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Rugby Sevens World Cup 2018 Fixture Schedule Announced

Hong Kong will take on Russia in their first game of the Rugby Seven World Cup in San Francisco this July, with the winners playing New Zealand for a place in Cup competition.

The 2018 Sevens World Cup features 24 men’s and 16 women’s teams and will be played on 20-22 July at the AT&T Park in San Francisco’s Bay Area.

An innovative tournament format will see every match count. In both the men’s and women’s tournaments teams will have to win every match in order to be crowned World Cup winners.

In the men’s competition, where nations will be competing to get their hands on the Melrose Cup, there will be an initial knock-out preliminary round featuring the nations ranked ninth to 24th, while the top eight seeds progress automatically to the round of 16.

The women will be the first to take to the pitch at AT&T Park as Fiji face Spain in the first match of the tournament on 20 July. Top seeds and reigning World Cup holders New Zealand, who will enter the competition high on confidence following their recent gold medal performance at the Commonwealth Games, will face Mexico in the round of 16.

Olympic champions and current World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series leaders Australia will take on Papua New Guinea while hosts USA, seeded fifth, will wrap up the round of 16 action against China, who are an emerging force following their victory in the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series Qualifier in Hong Kong in April.

The men’s tournament also gets underway on day one with Kenya, runners-up in the recent Hong Kong and Vancouver legs of the World Sevens Series, facing Tonga in the first game of the preliminary round.

In the evening session on the first day of competition current Olympic champions and World Rugby Sevens Series leaders Fiji will take on the winner of Japan v Uruguay in the round of 16, while reigning World Cup champions New Zealand will face the winner of Russia v Hong Kong.

Top seeds South Africa will encounter the winners of Ireland v Chile, while host nation USA, ranked fifth, wrap up the first day of competition as they are drawn against the winner of Wales v Zimbabwe in the final match of the day.

World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said: “The release of the match schedule marks another exciting step on the journey to the highly anticipated Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 in San Francisco. Fans can now begin to plan their tournaments and teams can focus on their prospective opponents.

“There has never been a more competitive World Rugby Sevens Series than this year’s edition, with five different winners in the first five rounds in the men’s series, and only 16 points separating the top four nations in the women’s series, we are all set for a great showcase of the drama and excitement of rugby sevens at the first Rugby World Cup event ever to be held in the USA.”

Additional reporting and photos: World Rugby

HK Womens Sevens @ So Kon Po – 5 April, 2018

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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.

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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

Hong Kong Cricket Club Close Down Rugby Section

Hong Kong Cricket Club have announced that the rugby section of the club will close down and merge with HKU Sandy Bay effective immediately.

The full details of the announcement are here:

Hong Kong Cricket Club (HKCC) has had a proud tradition in rugby both on and off the field since 2003. Despite HKCC’s lack of on-site rugby facilities, HKCC Rugby Section has an enviable reputation and has been highly competitive over a number of seasons in the Premiership and other levels, including winning the Premiership on several occasions. Through HKCC’s successful affiliation with HKU Sandy Bay RFC for almost 10 years, HKCC has been able to further support the development of both new players and coaches. This affiliation has contributed significantly to the development of local rugby especially on West Island Hong Kong.

Over the past few months, HKCC and the Rugby Section have been considering how rugby in Hong Kong is evolving and how HKCC can best respond to the challenges and opportunities facing the sport, including the increasing drive towards high performance rugby and the desire to create a ‘top to bottom’ structure encompassing all levels of rugby from high performance to social grade to youth and mini rugby. To continue supporting the development of rugby, HKCC and the Rugby Section have participated in extensive discussions with key stakeholders and proactively explored a number of options within the constraints of the Club’s on-site facilities and governance as a not-for-profit members’ club.

