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South China Morning Post
26-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Bigger, faster, stronger: Hong Kong prepare for shot at reaching Rugby World Cup
In any normal year, Hong Kong's men could be forgiven a certain level of arrogance going into next month's Asia Rugby Championship. Unbeaten since Japan left a competition they had outgrown by the end of 2017, Hong Kong won last year's tournament at a canter, scoring 189 points and conceding just 18 while sweeping aside the United Arab Emirates, South Korea and Malaysia. The closest they came to losing in the intervening years was away to the Koreans in 2022, when only a last-minute Gregor McNeish penalty in a nail-biting 23-21 triumph preserved the 100 per cent record. But this is not a normal year. For the first time, the winners will get direct entry into the World Cup – a prize that hangs like a shadow over all those involved. 'It's a position not many get to be in,' Andrew Douglas, the Hong Kong head coach, said. 'I know it sounds cliche, but we'll deal with it one game at a time, because we have to. We can't think of only one part of that. UAE and Korea have both lifted their games as well in terms of full-time programmes. Shanna Forrest fends off a Japan player during Hong Kong's defeat on Sunday. Photo: Hong Kong China Rugby 'So you can't just think that it's going to be the same as last year, but we're certainly not walking away from the fact that there's a lot of pressure on it.'
South China Morning Post
20-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong beat Kazakhstan to set up Asia Rugby Women's Championship decider with Japan
Head coach Lewis Wilson said Hong Kong were backing themselves to upset heavy favourites Japan in an Asia Rugby Women's Championship decider on Sunday, after the city team overcame dogged Kazakhstan 29-12 in steamy Fukuoka on Tuesday. Tanya Dhar, Kea Herewini and Shanna Forrest all crossed to give Hong Kong a 17-0 half-time advantage. Player-of-the-match Forrest said: 'Kazakhstan are a very physical team, but I think we executed well in certain areas and that helped us win the game.' The Kazakhs' two tries came from Oxana Shadrina and Svetlana Malezhina, either side of a score for Jess Eden, before Grace Hood wrapped up Hong Kong's success with two minutes remaining. Shanna Forrest scored Hong Kong's third try as they led 17-0 at half-time. Photo: Hong Kong China Rugby Wilson, who handed a late debut off the bench to lock Naomi Peeters, praised his side's 'physical and well-organised defence' throughout a performance that was 'testament to all the hard work we've done'. The weekend shoot-out with record six-times champions Japan, who are fine-tuning ahead of the August and September World Cup in England, will represent a significant step up for world No 17 team Hong Kong.
