bc magazine

Hong Kong Women’s Seven Tough Day in Tokyo

The Hong Kong Women’s Seven had a tough day in Tokyo, losing crucial matches to Japan (5-27) and Kazakhstan (5-29) in the first day of the final stage of the Asia Rugby Olympic qualifiers. The competition’s format, which has all six participating teams in a single pool, sees day two’s finals placings determined directly by pool results.

Japan and Kazakhstan, the winners and runners-up in the opening leg of the Olympic qualifier held in Hong Kong, emerged undefeated from day one. Those results will likely put the finals beyond reach for Hong Kong, barring an upset in the final pool round tomorrow when Japan and Kazakhstan play the fifth and sixth seeds Guam and Sri Lanka respectively, before playing each other in the last pool match ahead of the finals.

On present form, that match could preview the final, which Kazakhstan would need to win to keep their hopes of a direct Olympic berth alive.

China also struggled on day one, dropping its opening match to Japan 7-20 before losing to Kazakhstan 14-0, further damping Hong Kong’s hopes as China were the only other side outside of the leaders capable of shaking up the standings.

Slow starts were the problem for Hong Kong. That trend started in the opening match when Guam dominated possession and territory against the third seeds overall for nearly the entire first half. Late first half tries from captain Christy Cheng Ka Chi and vice captain Natasha Olson-Thorne righted the ship and set the platform for the final half when Aggie Poon Pak Yan, Stephanie Cuvelier, Amelie Seure and Chong Ka Yan all scored. Poon added three conversions with Lai Pou Fan adding one.

Another slow start proved lethal against Kazakhstan who mounted their finest performance of the season with a 29-5 win. With size and pace across the side, Kazakhstan put on a display, suffocating Hong Kong of any possession and scoring three tries before the break to take a 19-0 lead.

Kazakhstan maintained the pressure in the second half, scoring twice after the break, but most of their work came in defence of the lead, with Hong Kong having the lion’s share of possession. Late in the match Hong Kong began to string together consistent and structured phase play that rattled the Kazakh defence. Hong Kong scored a consolation try at the hooter with Amelie Seure finishing off a good period of offensive pressure with her second try of the day.

Hong Kong dropped its final match of the day to Japan but played its best rugby. After going down 5-0 early on, Aggie Poon Pak Yan leveled the scores after capitalizing on broken play to score in the corner. Japan’s second try came from a well-worked move at the base of a scrum that outfoxed the Hong Kong defence putting Mifuyu Koide over untouched. Hong Kong conceded a third try late in the half after having a player down with injury for the last minute leaving them outnumbered.

The Sakura Sevens were superb in defence in the second half keeping Hong Kong off the board while adding two more tries to win convincingly.

Hong Kong will play China and Sri Lanka in the final pool rounds tomorrow.

Hong Kong Women Aim for Olympic Qualification in Tokyo

The Hong Kong Women’s Sevens squad departed today for Tokyo, Japan where they will play in this weekend’s second leg of Asia Rugby’s Olympic qualification tournament. At the end of which one women’s team from Asia will automatically qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro after the completion of the tournament on 29 November.

After winning this year’s opening Asia Rugby Women’s Sevens Series tournament in Qingdao China, what once looked like a goal for 2020 is now a real – albeit slim – possibility for the 2016 after Hong Kong finished third in the opening leg of the two-stage qualifier at the Hong Kong Stadium on 7-8 November.

The women’s seven finished that tournament with a four win and two loss record – with losses coming against the eventual finalists Japan and Kazakhstan – but dispatched pre-tournament favourites China twice, including a 12-7 win in the third place play-off.

The result leaves Hong Kong needing an outright win in Tokyo, but also dependent upon the two finalists from the first leg not reaching this weekend’s cup match.Should either opponent reach the final in Tokyo they will have done enough to book their ticket to Rio on overall points across the series.

If Hong Kong win in Tokyo and Japan and Kazakhstan fail to reach the final, tie-breakers will come into effect. First up will be the head-to-head results between the two tied teams across the two Olympic qualifier events. If three teams are tied at the end of play on Sunday, point differentials across the series will be the deciding factor.

Hong Kong must win and win well this weekend. The hometown heroes have the advantage of heading to Japan with an unchanged side including flying winner Aggie Poon Pak Yan, who has been the revelation of the series.