After careful consideration, focused around how HKCC can best support the development of rugby in Hong Kong, it has been agreed that the Rugby Section will transition away from HKCC and officially merge with HKU Sandy Bay RFC at the end of 2017/18 season. The combined rugby club will be one of the largest in Hong Kong, with approximately 1,000 players, and encompass all levels of rugby from high performance to social grade to youth and minis. HKU Sandy Bay RFC’s committee has recently unanimously approved the merger and transitional arrangements are currently underway.

The transition of HKCC Rugby Section to HKU Sandy Bay RFC will enable the sport to continue to develop at all levels and provide the operational flexibility and agility needed to fund and support the continuing development of the sport of Rugby at the highest levels.

This is truly an exciting opportunity that will create playing opportunities for all members of the community, further develop the sport of rugby in Hong Kong, and allow players to reach their full potential at whatever level they choose to play. HKCC and the Rugby Section are both committed to ensuring that there is a smooth transition to, and successful future for, rugby at HKU Sandy Bay RFC.

Women’s Rugby Grand Championship Final Results – 10 March, 2018

Premiership Grand Final

Gai Wu Falcons 31-10 Valley Black
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 16:30

Gai Wu Falcons
Hoi Lam Ho, Nga Wun Lau, Ka Wai Lam, Debby, Ka Yin Wong, Yee Ching Chan, Wai Yan Pun, Christy Cheng Ka Chi, Ka Yan Chan, Wai Sum Sham, Tsz Ting Lee, Pak Yan Poon, Aggie, Greer Muir, Tsz Ting Cheng, Ka Yan Chong, Abigail Chan
Reserves: Ka Shun Lee, Chin Yee Wu, Hiu Ki Yip, Sharon Shin Yuen Tsang, Tsz Yung Ching, Suet Ying Wong, Wing See Chiu, Melody Blessing Li Nim Yan
Tries: Lee Tsz-ting (2), Chong Ka-yan, Nga Wun Lau, Sham Wai-sum
Conversions: Lee Tsz-ting (3)

Valley Black
KK Wong, Karen So, Jasmine Cheung, Ching To Cheng, Deena Ravi Thinakaran, Suzanne Sittko, Caitlin Spencer, Aroha Savage, Colleen Tjosvold, Bella Milo, Jessica Eden, Tanya Young, Zoë Smith, Nadia Cuvilier, Jade Birkby
Reserves: Akanisi Au Yeung, Li Lai Mang, Becky, Sonia Vashi, Wing Yan Leung, Kelsie Bouttle, Kim Senogles, Laurel Chor, Yuen Yin Lo
Tries: Nadia Cuvilier (2)

National League 1 Grand Final

Revolution SRC 10-7 HK Scottish Kukris
@ KG V, Kick-off: 16:30

Revolution SRC
Jacqueline Oi Ying Chau, Wai Ching Siu, Ho Yan Ho, Helene Hopman, In Kwan Lam, Tsz Ki Lau, Choi Fung Cheung, Wing Ying Chan, Yuen Shan Poon, Ting Ting Chu, Wing Yiu Ho, Stephanie Chor Ki Chan, Yuet Yi Yam, Tsz Ching Wong, Ka Yan Chan
Reserve: Ka Yee Yim, Wai King Shek, Ching Laam Shou, Hin Kiu Tsang, Sin Ting Lau, Tess Yeung, Tsz Ning Tsang, Wing Yan Wong

HK Scottish Kukris + Discovery Bay
Marianna Bigazzi, Yuen Chan, Gloria Chan, Laura Horsfall, Oi Yan, Crystal Lee, Wun Lo Chung, Pui Yau Chan, Myron Ng, Yik Sheung Andie Ma, Karis Cheung, Man Ling Hui, Sze Ting Li, Fung Yuen Ting, Vera Hei Ting Lau, Hau Yi Chung
Reserve: Hoi Tung Jim, Jia Choi Wan, Taro Yau, Yik Lam Lau, Celina Malunes, Chan Po Ki, Holly On-ting Yuen, Ket Robinson

