Latest news with #BenAxtenBurrett
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hong Kong qualify for first Rugby World Cup
Hong Kong have qualified for their first men's Rugby World Cup after beating hosts South Korea 70-22 to win the Asia Championship. Hong Kong are only the second Asian nation after Japan to reach the World Cup in tournament history. They booked a spot in the 2027 tournament in Australia, expanded to 24 teams for the first time. "It is pretty overwhelming, and I am super proud of our group, our management and coaches and everyone involved," captain John Hrstich said. Reaching for the next be seeing much more of Hong Kong China as they qualify for their first EVER Rugby World Cup 🥳#RWC2027 — Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) July 5, 2025 Hong Kong just missed out on the 2019 and 2023 World Cups after reaching the final qualifying tournaments. On Saturday in Incheon, they were too good for South Korea even after a red card to centre Ben Axten-Burrett just before halftime for head-on-head contact. They also swept aside Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates to win the Asia Championship for a sixth straight time.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hong Kong China qualifies for the Rugby World Cup for the first time
INCHEON, South Korea (AP) — Hong Kong China qualified for its first men's Rugby World Cup after beating host South Korea 70-22 to win the Asia Championship on Saturday. Hong Kong China is only the second Asian nation after Japan to reach the World Cup in tournament history. Advertisement It booked a spot in the 2027 tournament in Australia, expanded to 24 teams for the first time. 'It is pretty overwhelming, and I am super proud of our group, our management and coaches and everyone involved,' captain John Hrstich said. Hong Kong China just missed out on the 2019 and 2023 World Cups after reaching the final qualifying tournaments. On Saturday, Hong Kong China was too good for South Korea even through a 20-minute red card to center Ben Axten-Burrett just before halftime for head-on-head contact. It also swept aside Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates to win the Asia Championship for a sixth straight time. ___ AP rugby:
Associated Press
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Hong Kong China qualifies for the Rugby World Cup for the first time
INCHEON, South Korea (AP) — Hong Kong China qualified for its first men's Rugby World Cup after beating host South Korea 70-22 to win the Asia Championship on Saturday. Hong Kong China is only the second Asian nation after Japan to reach the World Cup in tournament history. It booked a spot in the 2027 tournament in Australia, expanded to 24 teams for the first time. 'It is pretty overwhelming, and I am super proud of our group, our management and coaches and everyone involved,' captain John Hrstich said. Hong Kong China just missed out on the 2019 and 2023 World Cups after reaching the final qualifying tournaments. On Saturday, Hong Kong China was too good for South Korea even through a 20-minute red card to center Ben Axten-Burrett just before halftime for head-on-head contact. It also swept aside Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates to win the Asia Championship for a sixth straight time. ___ AP rugby:
South China Morning Post
04-07-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong ready to finally make Rugby World Cup dream a reality, says skipper Josh Hrstich
Hong Kong have come through a final training session in South Korea unscathed, and go into their final game of the Asia Rugby Emirates Men's Championship on Saturday at full strength. There is no hiding what is at stake. Win, and they qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Australia, and captain Josh Hrstich said it was something he had been dreaming about for a long time. The 35-year-old called the prospect of reaching the pinnacle of the sport 'a dream come true' and said it was 'really hard to put into words' what it meant. 'I dream about it all the time … working really hard to make sure it can become a reality, and the guys are all doing the same thing,' he said. He is not the only one dreaming, and some have been at it for longer. Alex Post, the hooker, made his debut for the team against Kenya in 2016 and will earn his 23rd cap in Incheon, while centre Ben Axten-Burrett will claim his 22nd. Head coach Andrew Douglas addresses the Hong squad at training in Incheon. Photo: Patrick Leung Both know what it is like to miss out, having been members of the squads that fell short at global qualifiers in 2019 and 2023.
South China Morning Post
01-07-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong vow to grab Rugby World Cup spot and avoid repechage roller-coaster
Having the opportunity to qualify for a Rugby World Cup is not a new scenario for Hong Kong's men – being this close to the promised land is. Saturday's equation is frighteningly simple: beat South Korea in the final round of the Asia Rugby Emirates Men's Championship and they will be part of the 2027 tournament in Australia. It would be the first time the city's men had ever reached such heights, after the women did so in 2017. Given Hong Kong's utter domination of the competition since 2018, and their two emphatic victories this time around against the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka, they go into the game in Incheon as clear favourites, sitting first in the standings. Their hosts, in contrast, have been less than convincing in narrowly beating Sri Lanka in Colombo and conspiring to lose at home to the UAE. Ben Axten-Burrett (with ball) and his Hong Kong teammates during training. Photo: Jonathan Wong Still, just three points separate them from the top of the table, and the Koreans could yet snatch a qualifying berth that has had Hong Kong's name on it almost from the moment World Rugby expanded the global tournament to 24 teams and assigned Asia an extra spot. Defeat would not be the end; it would just send Hong Kong down a familiar road, to a third repechage tournament in seven years. It is a journey Ben Axten-Burrett has been on before and would happily avoid.