Poon again proved that she is the deadliest finisher in Asian women’s rugby, leading all players with eight tries in Hong Kong earlier this month. Those totals bring her remarkable season tally to 25 tries and 24 conversions over the qualifier and two Asian sevens events so far in 2015, for a combined 173 points.

Hong Kong will need Poon to be on song once again as the team looks to make an all-out push for a historic Olympic berth. Squad veterans in captain Christy Cheng Ka Chi, vice captain Natasha Olson-Thorne and Candy Cheng Tsz Ting will also need to peak at the opportune moment to give Hong Kong any chance of success.

The Tokyo qualifier will again see six teams competing in a single pool, round-robin competition. Hong Kong will face Japan, Kazakhstan, China, Sri Lanka and Guam. Hong Kong will open in Tokyo against Guam, whom they blanked 29-0 earlier this month but it is the last two matches on day one that will determine Hong Kong’s chances as they face Kazakhstan and Japan in the closing ties on Saturday. Both sides beat Hong Kong in the first qualifier, with Japan handing the hosts a 36-0 whitewash to end day one at the HK Stadium – that match coming on the heels of Hong Kong’s highly physical 5-0 victory over China.

Coach Anna Richards commented on the squad’s performance from the opening leg, saying, “We were up-and-down unfortunately, but we still have a mathematical chance. It will be a tough one and we must now win it all this weekend.”

In Tokyo, Hong Kong will need to take matters into their own hands and hand Japan and Kazakhstan early losses to prevent them from reaching the final. Hong Kong’s opening pool match on day two is against China in a potential trap game after Hong Kong gained the upper hand on China in recent tournaments.

China, perhaps the most disappointing performer after many expected them to be Asia’s representatives in Rio, will kick off the second leg against Japan in the first match in Tokyo, a tie that could help upset the formbook and set the stage for a weekend of hoped for surprises.
After looking imperious in the opening leg, Japan will enter the tournament as the heavy favourites particularly as they enjoy a rare opportunity to play in front of their home fans. Japan’s women’s sevens have never played an Asia Rugby tournament at home.

Led by the inspirational Chiharu Nakamura, Japan will be intent on joining their men’s counterparts, who secured the Olympic berth earlier this month after coming back from a 10-point first half deficit to beat Hong Kong 24-10 in the final, next year in Rio.

Hong Kong Squad for Olympic Qualifier – Japan Leg
Cheng Ka Chi Christy (Captain), Natasha Olson-Thorne (vice Captain), Amelie Seure, Cheng Tsz Ting, Chong Ka Yan, Kwong Sau Yan, Lai Pou Fan, Lindsay Varty, Nam Ka Man, Poon Pak Yan Aggie, Sham Wai Sum, Stephanie Cuvelier.

Olympic Games Rugby 7s Qualifier Day 1

An empty HK Stadium reverberated to the screams of the $100million relaid grass pitch as it was torn to shreds during the first day of the Asia Rugby 7s Rio Qualifier.

Hong Kong’s women comfortably won their first two games, but were completely outplayed by Japan in the day’s final pool game. Tomorrow’s first pool game against Kazakhstan will decide who plays Japan in the final for a spot at the Olympics.

Hong Kong Women’s Squad for Olympic Rugby 7s Qualifiers

Hong Kong Women’s Sevens coach Anna Richards has picked an experienced squad for the first leg of the Asian Olympic qualifiers, captained by Christy Cheng Ka Chi after pre-season captain Royce Chan Leong Sze failed to recover from injury.

With seven Hong Kong Women’s Sevens appearances under her belt, Cheng has proven a more than capable captain, leading the squad to its first Asian Sevens cup win at the opening event of the Series in Qingdao, China.

Richards was pleased with the build-up and the final squad selected. “We were pretty much able to select from our first choice squad with the exception of Royce who was coming off a long injury lay-off. Ultimately she was impacted when we changed the forwards-backs split. We have gone with seven backs, which meant that we couldn’t carry a specialist hooker. Royce is obviously disappointed but we know her leadership abilities and that she and all of the girls in the squad will be backing the team fully.

“We are fortunate to have Christy, who has stepped into the captaincy seamlessly. She’s been vice captain for several years and has captained Hong Kong at 15s so she is a great leader and has performed extremely well in the series,” said Richards.

Other influential veterans picked include vice-captain Natasha Olson-Thorne who has battled her way through injuries this season but continues to make her mark felt with fierce midfield running and clinical finishing. She was the second leading scorer for Hong Kong over the season with six tries from two tournaments.