National League 2 Grand Final

CWB Lammergeier 15-10 Police Sirens
@ KG V, Kick-off: 16:30

CWB Lammergeier
Cheung Yik Sze,Lydia, Tin Yan, Dora Chim, Wing Sze, Winnie On, Pak Wai Ling, Lin Yin, Liu Kit Ying, Ka Wing Ng, Tse Man Sze, Cookie, Ho Ting ‘Hoty’ Chan, Suet Ying Lo, Mo Tsz Ching, Stephanie Chan, Lau Sin Tung, Chan Ka Wai, Siu Man Nga
Reserve: Kitty Kan, Michelle Lam, Wong Man Yan, Ka Ki Cheung, Kara Jones, Kong ‘Koko’ Yin Ting, Li Man Yi, Suet Ni Pak, Tsang Yuen Ying, Wong Sze Man

Police Sirens
Edna Hiu-Tung, Edwina Ng, Idy, Yik Yan Chan, Man Yan Li, Yo, Kwan Yi Lee, Hoi Yan Li, Sue Yik-chi, Ade Lai-nga Wong, Sin Man Ng, Haysan Shiu Man Yip, Wai Yin Joker Lo, Wing Tan Yau, Chan Po Tung, Pui Pui Man, Van, Sze Wan Chan, Ching Man ‘Dee’ Wong
Reserve: Lan Fong Queenie Yip, Ngan Shan Shan, Ching Man Tung, Ling Shan Lam, Sze Ting Choi, Tsang Wai Ming, Yuki Lee

Images: hkru, revolution src, CWB Lammergeier

Gai Wu Dominate Valley to Win Grand Championship!

Gai Wu Falcons added the Grand Championship to their league title beating Valley Black 31-10 in the Premiership Grand Final. The victory gave the Falcons their first Premiership league and championship double since the 2012/13 season.

Gai Wu scored five tries and defended resolutely to nullify Valley’s potent attack. The Falcons led 12-0 at the break with fly half BB Lee Tsz-ting scoring 16 points with a try in each half and three conversions.

The final – featuring 11 of the Hong Kong national team that played at the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup – was a fairly evenly contested early on with both sides having chances on, but the defences held strong.

The first score came for the Falcons after Valley centre Tanya Young was sin-binned in the 26th minute. The one woman advantage was the little difference that Gai Wu’s forwards needed as they took full advantage of the extra space to drive deep into Valley’s half.

Valley’s first up defence held strong, forcing a ruck in the far corner, but a clever shift of play by Gai Wu scrumhalf Sham Wai-sum put fly-half Lee into a seam behind the Valley defence. The Hong Kong no.10 showed a clean pair of heels to sprint the last few metres and dive over the line for the game’s first try. Lee converted her own score to give the Falcons a 7-0 lead.

The three-time defending league and grand champions Valley conceded a crucial penalty shortly shortly after returning to full strength as they were pinged for going straight to ground at the ruck. Lee’s penalty attempt fell short, but the Valley defence bobbled the take, knocking the ball on beneath their posts to give Gai Wu an attacking scrum five metres from the Valley line.

No.8 Angela Chan Ka-yan did well to corral the ball at the back of the scrum and the Falcons carried the ball for three phases before scoring in the corner, with Sham scoring the try to extend Gai Wu’s lead to 12-0 after Lee missed the conversion.

Valley found themselves in the unfamiliar position of trailing at the start the second half and their discombobulation continued when play resumed as Falcons wing Aggie Poon Pak-yan ventured off her line to devastating effect on several occasions, while the direct running lines of centre Greer Muir kept the Valley defence off balance.

In the 43rd minute Poon timed her run off the opposite wing perfectly to enter the line between Sham and Lee and used her pace to turn a half-gap in the defence into a long meandering run that brought the Falcons close to Valley’s line.

