What a draw… In their first World Cup, Hong Kong will face New Zealand, Australia and Chile in Pool A at the Men’s Rugby World Cup Australia 2027
Tag: RugbyWorldCup
RWC2025 Semi-Final: Canada v New Zealand
The Black Ferns came into the RWC2025 Semi-Final as defending World Champions and on a massive unbeaten run… Canada, who crowdfunded their World Cup campaign, played a sublime game and handed New Zealand rugby its second thrashing of the week.
Ahead of the game fans and pundits alike expected a close game… Canada dominated in all areas of the pitch and although New Zealand scored a couple of tries midway through the second half to narrow the scoreboard the final score of 34-19 understated Canada’s dominance. Canada head to the final at a sold-out Twickenham on 27 September.
Watch the highlights here
Photos: copyright Simon Durrant/bcmagazine
Women’s Rugby World Cup – bcene: Japan v Spain @ York, 7 September, 2025
Japanese and Spanish fans arrived in York hoping to see their team win their first World Cup Game.
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Photos: copyright Simon Durrant/bcmagazine
Women’s World Cup Kicks Off With Red Roses Win
Over 42,000 crowded into the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on 22 August to watch England’s Red Roses in the opening game of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.
The tournament hosts savouring the noisy home atmosphere rewarded the crowd – a record for a Women’s World Cup game – with some exciting attacking rugby in a 69-7 win against a United States team determined not to let the occasion overwhelm them.
That Sunderland, a northern city that lives for its football team, not only embraced the tournament but enjoyed the match shows how far women’s rugby has come even in the three years since New Zealand 2022.
Watch the highlights here
Photos: copyright Simon Durrant/bc magazine
Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 Ticketing
World Rugby have announced the ticketing process for the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Fans will have two initial opportunities to secure their place at the tournament’s 11th edition, with the first tickets going on sale next year following the release of the much-anticipated match schedule in January 2026.
Tickets will be released in phases, starting in February 2026 for fans who register before the end of January 2026. Additional tickets will be available in May 2026. All matches and all price categories will be available during this presale.
In May 2026, a three-week general application phase will open to all supporters worldwide, offering the chance to request tickets for any match with a ballot system implemented for oversubscribed price categories to ensure fairness, confirmed World Rugby.
Superfan Pass
For the most passionate fan, Rugby World Cup 2027 is introducing the Superfan Pass, providing guaranteed access to purchase tickets. Superfan Passes will go on-sale on 5 August at 14:00 AEST.
The Superfan Pass option gives fans guaranteed access to tickets for Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027, including the opening match and the final. By purchasing a Superfan Pass you’ll be invited to buy tickets in February 2026 before anyone else.
How many tickets can I buy with Superfan Pass?
Each Superfan Pass holder can purchase up to four tickets per match, and up to 52 tickets across the tournament.
Wheelchair Superfan Pass holders can access a wheelchair ticket with a free companion, along with three more tickets, up to 52 tickets (not including the companion ticket) for any RWC 2027 matches.
How much does a Superfan Pass cost?
Superfan Passes cost AUD$750 and are limited to one per person. They can’t be transferred or resold. Superfan Passes on sale at 14:00 (AEST)
Match tickets are not included in the price of a Superfan Pass and must be purchased separately during the exclusive Superfan Pass sale in February 2026.
Ticketing Timeline
- 29 July, 2025 – Fans can register to access the presale (until the end of January 2026)
- 30 July, 2025 – RWC Experiences on sale for eight matches
- 5 August, 2025 – Superfan Passes on sale at 14:00 (AEST)
2026
- January 2026 RWC 2027 Ticket-inclusive travel packages available.
- February 2026 presale for fans who registered before the end of January 2026.
- May 2026 Application Phase ticket.
- July 2026 Premium Experience packages for selected matches on sale.