“Natasha is doing well after being injured in Qingdao. That injury set her back a bit for the finale in Sri Lanka, but since then she has worked hard to get her fitness levels back and will be an important part of what we need to do next weekend.”

Candy Cheng Tsz Ting, Amelie Seure and Lindsay Varty are also experienced campaigners along with Aggie Poon Pak Yan, who has been the superstar of the Asian Series this year, finishing as topscorer with 17 tries and 121 points from two tournaments. Poon will need to maintain her form next weekend with the team relying on her finishing abilities.

Richards has also shown faith in 22-year old Chong Ka Yan, who only made her senior squad debut in September.

“Ka Yan gives us more speed in the backline which is always useful. It’s going to be a tough tournament and we can’t expect players like Aggie Poon to play every minute of every game if we want to be successful. It will be great to be able to call upon Ka Yan. She can add some real firepower for us off the bench,” Richards said.

With some dropouts in the women’s competition, the complexion of the tournament has changed. All of the six participating women’s teams will be in a single pool with the top two teams emerging from the round-robin pool stage advancing to the final.

“It’s not ideal to have teams dropping out late, and it’s a real shame for the girls in those teams. Now with the single pool competition, it makes for a very tough tournament to come out on top,” Richards added.

But Hong Kong is well prepared according to Richards: “We have been training well and we have the self-belief that we can win at this level. There are always more things you want to work on, but the girls are in a good place and with strong support from the local crowd I think we can get through.”

Richards is stressing consistency to her charges. “We have to replicate what we did in Qingdao where we minimised our errors and played consistently. If we can do those things and hold onto the ball we know we can put points on the board. But we have to make sure our approach is correct.

“The players have been working so hard and they have been playing together for a few years now and that builds real strength within the side. Our performance on the Series has given them the belief that they can win and that was a huge hurdle for us in the past. We didn’t have that belief a year and a half ago.

“That self-belief combined with what we hope will be great support from the hometown fans will be invaluable. The girls are mentally stronger and are in a good place heading into the qualifier,” Richards concluded.

Hong Kong Women’s Sevens Squad
Christy CHENG KA CHI (Captain), Amelie SEURE, CHENG Tsz Ting, CHONG Ka Yan, KWONG Sau Yan, LAI Pou Fan, Lindsay VARTY, Natasha OLSON-THORNE (Vice Captain), NAM Ka Man, POON Pak Yan, SHAM Wai Sum, Stephanie CUVELIER.

Defamation and Lies from HK Rugby about Ethnic Quotas Rule

On the 25 September the Chairman of the Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU), Pieter Schats sent a letter to the world rugby community – you can read the letter here. Rather than admit they screwed up by imposing ethnic quotas in local rugby (read the unedited announcement here) the HKRU and Mr Schats decided to lie, and also to libel bc magazine. Here is the text of bc’s reply breaking down Mr Schat’s letter.

With regards to the letter sent by the Chairman of the HKRU Pieter Schats on the 25 September, 2015 to World Rugby, Asia Rugby, Hong Kong Rugby Union Past Chairmen and Vice Presidents, Board of Directors, Hong Kong Rugby Club Chairmen and the Hong Kong Rugby and Sporting Community and published on the HKRU’s website www.hkrugby.com

bc magazine finds the letter defamatory, libelous and factually inaccurate.

There is nothing ‘alleged’ about the HKRU’s desire to introduce racial quotas into rugby in Hong Kong – it was clearly stated in the HKRU’s news release that was published on the HKRU’s website that “The modified Championship Club structure sees that league now highly focused on serving as an entry point and breeding ground for Chinese players, with all teams required to include a minimum of 14 ethnic Chinese players in each match day squad.”

Mr Schats also confirms that the rule existed by admitting later in his letter that the rule has been amended to read “a minimum of 14 players in a match day squad of 22 who are Hong Kong permanent residents”.

The existence of a rule regarding ethnic quotas for match day squads is also confirmed in an email (see below) received by bc magazine from Aaron Bleasdale, Chairman, University Rugby Football Club.

Mr Schats then goes on to further disparage bc magazine’s reputation by saying “The article turns a positive development idea considered by HKRU”
The idea was not considered – ethnic quotas were implemented and published as a rule.

