually a greenish yellow but can even be red. The light can be remarkably bright though, illuminating the immediate surroundings and makes for spectacular viewing especially if the fireflies synchronise or phase their flashes among a big group.

April is the start of the local firefly breeding season and Hong Kong’s green spaces and country parks are home to over 30 species. Fireflies (lampyridae) favour hills and clean streams (for their diet of molluscs) and two of the easiest areas to reach are Tai Po Kau Nature Trail off Tai Po Road and Sha Lo Tung.

You can visit the areas yourself, take water, or take a guided walk. Wouter van Marle’s Adventure Tours offers two firefly walks at Tai Po Kau and Sha Lo Tung both last for about two and a half hours and cost $130. The Sha Lo Tung walk also offers the chance to see bats. Ecotourism HK offers firefly walks at $80.

Located five minutes’ walk from Lantau’s Tai Long pier, the Hong Kong Firefly Museum was founded in 2010 by Mark Mak Siu-fung to study, breed and protect the local firefly population. Since starting his research in 2008 Mark has catalogued more than 30 types of firefly locally including five of which are unique to Hong Kong.

The free museum features a “day and night reversal room” so that fireflies can be both seen and studied during the day as well as exhibition panels, interactive games, ecological boxes, seminars, workshops all focused on increasing awareness of fireflies.

However you go to see these fascinating creatures remember to respect the environment, other walkers and take home your rubbish.

Hong Kong Firefly Museum
23 Tai Lang Village, Sai Ma Wan Peninsula, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
Tel: 3488 6100 email: [email protected] www.hongkongfirefly.org

Hong Kong Adventure Tours
www.adventuretours.hk [email protected]

Hong Kong Ecotourism Society
www.ecotourism.org.hk [email protected]

Womens Cricket Squad Announced

As the domestic season draws to a close HK Cricket’s selectors have announced the 19 players who’ll form the Hong Kong women’s squad, as they prepare for two key international tournaments later in 2017.

The squad will participate in the ICC Women’s World T20 qualifiers (East Asia Region) in August/September and the East Asia Cup, which will be hosted in Hong Kong. New full-time head coach Richard Waite is looking forward to the challenge.

It’s the first time Hong Kong’s women cricketers have had a dedicated women’s coach and Waite has been impressed with the talent available in his first two months in the job. “We’ve had open sessions to put all players through their paces. During the process of the open sessions, the level of commitment and hard work shown by all players involved has been terrific,” Waite said.

“The belief within the squad is extremely high and we are hungry for success. The next 4 months sees the squad step up their training, and I am extremely thankful with local cricket clubs for showing their support by enabling various fixtures to be played to give them as much game time as possible. This along with a potential training camp in Sri Lanka will put the girls at the peak of their performance and will be a hard side to beat. Our goal is is to qualify for the Women’s T20 World Cup and to win the East Asia Cup, we will work as hard as ever to achieve this goal.”

The team again will again be captained by Mariko Hill, with Waite happy with the balance of experience and youth. “Players like Emma Lai, Kary Chan, and Annie Ho can provide exciting role models for local girls to look up to and give them the passion to go out and play cricket. We have seen that the standard of women’s cricket is constantly being pushed forwards and we must ensure that we have a structure in place that produces a continual stream of talented players, with this in mind we have created an open development squad that will be beneath the national squad, giving us players for the future.”