Additional reporting and images: World Rugby
Spain 41-18 Hong Kong
Spain beat Hong Kong 41-18 in the one-off Valladolid test as a disastrous start by the visitors saw the hosts establish a matching winning lead in the first quarter and lead 22-0 inside 30 minutes.
“That start was disappointing as we had talked a lot about how we needed to get at them early,” said coach Jo Hull. “We knew Spain would come out of the gate hard and we wanted to strangle them and prevent them from getting any momentum. We weren’t able to achieve that, unfortunately, but we did well to claw our way back into it.”
“Most importantly, we saw significant improvement from game one to two which was our main objective from the tour,” Hull added.
A gritty effort – led by the determined defence of flanker Cheng Ching-to and the inspired attack of winger Aggie Poon Pak-yan, saw Hong Kong claw its way back into the game in a more evenly contested second half.
Poon scored all of Hong Kong’s points, opening her account with a penalty in the 33rd minute to bring the half-time score to 22-3.
In the second half, the match opened up even further, with Spain starting the scoring in the 46th minute with a try to extend their lead to 29-3.
Hong Kong gained in confidence as the match wore on and were rewarded for their resiliency in the 51st minute when Poon, showing her skills, turned the corner on the Spanish defence to dash away for a forty-five metre try.
Poon’s try finished off a perfectly executed planned move that started from a scrum on the far side of the pitch. The ball passed cleanly though five pairs of hands in the back-line before Poon spotted the gap. Poon’s conversion of her own try edged Hong Kong back into the match at 29-10. Minutes later, another Hong Kong foray was rewarded, with a penalty, which Poon slotted to narrow the gap further 29-13.
Spain pushed right back with a barnstorming attack, throwing the ball around with abandon as they went 80 metres before creating a massive overlap on Hong Kong’s try-line to cross over for their sixth score and a 36-13 lead.
Moments later, Spain scored a final, fortuitous try to widen the margin to 41 points, leaving Hong Kong in danger of conceding a bigger loss than the 49-12 Madrid test defeat in 2015.
But Hong Kong re-grouped to marshal a final attack on the Spanish line and Poon stepped up once again, collecting a well-timed pass from fullback Colleen Tjosvold to dash 25 metres dragging three defenders across the line for a second try. Poon’s conversion was unsuccessful leaving the final score at 41-18.
Hull said before the tour that one of the goals of the trip was to expose the squad to more high-intensity matches and Hong Kong certainly experienced that as Spain were relentless in attack.
“Our tactical kicking still wasn’t good enough today,” said Hull. “We let them play too much rugby and we let their nine and ten get too involved. There were periods that we managed their pressure well, but our challenge now is to turn that 50 minutes into 80 minutes. But, overall, it was an improved performance against a much stronger side than the mid-week game.”
“We were more accurate in our attack and we had less handling and unforced errors, despite a big increase in the intensity of the game, so I’m pleased with that,” said Hull.
“This experience will absolutely hold us in good stead. Since we left this group has shown significant improvement and we have capped five new players on tour, which is vital for us in extending our squad ahead of the World Cup,” concluded Hull.
The squad returns to Hong Kong on Monday to prepare for the upcoming Asia Rugby Championship series with Japan in July.
Additional reporting and images: HK Rugby
Hong Kong Ready for Spain Test
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Jo Hull, Hong Kong’s coach, has named a strong squad for the one-off test match against Spain, currently ranked seventh in the world.
Two years ago Spain beat Hong Kong 49-12, with the World Cup two months away the match is an important indicator of the squads recent development.
“We’re still experimenting to some degree with our combinations, but we’ve gone with our strongest team against what we’re anticipating will be a much more experienced Spanish side,” said Hull.
“They played a lot of new players mid-week and we’re expecting more of their experienced players to play on Saturday, particularly in the forwards,” Hull noted.
That could be problematic for Hong Kong, who struggled mightily in the scrum on Tuesday. “Spain bullied us a bit so we need to use our strengths to our advantage and manage games against those bigger teams. We have to stop their ball carriers and bring them to ground early and we have to be able to live with that pressure for a full 80 minutes,” said Hull.