Poon offloaded the ball in contact to her supporting forwards, who executed some probing attacks around the fringes of the ruck before Hong Kong prop Tammy Lau crashed over the line, extending Gai Wu’s advantage to 19 points after Lee’s conversion.

Lee collected her brace in the 58th minute after the Falcons backed themselves twice in opting for scrums rather than two kickable penalties. The Falcons pack was up to the challenge at scrum-time and Gai Wu found space along the left-hand side again, with Lee popping up deep with the ball to score her second try in the corner. Lee’s conversion was unsuccessful, but Gai Wu held a commanding 24-0 lead with twenty minutes remaining.

Valley wing Nadia Cuvelier scored the first of her two second half tries in the 62nd minute when she finished off a 70-metre break started by centre Zoe Smith to put Valley on the board at 24-5.

But before Valley could build any momentum, winger Chong Ka-yan flashed some individual brilliance and pace for the Falcons, selling a beautiful dummy deep in her own half to create space for an 80 metre solo try as Gai Wu extended their lead to 31-5.

Cuvelier replied with her second of the game in the 78th minute, but it would prove nothing more than consolation for Valley who saw their Grand Championship and league winning streak ended by Falcons this season.

Falcons coach “Sailo” Lai Yiu-pang hailed his side’s collective effort, saying, “What made me most proud today was the effort we put in as a team. We put our bodies on the line and you can see from the scoreline how effective we were.”

“I was surprised by the margin at the end. Like everyone, I expected a closer game, but I think our determination made the difference. We played better as a team,” said Lai.

Women’s Premiership Grand Championship Final:
Gai Wu Falcons 31-10 Valley Black

Additional reporting and images: hkru

One Cup To Rule Them All

Gai Wu Falcons and Valley Black have contested the past five Premiership Grand Championship Finals. Can Gai Wu add the Cup to their league title or will Valley’s reign as Grand Champions continue…

Kicking off at King’s Park at 4.30pm, this clash has an extra layer of spice with Gai Wu defeating Valley 22-15 last time they met to bring an end to the Black’s three year 51-game winning streak.

“Finally I have a full strength squad to select from this week so it will bring me a bit of a headache at selection,” Gai Wu coach “Sailo” Lai Yiu-pang said. “The set piece is going to be a big area, if we can secure the set piece, especially the scrums, and put pressure on them, then we will have more opportunity to create a platform for ourselves. If we fail to secure that platform in defence there will be more challenges.”

Gai Wu breezed past Tai Po 63-0 in the semi-finals while Valley outlasted a gallant Tigers side 17-10 and Lai knows his team will need to be on the ball throughout this weekend.

“The two teams will be throwing everything at it, I expect it to be a close game and a big battle,” he said. “We have to be able to play 80 minutes of rugby, they have some experienced players – Bella [Milo] and Aroha [Savage] can turn every opportunity into points.”

“We can’t let up and we have to defend well. The reason we beat them last time is because we defended really well, we shut them down early so they didn’t have too much front-foot ball and then we put pressure on them and forced them to make turnovers.”

Chong Ka-yan and Lee Ka-shun will be among the key players for the Falcons as they look to end Valley’s run of three consecutive grand championship wins.

For Valley coach Milo, it’s about building on the basics. “We’re excited and nervous at the same time,” she said. “We have got to get our set piece right and put a bit of pressure on their key players. Our biggest work this week has been our defence. We didn’t really slow down their breakdown last time we played so they had faster ball and we were just a bit too slow to get out wide.”

“We’ve just focussed on ourselves and how we can get better from last week’s semi-final, we didn’t start too well. We have been talking about how we can control our game, ” added Milo.

Grand Championship Finals 2018

Additional reporting and image: hkru

Premiership Grand Final

National League 1 Grand Final

National League 2 Grand Final

Women’s Premiership Grand Championship Final: Gai Wu Falcons 31-10 Valley Black

Grand Championship Finals 2018

Women’s Premiership Grand Championship Final:
Gai Wu Falcons 31-10 Valley Black