Hong Kong Women’s Cricket Squad 2017

1. Mariko Hill (Captain)
2. Jenefer Davies (wicket-keeper)
3. Kary Chan
4. Jasmine Titmuss
5. Emma Lai
6. Shanzeen Shahzad
7. Yasmin Daswani
8. Keenu Gill
9. Natural Yip (wkt)
10. Ka Man Chan
11. Ruchita Venkatesh
12. Pull To
13. Mary Henderson
14. Chan Sau Ha
15. Marina Lamplough
16. Annie Ho
Development selections
1. Ashley Hung
2. Lemon Cheung
3. Mehreen Yousaf

Additional reporting photos: HK Cricket

Tong Tik-sang Centenary Film Retrospective

It’s the centenary of the playwright Tong Tik-sang birth on the 18th June and in celebration the Hong Kong Film Archive will host 27 films adapted from his operatic works, or directed/written by Tong himself. Entitled A Century of Operatic Treasures in Film – A Tribute to Tong Tik-sang on His 100th Birth Anniversary the retrospective is split into four themes of ‘Traces of Snow in Tong’s Songs’, ‘Old Scripts Revisited’, ‘Lovesick Pairs’ and ‘Whodunits’ which lend an eclectic look at Tong’s legacy and runs from 27 May to 25 August.

Born in 1917 as Tong Kong-nin, Tong Tik-sang (1917-1959) was a playwrighting genius whose ingenuity in writing and directing significantly shaped Cantonese opera’s development and inspired Hong Kong cinema. In 1937, he came to Hong Kong to join the Kok Sin Sing Opera Troupe as a copyist, while also studying libretto writing from famed playwrights Fung Chi-fun and Mak Siu-ha and wrote his first Cantonese opera in 1938. From the 1940s onwards Tong wrote prolifically for both film and stage, penning over 400 operas during his career many of which have become timeless masterpieces that continue to impress today and form a significant part of Hong Kong’s cultural heritage.

‘Traces of Snow in Tong’s Songs’ is the main theme of the retrospective, with films featuring performances by Yam Kim-fai and Pak Suet-sin, who worked closely with Tong. Fairy In Drawing (畫裏天仙, 1957) is the signature romantic story played by the duo, in which lucid and lively music and lyrics by Tong breath life into Chinese folklore. The Naughty Couple (妻嬌郎更嬌, 1960), which touches on life and death in a light-hearted way, was the last film scripted by Tong before his passing. The melodrama Madam Wan (芸娘, 1960) sees good emerges from evil for a happy ending, thus following the classic manner of storytelling in most Chinese operas. Based on Tong’s original opera, As Luck Will Have It (運喜當頭, 1955) depicts the thoughts of ordinary folks in the vernacular and delivers some side-splitting humour.

Lee Tit’s directorship, Tong’s exquisite lyrics and Yam and Pak’s flawless performances shine through in the Cantonese opera film classic The Legend of Purple Hairpin (紫釵記, 1959). Unlike Tong’s recurring romances, the story structure of Butterfly and Red Pear Blossom (蝶影紅梨記, 1959) is original, and the lovers do not meet until the final scene. A Poor Girl (可憐女, 1959) follows dutiful concubine Pak, who upholds an unquenchable desire for truth and justice, even though she has been framed for murdering her own son. The Lotus’s Story (芙蓉傳, 1959) features Fu-yong, Poet Laureate of Jiangnan and a courageous woman ahead of her time, in which the sequence ‘Waiting for the Full Moon at the West Chamber’ is a great example of the romantic scenes played by Yam and Pak.

‘Old Scripts Revisited’ focuses on film adaptations of Tong’s period repertoires being placed in a more contemporary context. The Swallows’ Return (一年一度燕歸來, 1953) and Swallows Come Home (一年一度燕歸來, 1958) are based on the same Cantonese opera with the former a contemporary version and the latter a period work. Fong Yim-fun stars in both films, proving herself equally adept at both eras. Adapted from a period to a contemporary setting, Wealth Gone Like a Dream (十載繁華一夢銷, 1952) oozes human warmth and compassion, which makes a departure from Tong’s signature romantic libretti. The film marked the final on-screen appearance of Liu Hap-wai, known as “the head of the four comic masters”. Tong took reference from Hollywood film noir to direct Mysterious Murder (Part One / Part Two) (紅菱血 /上/下集, 1951) with a modern spin, in which the music is a hybrid of Cantonese opera music and Western orchestral music, highlighting a new attempt at adapting old scripts.