And he continues to further besmirch bc magazine by claiming that “a story that fails to capture the spirit and intent of our proposal”
bc’s article fully and accurately reflects the intention of the HKRU to implement quotas in match day squads soley based on skin colour (ethnicity).

bc magazine’s article also stated that ‘ethnic quotas’ were illegal in Hong Kong – something that Mr Schats confirmed later in his letter.

Mr Schats further uses his letter to disparage bc magazine in an attempt to deflect attention away from HKRU’s active implementation of racial discrimination – which would have taken place, without bc magazine’s article – by starting his letter “my apologies for having to send this note”.

The only reason the article exists is because of the intentions of the HKRU to implement ‘ethnic quotas’, and the only reason he (Mr Schats) has to write and apologise is because the HKRU chose to implement racial segregation.

Mr Schats then further tries to ‘blame’ bc magazine for his letter by claiming to be “deeply saddened by this and would like to clarify this issue” – but he isn’t seeking to clarify the issue, having already lied in the previous sentence by using the word “alleged” for something that he knows is true. He is looking to blame and defame bc magazine to save the HKRU’s reputation amongst the global rugby community and the big money sponsors that support the HKRU and the HK7s.

I as writer of the article and publisher of bc magazine will not have the HKRU and Mr Schats libel, defame and smear bc magazine and myself by factually misrepresenting and outright lying in his letter to World Rugby and Asia Rugby about HKRU’s incorporation of ethnic quotas for match day squads into the rules of HK Rugby for 2015/16.

The ‘ethnic quota’ rule would still there if bc hadn’t exposed the rule as being illegal and racial discrimination.

There is no place in sport for RACISM

Racist Rule Removed by HK Rugby

A smidgen of common sense – amidst pressure from World Ruby, Asia Rugby and the fact that racial discrimination is illegal in HK – has begrudgingly seen the HK Rugby Union remove the ‘ethnic quota’ rule from it’s 2015/16 rule book.

Let’s hope that ‘we know best’ attitude of the Union doesn’t see it become an ‘unwritten rule.

A letter from HKRU Chairman Pieter Schats announced the change while claiming the ‘ethnic quota’ rule was introduced for the ‘good’ of the game. Two other club chairman David Knights of SCAA Causeway Bay Rugby Football club and Aaron Bleasdale of University Rugby Football Club – read their opinions below – have emailed bc claiming the same, that racial profiling is good for the local game. If that’s the case then there’s something seriously wrong with men’s rugby in HK!

There is and never will be any time when a person’s skin colour should limit their participation in sport or any other aspect of life. Kick racism out of sport!

Emails received by bc magazine in response to the article Active Racial Discrimination in HK Men’s Rugby dated 24 September, 2015

Email from SCAA Causeway Bay Rugby Football Club
Dear BC magazine,
I just read your article on the above subject and am appalled by the misguided, misinformed and inaccurate nature of the report which amounts to nothing more than a pathetic piece of sensationalism.

If your reporter had bothered to check the facts with anyone involved in the sport in Hong Kong they would have quickly realised that far from this being any form of racial discrimination it was in fact an attempt to foster the widest possible participation in the sport by players of all races,ages and abilities which is central to the strategic aims of the Hong Kong Rugby Union.

There is no barrier to participation in rugby in Hong Kong, players of any race can aspire to play at the elite level of the sport or simply enjoy a game with their (multinational) mates on a Saturday afternoon.

As Chairman of one of the largest rugby clubs in Hong Kong and also quite possibly the one with the most racially diverse playing membership of any club I think I know what I am talking about.

Rugby is making a huge effort to get Hong Kong kids of all races and backgrounds away from their X-boxes and into something more healthy. Why don’t you write about that, particularly during the Rugby World Cup rather than the ill conceived garbage contained in your article.

Yours sincerely
David Knights
Chairman, SCAA Causeway Bay Rugby Football Club

Email from University Rugby Football Club
Dear bc
Your accusation of “racism” by the HKRFU against non-Chinese players is based on a misunderstanding of the structure of Hong Kong’s domestic rugby leagues.

The men’s “Championship” division for which this ethnicity requirement would be implemented is a solitary division of play operating alongside the five graded “National” league divisions (NL1 – NL5). Players from both the Championship and National divisions are free to progress up to the Premiership, which is the primary feeder league for the Hong Kong National Team. An ethnicity requirement in the Championship division alone would not create a so-called “selection discrimination” against non-Chinese players because they would still be free to progress up through the National and Premiership leagues.