“We panicked a bit under pressure on Tuesday. We aren’t going to score from our own half against world class teams so we need to play smarter and use territory much better,” Hull added.
Rose Hopewell-Fong at fly-half will look to impose more control in those areas. While Chloe Mak Ho-yee hopes to ask more questions of the Spanish defence. “We’re giving Chloe the start as she offers something a bit different. While Rosie has that experience in controlling a match, Chloe will help us speed things up a bit,” Hull said.
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Hull has also turned to an experienced backline with all of the outside backs coming from Hong Kong’s sevens squad, including Ivy Kwong and the hard-running Natasha Olson-Thorne in the centres.
Chong Ka-yan’s performance in Tuesday’s friendly has earned her a start on the wing with Aggie Poon Pak-yan, while Colleen Tjosvold, who scored all of Hong Kong’s points in the opener, retains her spot at fullback.
“It’s an experienced backline, but they need to perform and to step-up really. We’re disappointed that we didn’t capitalize on our opportunities on Tuesday. We had two or three scoring chances that we squandered and we’ve given them a chance to put that right on Saturday,” Hull added.
In the forwards, Lau Nga-wun, Lee Ka-shun and Karen So will start in the front row with captain Chow Mei-nam forming a locking partnership with Tsang Sin-yan, who impressed on her senior debut earlier in the week. Vice captain Amelie Seure anchors the pack at No.8 with ball-fetcher Cheng Ching-to and Winnie Siu, another senior debutant earlier this week, on the flanks.
“Winnie was dynamic on Tuesday and we need a similar performance from her. Sin-yan earned her first cap by putting in a lot of work in the warm-up match. She hit a huge amount of rucks and was very effective around the pitch. Shedid the work we need our tight five to do – those unsung hero roles.”
Already conceding significant size to their opponents, the pack will have its work cut out for it as Spain are likely to field more of its veteran forwards, battle hardened from numerous matches against Women’s Six nations sides.
“We need to keep hold of the ball. We had too many turnovers on Tuesday, both forced and unforced. We also need to get our kicking game right and ensure we’re playing in the right areas,” said Hull.
Saturday’s test is an important step in Hong Kong’s build-up to its first ever Rugby World Cup appearance and the squad understands what is on the line.
“The girls are actually hugely disappointed with Tuesday’s performance. We’ve received a lot of messages from home, a lot of congratulations on the score, but the girls are setting a higher goal.”
“Our message this week has been about earning the right to play. This is our first international step towards the World Cup. We aren’t treating this like a normal tour, our only objective and ambition is to get better. No matter how well we do, we can’t be satisfied until we know our performance is where it needs to be, at World Cup level,” Hull added.
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Hong Kong squad v Spain (3 June 2017)
1. LAU Nga-wun, 2. Karen SO, 3. LEE Ka-shun, 4. TSANG Sin-yan, 5. CHOW Mei-nam (captain) 6. CHENG Ching-to, 7. Winnie SIU, 8. Amelie SEURE (vice capt), 9. MAK Ho-yee, 10. Rose HOPEWELL-FONG, 11. CHONG Ka-yan, 12. KWONG Sau-yan 13. Natasha OLSON-THORNE, 14. Aggie POON Pak-yan, 15. Colleen TJOSVOLD (vice capt). 16. Royce CHAN Leong-sze, 17. HO Hoi-lam, 18. PUN Wai-yan, 19. CHEUNG Shuk-hang, 20. Eunice LAI Ming-yan, 21. Lindsay VARTY, 22. LEE Tsz-ting, 23. Laurel CHOR
Photos : JFS Rugby Photography
Additional reporting: HK Rugby
Women’s International Friendly: Spain 19-8 Hong Kong
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Spain’s 19-8 victory in the warm-up match ahead of the 3 June test represents a significant improvement for Hong Kong’s women on their 2015 tour results when Spain scored 50+ points in both matches, but coach Jo Hull has warned her squad that it is not enough.
