HK Sevens
Date: 16-18 October, 2020
Venue: HK Stadium
Tickets: $1,950 (tbc)
Tag: Hksevens
Ireland Too Good for Hong Kong
Ireland secured a place as a core team on the World Rugby Sevens Series 2020 by beating Hong Kong in the final of the men’s annual world series qualifier.
After three days of action, Anthony Eddy’s side proved to be worthy winners as they finished up with a comfortable 28-7 win in the competition-decider.
The victory in front of a packed, 40,000 strong crowd at the Hong Kong Stadium means Ireland will become one of the 15 core teams contesting the 10-round world series.
In the final Ireland struck first through Harry McNulty and captain Billy Dardis added the conversion. It gave them a spring in their step and an excellent angled run from O’Shea delivered their second just before half-time. A second successful conversion put them 14 points up before they extended that out to 21.
Hong Kong responded when Ireland went down to six men following a yellow card but Terry Kennedy’s converted try created a 28-7 advantage. As the time went into the red, the home side continued to battle but Ireland’s gutsy defence held firm and the players cried tears of joy as the full-time whistle sounded.
“We’re just delighted with this,” said captain Dardis after the full-time whistle. “It’s been a long and hard road. I think that we all just stood on the pitch there and couldn’t move. We’re just speechless. It’s class! It won’t sink in for a couple of weeks.”
This time last year, Ireland were knocked out at the semi-final stage by eventual winners Japan but went on to have a head-turning season.
The side played as the invitational team at the London and Paris rounds in the 2018 world series and took home a bronze medal from London. They won 23 of their 24 matches across the Rugby Europe Sevens Grand Prix Series and at this all-important qualifying competition showed their strength and quality.
Ireland were housed in Pool F alongside Jamaica, Uruguay and Russia. The first day saw them comprehensively beat the Reggae Crocs 26-0 before starting strongly against Los Teros Sevens.
A 26-7 lead over Uruguay was clawed back though and had Tomas Ubilla not missed the final conversion attempt, a loss would have been recorded. Ireland used the overnight break to refocus and returned to record back-to-back wins over Russia on day two.
The first 33-7 victory completed their pool campaign before a statement quarter-final result followed. A 47-0 victory in the last-eight included braces from Jordon Conroy, O’Shea and Kennedy and created a last-four meeting with Germany.
The semi-final was a clash of the titans as both sides gave it absolutely everything. Although Anthony Eddy’s outfit led 5-0 at the break they went 10-5 down in the second half.
Despite the high stakes, Ireland kept their composure and worked a team try with just over a minute to go. Captain Dardis was the try-scorer and his monster conversion pushed them 12-10 in front. The cherry on top arrived after they secured the final kick-off and Conroy carried two German defenders over the line with him. Dardis again converted for a 19-10 victory.
Having earned their place on the World Rugby Sevens Series 2020, Ireland can now look forward to playing at the top level of rugby sevens ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Ireland will aim for Olympic qualification when the European regional qualification tournament takes place in Colomiers, France on 13-14 July, 2019.
World Rugby recently announced a new-look men’s and women’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series which includes at least six combined events, as the women’s series increases to eight rounds for the first time in its history over the next four-year cycle. Dubai, Cape Town, New Zealand, Sydney, Hong Kong and Paris will host combined men’s and women’s sevens events from next season onwards as part of the next four-year world series hosting cycle.
Additional reporting and images: World Rugby
Brazil Win Hong Kong Women’s 7s Qualifier
Brazil win promotion to the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series 2020 after beating Scotland in the final of the world series qualifier in Hong Kong.
After two days of thrilling action, head coach Reuben Samuel’s side finished up as 28-19 winners over a strong Scottish outfit, scoring 120 points in six games at the 12-team tournament.
The final between the two confident sides was a game of cat and mouse in the first half. Scott Forrest’s Scotland scored first before ‘Las Yarras’ from Brazil held a slender 7-5 lead at the interval. Brazil went behind again early in the second half after Rhona Lloyd capitalised from the restart but a potent period followed.