‘Lovesick Pairs’ presents some eternal stories of star-crossed lovers in Cantonese operatic gems. Adapted from Tong’s posthumous opera for the Sin Fung Ming Opera Troupe, Love in the Red Chamber (再世紅梅記, 1968) follows the romance between a scholar (Connie Chan Po-chu) and his lover (Nam Hung) being stymied by the murderously jealous prime mister (Leung Sing-po). Li Tit directed The Legend of Purple Hairpin (紫釵記, 1977) again with full cinematic treatment, this time featuring the young apprentices of Yam Kim-fai and Pak Suet-sin, namely Lung Kim Sung and Mui Suet-si, in which the signature sequence is masterfully crafted with elegant mise-en-scène and evolving atmospheres. The singing of Yam and Fong Yim-fun in Regret from the Spring Lantern and Feather Fan (春燈羽扇恨, 1959) mirrors the chain of obstacles often encountered in the way of love.

‘Whodunits’ features films about revealing culprits and righting wrongs, with Tong incorporating elements of mystery and suspense from the West into traditional Chinese stories. The Swallow’s Message (一年一度燕歸來, 1959) is notable for its intriguing plot twists, in which Tang Bik-wan is accused of having a secret affair with Law Kim-long and even of killing her husband. In Red Shoes Solves the Mystery Case (紅菱巧破無頭案, 1959), Poon Yat On kills his own wife to elope with Fung Wong Nui, and lays down a ruse to suggest Fung has been the victim. In A Smile of Woe (梨渦一笑九重寃 1952), the heroine (Fung, again) is wrongly convicted and gives birth to a son whilst in jail. Her son grows up and vows to exonerate his mother from the monstrous injustice. Gold-braided Fan (穿金寶扇, 1959) features Yam Kim-fai and Pak Suet-sin’s love story with twists and turns, in which Pak’s father annuls their matrimony and Pak is involved in a case of theft and murder. Fortunately she is vindicated and gets to reunite with Yam.

Professors Lau Yin-ping, Yu Siu-wah and Chan Sau-yan will review Tong’s creative career and achievements in a seminar entitled ‘The Cinematic and Operatic Art of Tong Tik-sang’ to be held at 4:30pm, 18 June at the HKFA Cinema.

A Century of Operatic Treasures in Film – A Tribute to Tong Tik-sang on His 100th Birth Anniversary

紅菱血 /上/下集 Mysterious Murder, Part One/Part Two (1951), 十載繁華一夢銷 Wealth Gone Like a Dream (1952), 梨渦一笑九重寃 A Smile of Woe (1952), 一年一度燕歸來 The Swallow’s Return (1953), 一樓風雪夜歸人 Return on a Snowy Night (1957),鴻運喜當頭 As Luck Will Have It (1955), 夜夜念奴嬌 Tonight and Every Night (1956), 畫裏天仙 Fairy In Drawing (1957), 一年一度燕歸來 Swallows Come Home (1958), 三審狀元妻 Three Trials of the Number One Scholar’s Wife (1958), 三年一哭二郎橋 Triennial Mourning on the Bridge (1959), 春燈羽扇恨 Regret from the Spring Lantern and Feather Fan (1959), 跨鳳乘龍 Happy Wedding (1959), 燕子啣來燕子箋 The Swallow’s Message (1959), 紅菱巧破無頭案 Red Shoes Solves the Mystery Case (1959), 穿金寶扇 Gold-braided Fan (1959), 枇杷巷口故人來 A Respectable Tutor (1959), 紫釵記 The Legend of Purple Hairpin (1959), 蝶影紅梨記 Butterfly and Red Pear Blossom (1959), 可憐女 A Poor Girl (1959), 獅吼記 The Lion’s Roar (1959), 芙蓉傳 The Lotus’s Story (1959), 芸娘 Madam Wan (1960), 妻嬌郎更嬌 The Naughty Couple (1960), 再世紅梅記 Love in the Red Chamber (1968), 紫釵記 The Legend of Purple Hairpin (1977)

All films are in Cantonese with Chinese subtitles for some lyrics only.