You should also consider the very good reason for which the Championship division’s ethnicity requirement has been implemented – to create a division that best fosters the development of local Chinese rugby talent. The HKRFU is extraordinarily committed to this goal, and should be applauded for their attempts to achieve it.

Further, to refer to the people driving the HKRFU as “white leaders” is, in addition to being insulting to the many non-caucasians that run the HKRFU, totally nonsensical in the context of an article complaining about racism against non-Chinese players, many of whom themselves are caucasian. A curious form of racism indeed!

Next time, check your facts before throwing around accusations and polarizing language.

Kind regards,
Aaron Bleasdale, Chairman, University Rugby Football Club

Image – please note the letter from Pieter Schats was two pages long – bc magazine combined the pages to create a single image for ease of reading the original is here.

Active Racial Discrimination in HK Men’s Rugby

In 2015 it’s disgusting that the Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) have announced active racial discrimination! For many years millions of people have fought and struggled to be accepted for who they are regardless of skin colour. That in Hong Kong a multi-cultural melting pot where ability, regardless of race, has always been recognised should find one of it’s leading sporting organisations actively racially discriminating against non-ethnically Chinese rugby players is disgusting and illegal.

The recent press release from the HKRU (read the now edited entry here) states that “The modified Championship Club structure sees that league now highly focused on serving as an entry point and breeding ground for Chinese players, with all teams required to include a minimum of 14 ethnic Chinese players in each match day squad.”

UPDATE: The HKRU has deleted the above sentence from their website, and made no reference to the edit – the original can be read here, relevant sentence is at the bottom of page 1

How far stuck up their arse’s are heads of the white leaders of the Hong Kong Rugby Union? Did they not hear the furour when earlier this year the Chinese Football Association published racially insulting posters about HK’s Football Team. Did they not see HongKongers reaction to it both on social media – mass condemnation – and in real life, the booing of the Chinese National Anthem and tickets selling out so fans of all races and colours could show their support for the HK team.

How insulting is it to the HK eligible players that they’ll face selection discrimination because of their race – even though they might have been born in HK, be eligible and good enough to represent the HK National team – yet find their way blocked because they are not ethnically Chinese.

I can fully understand the desire to improve the national team, but rather than make divisions made on race, why not instead of “a minimum of 14 ethnic Chinese players in each match day squad” it’s a “a minimum of 14 HK eligible players in each match day squad”.

The Basic Law of Hong Kong specifically bans racial/ethnic discrimination. Chapter 602 The Racial Discrimination Ordinance long title starts “An Ordinance to render discrimination, harassment and vilification, on the ground of race, unlawful; … the function of eliminating such discrimination, harassment and vilification and promoting equality and harmony between people of different races…”

The ordinance further goes on to define Racial Discrimination as

1: In any circumstances relevant for the purposes of any provision of this Ordinance, a person (“the discriminator”) discriminates against another person if
(a) on the ground of the race of that other person, the discriminator treats that other person less favourably than the discriminator treats or would treat other persons; or…..

3. It is declared that, for the purposes of this Ordinance, segregating a person from other persons on the ground of the race of that person is treating that person less favourably than the other persons are treated.

Even before any match day squads are selected, the press release and decisions made by the HKRU amount to Racial Harassment under Section 7 of the ordinance.

Even China has accepted that racial discrimination is illegal, the PRC’s naturalization policy and eligibility requirements have been changed from ‘ethnically Chinese’ to this: http://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/chinese_nationality/Application_for_Naturalization_as_a_Chinese_National.html

The HK Sporting Institute makes no discrimination on the race of the Rugby Union players it gives professional contracts to!

How many of these men will be denied the chance to represent Hong Kong because they are not 'ethnically Chinese" — How many of these men will be denied the chance to represent Hong Kong because they are not ‘ethnically Chinese”

A rugby 15’s match day squad is usually 23 players, to demand that 14 are ethnically Chinese is over 50%.