Bianca dos Santos Silva raced away from Lloyd before Thalia da Silva Costa extended their lead again with four minutes left on the clock. It was a lead that they would not relinquish.
“It’s a little indescribable but we worked really, really hard for this. We just told ourselves to do everything we’ve been training to do and we finally did it,” said vice-captain Isadora Cerullo after the full-time whistle.
“It’s an amazing feeling. I’m incredibly proud, not just of the 12 players at the tournament because we’re a much bigger group than that. We’re looking to build even more, bring in a lot of new players and show everyone that our programme is growing and that we deserve to be back on the world circuit.”
Brazil’s route to the final saw them march out of day one unbeaten and hitting the quarter-finals at pace. A last-eight meeting with Kazakhstan commenced the second day and it marked their second encounter with Valerii Popov’s side in the same number of days.
After a narrow 14-12 victory in the pool stage, Las Yarras dominated and made no mistake at the second time of asking. A 21-5 victory was the result and it booked a semi-final match-up against Kenya. In the final four, they continued to be precise with their work, moving the ball well to their speedsters, and their clinical finishing helped them on their way to a 17-5 win.
Additional reporting and image: World Rugby
Rugby Week 2019
After the individual creativity of Art Week, the wonders of team creativity are on display as Rugby Week 2019 scrums down.
The action starts at King’s Park on Wednesday 3 April with KowloonFest where the old and venerable rumble around the pitch and have a lot of fun as their brain sees them sprinting to score a fantastic try only to find their legs unable to keep up…
While the 7s is all speed and patterns, perhaps the best rugby of the week is at the Hong Kong Tens. With proper scrums and brutal power forward play the Tens features, especially on Thursday night, perhaps the closest we in Hong Kong can get to seeing modern rugby up close and personal. Select teams packed with talent, new and old, from around the world put a physicality and rawness to images seen on television that really has to be experienced in person.
The wonderful HK Women’s Seven is again a qualifier for the Women’s World Series. If you can’t get a ticket to the Sevens then head to So Kon Po and cheer on Hong Kong.
The Sevens, amidst the partying a rugby tournament takes place. The quality of the other World Series tournaments isn’t as good as in the past – empty stadiums on the World Series attest to that. Yet Hong Kong still sees teams raising their game…
Here are the dates for your diary for what promises to be some fantastic sport and a lot of fun.
Kowloon Fest
When: 3 April, 2019
Where: Kings Park
How much: Free
More info: www.rugbyfest.org
Hong Kong Tens
Date: 3-4 April, 2019
Venue: HK Football Club
Tickets: $125, $100 (advance)
More info: www.hongkongtens.com
Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens
Date: 4-5 April, 2019
Venue: So Kon Po
Tickets: Free
More info: www.facebook.com/hkwr.sevens
Hong Kong 7s
Date: 5-7 April, 2019
Venue: HK Stadium
Tickets: $1,950 (sold out)
More info: www.hksevens.com
HK Womens Sevens @ So Kon Po – 5 April, 2018
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2018/Hong-Kong-Womens-Sevens-So-Kon-Po-5-April-2018/i-ST3DrNC
A packed crowd at So Kon Po enjoyed a sun-drenched day of exciting rugby at the 2018 HK Women’s Rugby Sevens. Apart from a superb solo try by Natasha Olson Thorne, in a hard fought 17-12 victory against Kazakhstan, there was little local cheer as two heavy defeats against Brazil (38-0) and China (19-7) meant the hosts again failed to reach day two and a first experience of the HK Stadium atmosphere.
Click on any photo for the full gallery of images.
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2018/Hong-Kong-Womens-Sevens-So-Kon-Po-5-April-2018/i-JkD2nFK
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2018/Hong-Kong-Womens-Sevens-So-Kon-Po-5-April-2018/i-M29cMdb
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2018/Hong-Kong-Womens-Sevens-So-Kon-Po-5-April-2018/i-Fs7wknJ
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2018/Hong-Kong-Womens-Sevens-So-Kon-Po-5-April-2018/i-9TfjdX4
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2018/Hong-Kong-Womens-Sevens-So-Kon-Po-5-April-2018/i-fvKzG3J
Hong Kong At The Women’s Sevens
After a disappointing tournament in 2017 the Hong Kong women’s team again look to make their debut at the Hong Kong Stadium and Coach Kevin West has picked a squad for the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series Qualifier that blends experience and youth.