Bayer Leverkusen, Leicester City, Olympique Marseille at Soccer Sevens

Defending Soccer Sevens champions Aston Villa will face German newcomers Bayer Leverkusen, HKFA U-23 and competition regulars Singapore Cricket Club in an intriguing looking Group C after the draw for the May 26-28 tournament took place at Hong Kong Football Club on Tuesday.

Villa defeated West Ham United 2-0 in last year’s final to lift the trophy for a record sixth time having last been victorious in 2010. And the holders’ match against Leverkusen – the first side from Germany to compete in the tournament – promises to be one of the most interesting of the group stage.

“We knew it was going to be exciting with the new teams coming in,” said Soccer Sevens Tournament Director Chris Plowman. Leverkusen are one of three debutants from Europe, with Olympique Marseille and Cagliari Calcio becoming the first teams from France and Italy respectively to feature as the tournament increases it’s international flavour.

In 2015, Atletico Madrid became the first Spanish side to appear at the tournament as they made their debut in style by lifting the Cup following a thrilling 3-2 win over West Ham after extra-time in the final.

Marseille have been drawn in Group D alongside 2015 and 2016 runners-up West Ham. Hong Kong Premier League side and 2011 winners Kitchee along with Yau Yee League Select, who represent the local amateur league complete the group.

Cagliari are in Group A, where they will meet 2009 and 2010 runners-up Glasgow Rangers, who return after a two-year absence. South Korea’s FC Seoul, who reached the semi-final on their debut, and Hong Kong Football Club make up the group.

“We wanted to become more international,” added Plowman. “We were fortunate enough to get Atletico Madrid in 2015 and they were a just a revelation. They played fantastic football and came back in the final from 2-0 down to win. That got us excited and we thought let’s carry that on and go out to more of the European leagues and see if this event will be of interest to them and they all responded positively.”

For local Premier League side and hosts Hong Kong Football Club the group will be a huge test against sides with contrasting styles from all over the world. “It’s a tough draw, but we’re looking to [get through] and play in the Main tournament,” said HKFC captain Andrew Wylde

“It’s good fun, but it’s going to be tough. You get close to them and they’ll spin you, you give them time and they’ll turn at you. The fitness is one thing, but it’s the ability to stick with them with their quality.”

English Premier League Champions Leicester – winners of the Shield last year – have been paired with 2016 semi-finalists Wellington Phoenix, Japan’s Kashima Antlers and HKFC Captain’s Select. The match-up with Wellington marks a repeat of last year’s quarter-final in which the A-League side from New Zealand ran out 2-1 winners over the English side.

In the Masters tournament, holders Citi All Stars, who won the competition for the first-time last year after beating local side USRC 3-1 in the final, have been drawn in Group A alongside Singapore Cricket Club Tigers, HKFC Masters, Discovery Bay and last year’s beaten finalists.

In Group B, Playon Pros – who will bring with them an exciting line-up of former English Premier League players, have been paired with Wallsend Boys Club, Kowloon Cricket Club Veterans, HKFC Chairman’s Select and Yau Yee League Masters.

“The format is great because there’s always lots of action on the pitch and the games are relatively short,” added Hong Kong Football Association Chief Executive Mark Sutcliffe. “There’s a lot of space on the pitch for people to exploit so it’s a very exciting format. There are some fantastic teams and big names, so this is a great opportunity for some of our players to test themselves against players from other countries.”