Here is the squad list Hong Kong v Japan, 2 May 2015:
1 WEI Hon Sum Leon; 2 Alex HARRIS; 3 Jack PARFITT; 4 Adam BUTTERFIELD; 5 Paul DWYER; 6 Matthew LAMMING; 7 Toby FENN; 8 Nicholas HEWSON; 9 LEE Ka To Cado; 10 Ben RIMENE; 11 Charlie HIGSON-SMITH; 12 Max WOODWARD; 13 Jamie HOOD; 14 Tom MCQUEEN; 15 Alex MCQUEEN; 16 John AIKMAN; 17 Lachlan CHUBB; 18 Jack NIELSEN; 19 Alex BADDELEY; 20 Damian BAILEY; 21 Adam ROLSTON; 22 Jonny REES; 23 Niall ROWARK; 24 Jack DELAFORCE (2 ethnically Chinese players)

Here is the Hong Kong squad for the recent Qingdao 7s:
Max WOODWARD (captain); Nick HEWSON; Jamie HOOD; Rowan VARTY; YIU Kam Shing; Benjamin RIMENE; Alex MCQUEEN; Cado LEE Ka To; Christopher MAIZE; Tomasi LAWA; Calvin HUNTER; Michael COVERDALE. (2 ethnically Chinese players).

Which of these non-ethnically Chinese players who are selected as good enough to represent their country will be dropped to satisfy the racial quota demands of the HKRU?

RACIAL DISCRIMINSTION IS DISGUSTING AND ILLEGAL!

Change the squad requirements to “14 players eligible to represent Hong Kong”

bc magazine has asked the HKRU, World Rugby, Asia Rugby and HSBC, the national team sponsor, for comment on this active racial discrimination.

Olympic Sevens Qualifying

The Hong Kong Sevens are the best global sporting social event around, in a world before the Internet and instant global communication the HK Sevens were known across the globe even by non-rugby players like myself. For my first tickets I queued overnight in a freezing Victoria Park and stayed three months in a city I’d planned to visit for a few days. That three months, turned into a lifetime and I’m now proudly a Hongkong and this wonderful city is my home. That first Sevens an ecstatic happy memory, the 21 that have followed, some of the best days of each year even though it’s hard work.

I love the Sevens and appreciate that they’re HK Rugby Football Union’s golden goose the multi-million annual tournament that stuffs the Union’s bank account to over-flowing. The competition that even now in the era of professional rugby, players dream of attending or playing at above almost any other. That ‘other’ was once perhaps singular, the Rugby World Cup, from 2016 the ‘other’ is a duo as the Olympics embraces Rugby 7s for the first time.

It’d be tough to say which is the biggest and best known sporting tournament in the world, the Olympics or the Football World Cup. The Olympics probably just shade it. The roar at the HK Stadium when Hong Kong won the shield in 2010 for their first trophy in a decade was amazing. But Lee Lai Shan wining gold at the Olympics was monumental as was Li Ching and Ko Lai Chak’s silver in 2004. Watching Sarah Lee win a bronze medal live at the London Olympics 2012 had me screaming at the computer monitor and walking around so proud and happy of a HongKonger’s achievement on the biggest of biggest sporting stages.

The Olympics, for all their faults, are when the world focuses on sport almost exclusively for a couple of weeks. Hong Kong’s men’s and women’s rugby 7s teams, both have a chance to be among the twelve countries who qualify to compete at Rio2016. The Olympics only happen every four years so qualifying is a hard and rare opportunity, and the fame of the HKSevens has given Hong Kong home advantage for both tournaments.

Really, you didn’t know – I’m not surprised. Tickets for the November 7-8 Qualification Tournament went on sale last week. Yet there’s no mention of this on the website of the HKRFU. Nothing on it’s facebook page, not even a tweet (account suspended). There’s been no press release about tickets going onsale. No details of how many tickets are available locally to the general public (are the Union worried that having 38,000 tickets for sale will reveal how much they are screwing the public allocation at the 7s – come on the public are not stupid, they know they get screwed every March on tickets). Nothing, nada! A black hole of promotion, advertising and awareness.

It is quite frankly a disgrace, Hong Kong might not win the gold medal at Rio2016 but qualifying would be a fantastic achievement. The roar of packed HK Stadium might be the eighth man that pushes Hong Kong across the qualification try-line against our two toughest regional rivals Japan and China. So why does the HKRFU ignore this wonderful opportunity? Are they incompetent? Jealous that the Olympics will injure their annual golden goose? Or is Olympic rugby, like women’s rugby a part of the game to be suffered by the male dinosaurs who run the local game because they’re not feted and fawned upon, their ego’s stroked, as they are by all those $uper rich corporate$ desperate for access to the holy grail of sevens tickets!

Sort it out! The players and fans deserve better!

HKRFU website 18 August, 2015 - 4 days after tickets went onsale. — HKRFU website 18 August, 2015 – 4 days after tickets went onsale.