“If you compare that result to 2015, it was a much, much better performance, but honestly we are a bit disappointed, as we could have won that game,” said Hull. “We trailed 12-8 through 70 minutes and let ourselves down at times with some poor defensive efforts, including giving away a cheap try at the end of the game. The message we gave the girls after the game was that we have got to set our standard higher and have the belief that we are here to win these games and not just survive them.”
Hong Kong blunted the Spanish attack with a good rush defence and some strong loose forward play. The most visible blots on the copybook were Hong Kong’s performance in the scrum – Spain repeatedly dismantled Hong Kong’s pack, a few patchy periods on defence and an inability to alleviate pressure in their own half.
Spain’s dominance in the scrum will be a worry for Hull as she prepares her side for Saturday’s game: “It’s hard to get anything going when your scrum is going backwards like it did, so that is something that we will be focusing a lot on in the coming days, as well as our ability to get out from under pressure and play more rugby outside of our territory,” said Hull.
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On the positive side of the ledger, Hull was pleased to have had an opportunity to give all of her debut players a run-out. “We had five players making their senior debut, many of whom played well and will be involved in the World Cup. That is good as we need to expand that base and can’t rely on the same old players to keep stepping up. We were also able to try out some different players in different positions, like having a very young fly-half in BB [Lee Tsz-ting] on the pitch,” added Hull.
Spain jumped out to a 5-0 lead after a frenetic first ten minutes when they dominated possession and territory and were able to bring their physical advantage in the forwards into play with repeated short passes and carries by their towering loose forward trio. That pressure told in the 8th minute when the Spanish flanker crashed over for a try from a tap penalty close to the Hong Kong line.
After weathering the early pressure, Hong Kong’s belief grew and the capitalized on their first scoring opportunity when Colleen Tjosvold slotted home a penalty after Spain was pinged for off-side.
Spain replied three minutes later with a second try, this time coming through the backline as the hosts capitalised on a defensive lapse to score an easy try between the centres.
The heavy rain took it’s toll with both sides playing each other to a standstill as the scores stood at 12-8 at half-time. The stalemate continued deep into the second half with both sides liberally using their benches as they examined options and combinations ahead of Saturday’s test.
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Spain were the only side to score in the second half as they turned possession into points in the 74th minute with a second try from their open-side flanker.
Outside of the scrum, Hong Kong’s line-out was strong and the forward pack proved the equal of their opposition in the loose play, with the starting back row of match captain Amelie Seure at No.8 and Cheng Ching-to and Chan Tsz-ching, on her Hong Kong debut, putting in a strong performance.
Hull also had opportunities to debut a new lock pairing in Tsang Sin-yan and Eunice Lai Ming-yan and blooded all five of her uncapped players with Laurel Chor starting on the wing and prop Pun Wai-yan coming on as a substitute for the injured Lee Ka-shun late in the first half.
“Both locks played really well, as did Chan Tsz-ching. She was very physical and did a good job. In the backs, Chong Ka-yan was strong in both attack and defence and Colleen [Tjosvold, who scored all of Hong Kong’s points with a try and a penalty], was a standout. She really stepped up her game,” said Hull.
Saturday will now be a test of resolve for Hong Kong as they come up against the full Spanish national team, currently ranked seventh in the world. In 2015 Spain found another gear in the test match, which they won 59-12. Hull understands that a backlash may be coming and will be focusing the squad on that likelihood:
“The first match was an eye-opener for both teams. Spain will make some changes and I expect to see more of their senior players on Saturday. I am sure that they will want to be even more physical and it will be crucial for us to stop them from getting a good start and building any early momentum.
“Yes, we have made progress since 2015, but now there is a risk that we sit back and are content with that. We know that we are not good enough for the World Cup right now and I am interested to see how the squad responds to that in the test,” Hull concluded.
Photos : JFS Rugby Photography
Additional reporting: HK Rugby