Soccer Sevens 2017

Group A
Cagliari Calcio, Glasgow Rangers, FC Seoul, Hong Kong Football Club

Group B
Leicester City, Wellington Phoenix, Kashima Antlers, HKFC Captain’s Select

Group C
Aston Villa, Bayer Leverkusen, HKFA U-23, Singapore Cricket Club

Group D
Marseille, West Ham, Kitchee, Yau Yee League Select

Masters Tournament

Group A
Citi All Stars, Singapore Cricket Club Tigers, HKFC Masters, Discovery Bay, USRC

Group B
Playon Pros, Wallsend Boys Club, Kowloon Cricket Club Veterans, HKFC Chairman’s Select, Yau Yee League Masters.

Soccer Sevens

Date: 26-28 May, 2017
Venue: HK Football Club
Tickets: $300 (Weekend pass), $160 (Day ticket), Free (Friday night) from Ticketflap
More info:
26 May (Fri): 6 – 9pm; exhibition youth matches start at 4.45pm
27 May (Sat): 9am – 7.40pm
28 May (Sun): 9am – 6pm

Women’s Sevens Turns Twenty

Interest in women’s rugby has surged since the Olympic games so it’s appropriate that as it turns Twenty, the Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens finally gets the recognition the hard working women behind the tournament deserve and becomes a World Series Qualifier.

Why Hong Kong hasn’t been a core tournament on the Women’s World Sevens Series since the outset has been a question no one could/would answer – probably because the men running the HKRU, one of the richest rugby unions in the world, couldn’t see past their massive cash and status generating behemoth of a men’s tournament to even acknowledge that women’s rugby existed and should be funded…

And while this weekend is about Sevens, it needs to be repeated and shouted from our thousands of skyscrapers that the Hong Kong women’s rugby team are going to the World Cup in Ireland later this year. The first and only Hong Kong team ever qualify for a World Cup!!! It’s a massive achievement, and many of the players will be playing in the Women’s Sevens over the next two days at So Kon Po. So take the time, to attend and watch and give them your support. They are modern day heroines!

Twelve teams from the six World Rugby regions will take part in the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series Qualifier at So Kon Po down the road from the Hong Kong Stadium with winner promoted to the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series in 2017/18.

The participating teams are South Africa and Kenya (Africa), Jamaica (Americas North), Argentina and Colombia (Americas South), Belgium, Italy and The Netherlands (Europe), Papua New Guinea (Oceania) Japan, China and hosts Hong Kong (Asia).

Three of the participants played in the Rio 2016 Olympics: Kenya, Colombia and Japan Belgium, Colombia, Italy and Jamaica are on debut in Hong Kong, bringing the total number of nations to have participated at the HKWR7s to 41 over the past two decades.

Hong Kong coach Anna Richards is excited at the prospect of playing in the Qualifier. “The quality of the teams is great and the opportunity to contest the qualifier at home is all that you could ask for as a coach. It’s added pressure, of course, but also added excitement.”

“Hong Kong is iconic for Sevens, so hosting the women’s qualifier here is great for the development of the game. The more Women’s events that can be played alongside the men’s tournaments the better,” Richards added.

For the first time, and hopefully not the last, the Cup Semi-finals will be played at HK Stadium. Hong Kong has made the semi-finals for the last two years but fell at the final hurdle and missed out on playing in-front of 40,000 home town fans.

Richards has ensured that the squad have had a more active build-up this year with the squad training with the New Zealand Development squad. “New Zealand was really good for us. We wanted to play against some bigger and more physical opposition. And we footed it really well. They had a lot of quality players in the team in New Zealand, including four contracted players and one Olympian, so it was a really good build-up.”

“We were right in there in those matches and I think the girls gained a lot of confidence. If we can play like that, then I would give us a good chance to make a Semi Final,” Richards said. “To advance we will need to finish in the top two in our pool, but we have had a good build-up and the girls are very focused and enter the tournament with a lot of confidence.”

Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens
When: 6-7 April, 2017
Where: So Kon Po, Semi-final and Final-HK Stadium
How much: Free
More info: www.facebook.com/hkwr.sevens

Additional reporting: HK Rugby