Five players are set to make their sevens debut at So Kon Po – the newcomers are Stephanie Chan Chor-ki, Vivian Poon Hoi-yan, Amber Tsang Wing-chi, Agnes Chan Tsz-Ching and Agnes Tse Wing-kui.
While captain and vice captain Christy Cheng Ka-chi and Natasha Olson-Thorne both make their eighth Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens appearance.
“It’s a good group,” said West. “It’s a real mix of experience and youth, which is what we’ve been trying to do. There are five making their Hong Kong debuts, but we’ve been lucky because they’ve already had tournaments in Fiji and Borneo. They all have some tournament experience – not of the level of Hong Kong maybe, but there’s only one way to find that out isn’t there?”
West continued “Agnes Chan was one of our great finds at the fifteens world cup and she has just kicked on since then; it’s great to have her in. Vivian, Amber and Stephanie all give us a degree of pace, they make the squad slightly pacier throughout the park, rather than having one or two fliers. All of them play as if they’ve got nothing to lose, which is great.”
The debuts are partially injury-forced, (after the loss of wings Chong Ka-yan and Aggie Poon Pak-yan and fly half Lee Tsz-ting in the build-up). “We have had to look at things after losing some of our major strike threats in Aggie and Ka-yan, and a lot of experience in BB, but that’s the nature of the sport – with the newcomers we are well covered,” said West.
About Agnes Tse, who only joined the squad this month, West said “I coached her in our junior development fifteens programme… We particularly needed to cover that outside back area, the centre/wing area, which kept some of the others from making the squad at the end of the day, but Agnes has obviously done really well. She has earned her selection.”
“She’s tough and she has speed. Her job for us is to have a go, to take the line on. She’s good in the tackle and quite physical. She’s settled in really well and done brilliantly really. She is a level, mature girl, who I’m sure will just put her head down, take it all in stride and work hard,” added West.
Hong Kong open the tournament against Brazil (11.36), before playing more familiar foes in China (13.48) and Kazakhstan (16.22).
“Like just about every team we will be playing they’re bigger than us,” West said of the Brazilians, who beat World Series side and Asian champions Japan twice en route to a ninth-place finish in Rio.
“They also have a bit of pace. Actually there are a lot of similarities in the style of play throughout the group, with China and Kazakhstan also having a real physical element. We are prepared for that,” said West.
With a chance to play on the Stadium pitch during Hong Kong Sevens – and a spot on the World Series up for grabs West has the squad focused on the weekend but is also looking to the future.
“We are taking Hong Kong very seriously. It is our home tournament, so there is both a need and some pressure for us to perform, but we are very aware that our major goal this year is the Asian Games.
“So, for these girls to get this sort of tournament under their belts, against some of the world’s best and some of the competition we will play at the Games will hold us in good stead regardless of anything else,” said West.
The action begins at So Kon Po, directly across from the Hong Kong Stadium, on Thursday, 5 April. After the pool stages, the quarterfinalists (top eight) of the 12-team international competition will move to the Stadium on Friday, 6 April, as part of the opening day’s action at the Hong Kong Sevens. The winner of the Qualifier receives an automatic berth on next season’s World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series.
Hong Kong Women’s Sevens Squad – World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series Qualifier 2018 :
Christy Cheng Ka-chi (Captain),
Natasha Olson-Thorne (Vice Captain),
Agnes Chan Tsz-Ching,
Stephanie Chan Chor-ki,
Ivy Kwong Sau-yan,
Melody LiNim-yan,
Nam Ka-man,
Vivian Poon Hoi-yan,
Sham Wai-sum,
Colleen Tjosvold,
Amber Tsang Wing-chi,
Agnes Tse Wing-kiu.
