Enjoy some Women’s Premiership rugby this weekend!
Entry is Free!
image: phoebe leung
Tag: Wrugby
Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Results – 18 September, 2021
Premiership
Gai Wu Falcons 0-22 USRC Tigers
@ Shek Kip Mei, Kick-off: 18:00
Kowloon 55-0 CWB Phoenix
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 18:00
Valley Black 12-11 HKFC Ice
@ Happy Valley, Kick-off: 18:00
Image: hkrugby
Women’s Rugby Fixtures: 18 September, 2021
It’s Back!!!
Women’s Premiership rugby returns this weekend!
Stretch your legs, stroll down and watch the ladies in action.
Entry is Free!
Fast, Femme and Furious
Over 30 teams from 10 clubs participated in Valley RFC‘s Fast, Femme and Furious at a sun-soaked King’s Park on the 4th September
Showcasing women’s hockey, rugby and netball the competitive action was much appreciated by players young and old after the extended Covid enforced cancellation of team sport across Hong Kong.
At the end of a hot day’s rugby action, USRC Tigers emerged victorious, beating the host’s Valley RFC in the final. The hosts triumphed in the netball, while HK Football Club won the hockey event.
Valley‘s Grant Beuzeval commenting after the event described Fast, Femme and Furious as “A joyous celebration and showcase of female sport” adding that the club hopes to grow the event and create “Asia’s premier female multi-sports festival”.
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2021/20210904-Fast-Femme-and-Furious-Kings-Park/i-7dMXxqd
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2021/20210904-Fast-Femme-and-Furious-Kings-Park/i-WmztKKc
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https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2021/20210904-Fast-Femme-and-Furious-Kings-Park/i-7CmSqJV
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Photos : Ike Li / Ike Images, Valley RFC
Updated 7 September to add comments from Grant Beuzeval
Aggie Poon Takes Charge
As a former 110 metre hurdler, Aggie Poon had the pace and the quick feet that made her perfectly suited to playing on the wing or at full-back.
Having debuted as a 20-year-old, Poon was a stalwart of the Hong Kong women’s team, in sevens and 15s and played at Rugby World Cup 2017 and three Asian Games and was Hong Kong’s Women’s Sevens Player of the Year in 2016.
A meniscus injury to her left knee, however, was one physical barrier Poon was unable to overcome and she was forced to retire in 2017, aged just 27, with 13 caps to her name.
Rather than limping away from the sport, the professional personal trainer used her knowledge of fitness and conditioning to get her knee right again and embark on a career in officiating.
“Some friends asked me why I did not go into coaching. It wasn’t the easiest decision to make between being a coach or a referee,” she admitted.
“I chose the latter because it would be difficult for me to balance the duties as a coach with my other commitments. Refereeing fitted into my schedule better.
“Also, every team player has her own personality and strengths. It’d require a lot of effort as a coach to design a programme that caters for every single team member.
“As a referee, it is just my problem, to prepare well and be better. I cannot put the blame on other people.”
Learning the Laws
Poon isn’t afraid to admit she did not know all the laws of the game while she was playing and continues to strive to get better.
“I thought that refereeing can enrich my understanding of the laws while learning a new skill. I probably knew 60 per cent when I was playing,” she said candidly.
“Doing the set-piece, which includes scrum and lineout, is harder than I expected because the positions I used to play were winger and full-back instead of scrum-half or forward.
“You never stop learning; you should always try and understand the laws of the game otherwise you will pay the price. When you know more and learn more you will be more confident on the pitch.
“I hope to help the players to be more familiar with the laws as well, as having a better understanding of how the game works will help them to improve their performance straight away.”
Poon was appointed to the Asia Rugby refereeing panel this year and says the Amsterdam Sevens is the most prestigious tournament she has refereed to date.
The 31-year-old was part of the Hong Kong women’s sevens team that got to the Rio 2016 repechage only to fall short of making it to the big event.
Tokyo came too soon in her referee development – she only took up the whistle just over three years ago – but Paris 2024 is a realistic aim.
“Refereeing at the Olympics and games at a global level is my goal. It’s a long-term aim as well as a long shot, and I have been equipping myself for it,” she said.
“I have been inspired by Gabriel Lee and Matthew Rodden as they were the two referees who represented Hong Kong at the world level. I know it is an ambitious goal but I’m trying my best to achieve it.”
Additional reporting, image: World Rugby
Hong Kong Sevens 2021 Cancelled
World Rugby and the Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) have cancelled the Hong Kong Sevens, rescheduled for 5-7 November, for the second year in a row.
The decision according to World Rugby, which seems understandable but also strange since the Singapore 7s will go ahead, was made after discussion with the HKRU and relevant Hong Kong government departments was based on the uncertainty regarding travel restrictions and quarantine requirements.
The date for the 2022 Hong Kong Sevens has been set for 1-3 April, just 239 days to go until rugby sevens action returns to its famous home.
Additional reporting, images: World Rugby
Hong Kong Women and Men Unbeaten at Olympic Repechage
On the first full day of the World Rugby Olympic Sevens Repechage Hong Kong’s women and men were unbeaten.
Hong Kong will play unbeaten France in both competitions on Sunday to decide who will top the pools and their respective knock-out round opponents.
Salom Yui Kam Shing scored two tries as Hong Kong’s men opened their repechage campaign with a 31-5 defeat of Jamaica in Pool B.
In their second match, the men trailed Chile by eight points with little more than two minutes remaining. But late tries from Shing, Russell Webb and Alex McQueen secured a 26-15 victory.
Results of the men’s competition here
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2021/2021-06-20-Olympic-7s-Repechage-Monaco-/i-dKZz7xN
Hong Kong’s women began their Pool C campaign with a comfortable 31-10 win over Colombia – which featured a Chong Ka Yan hat-trick – but they found things much tougher against Madagascar, recovering from 12-0 down to win 19-12.
Results of the women’s competition here
The Olympic men’s rugby sevens competition will take place from 26-28 July, with the women’s tournament following on 29-31 July. All the action will take place at Tokyo Stadium, which hosted the opening match of Rugby World Cup 2019.
Hong Kong fans can watch all of the Repechage action from Monaco live and free as the tournament will be streamed on World Rugby’s website and Facebook and You Tube channels.
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2021/2021-06-20-Olympic-7s-Repechage-Monaco-/i-LFKwkkS
Additional reporting and images: World Rugby
Olympic Sevens Repechage Ready for Kick-off
The World Rugby Sevens Repechage kicks off in Monaco on 18 June as the competing teams aim to secure the remaining two women’s and one men’s qualification spots for the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The playing squads have been finalised and on Thursday the captains were welcomed by His Serene Highness Prince Albert II in a launch event at Monaco Palace.
The action gets underway at 18:00 local time on Friday as Zimbabwe face Mexico in Pool A of the men’s competition. Play continues throughout Saturday and Sunday when up to 5,000 spectators will be present at Stade Louis II, culminating in the two women’s finals and the one men’s final on Sunday evening.
The 12 team women’s competition will feature Argentina, Colombia, France, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Samoa and Tunisia.
The men’s tournament will consist of nine teams following the withdrawal of Uganda. Chile, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, Mexico, Samoa, Tonga, and Zimbabwe will take the field in Monaco.
In the women’s competition, the 12 teams will compete in three pools of four teams. The top two teams in each pool, plus the two third-placed teams with the highest point totals will qualify for the knockout stages of the competition. With two Olympic qualification places available, both winners in the final two games will claim their ticket to Tokyo.
The draw saw Colombia and France, the only women’s teams to have participated in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, paired together in a strong looking Pool C alongside Hong Kong and Madagascar.
All four teams in Pool A will be competing at their second Olympic repechage with Russia, Argentina, Mexico and Samoa all having participated at the qualifying tournament prior to Rio 2016, the Russians having lost 19-12 to Spain in the final in Dublin. In Pool B, highest ranked Papua New Guinea will face Kazakhstan, Jamaica and Tunisia.
For the men’s competition, the nine teams in contention for the final Olympic qualification place have been drawn into two pools. Teams will play against all opponents in their pools with the top two teams from each pool progressing through two knockout stages, with the winner of the final booking their ticket to Tokyo.
The men’s draw saw World Rugby Sevens Series core teams Samoa and Ireland paired in Pool A together with Tonga, Zimbabwe and Mexico. France are the top-seeded team based on their performances in the World Rugby Sevens Series where they finished sixth in 2020 and they are in Pool B along with Hong Kong, Chile, Jamaica. All teams in Pool B will record a bye against Uganda following their withdrawal from the tournament.
World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “With just over a month to go to the Olympic Games in Tokyo, we can look forward to a very exciting Repechage event in Monaco as the competing teams aim to fulfill their Olympic dreams by securing one of the three remaining qualification spots for Tokyo.
“Player welfare is our top priority and a lot of diligent work has gone on behind the scenes to ensure this event can take place in the safest and most secure manner possible during these unusual times,” Gilpin added.
The Olympic men’s rugby sevens competition will take place from 26-28 July, with the women’s tournament following on 29-31 July. All the action will take place at Tokyo Stadium, which hosted the opening match of Rugby World Cup 2019.
Hong Kong fans can watch all of the Repechage action from Monaco live and free as the tournament will be streamed on World Rugby’s website and Facebook and You Tube channels.
Additional reporting and images: World Rugby