Additional reporting and images: HKRU
Rugby Week 2018
After the individual creativity of Art Week, the wonders of team creativity are on display as Rugby Week 2018 scrums down.
The action starts at King’s Park on Wednesday with KowloonFest where the old and venerable rumble around the pitch and have a lot of fun as their brain sees them sprinting to score a fantastic try only to find their legs unable to keep up…
While the 7s is all speed and patterns, perhaps the best rugby of the week is at the Hong Kong Tens. With proper scrums and brutal power forward play the Tens features, especially on Thursday night, perhaps the closest we in Hong Kong can get to seeing modern rugby up close and personal. Select teams packed with talent, new and old, from around the world put a physicality and rawness to images seen on television that really has to be experienced in person.
The wonderful HK Women’s Seven is again a qualifier for the Women’s World Series. If you can’t get a ticket to the Sevens then head to So Kon Po and cheer on Hong Kong.
The Sevens, amidst the partying a rugby tournament takes place. The quality of the other World Series tournaments isn’t as good as in the past – empty stadiums on the World Series attest to that. Yet Hong Kong still sees teams raising their game…
Here are the dates for your diary for what promises to be some fantastic sport and a lot of fun.
Kowloon Fest
When: 4 April, 2018
Where: Kings Park
How much: Free
More info: www.rugbyfest.org
Hong Kong Tens
When: 4-5 April, 2018
Where: Hong Kong Football Club
How much: $125, $100 (advance)
More info: www.hongkongtens.com
Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens
When: 5-6 April, 2018
Where: So Kon Po, Semi-final and Final-HK Stadium
How much: Free
More info: www.facebook.com/hkwr.sevens
Hong Kong 7s
When: 6-8 April, 2018
Where: HK Stadium
How much: $1,950 (sold out)
More info: www.hksevens.com
Sevens Ticket Prices Increase
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/HKWR7s-Hong-Kong-v-Kenya-So-Kon-Po-6-April-2017/i-zXqs9tj
After last year forcing children to pay adult prices for their tickets. Those prices have gone up as the Hong Kong Rugby Union announced that tickets will increased by $50/day, approximately 8%.
Not that the general public can buy them anymore, but from 2018 a three-day ticket – except HK rugby are not calling them tickets anymore they’ve been rebranded as “event packages” – costs $1950, up from $1,800 in 2017.
There’s so much guff verbiage and faux justifications within the HKRU release announcing the price increase that you’d swear they’ve been taking lessons from Trump.
The guff includes that fans at the stadium have to pay more so that other people can watch the Sevens for free “HKRU is also expending significant funds to share the excitement of the Sevens with the wider community, with its free admission fan zones in Chater Garden and Lee Gardens”.
I wonder what the sponsors and suppliers who paid HKRU massive sums to have their brands linked to the Sevens and have a presence at those two locations think about that fiction.
The HKRU claims the Sevens are “still excellent value” but there was a lot less actual rugby played at the 2017 Sevens than in years past – so fans of rugby are being shafted twice… paying more for a lot less.
Robbie McRobbie, Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Rugby Union states that “We have an obligation to generate as much revenue as possible from the tournament to support the growth of the game in Hong Kong.”
This from an organisation that is quite probably the richest rugby union in the world and has according to a recent annual return assets of well over $250 million.
The Sevens will still sell out because it’s a unique event and can trade on it’s name and reputation for years to come, but the atmosphere at recent events is not what it used to be and the fans disquiet and sense of being milked increases every year.
What the HKRU and World Rugby fail to understand is that fans do go to watch the rugby. The non-stop run of games throughout the day keeps fan energy high. Now with big gaps in the rugby, the atmosphere and energy sags. We don’t need bands with awful sound systems playing 5 songs. The energy from the rugby drives the Sevens fan experience which powers the rugby… More rugby, more women’s rugby and less of the insipid distractions.
Hong Kong Sevens
Date: 6-8 April 2018
Venue: Hong Kong Stadium
Tickets: $1,950.