Latest news with #JoshHrstich
South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong have finally made it to the Rugby World Cup – now the real work begins
Hong Kong's men made history in Incheon on Saturday, qualifying for the Rugby World Cup for the first time – now the real work begins. Advertisement A 70-22 victory over South Korea sealed a sixth consecutive Asia Rugby Emirates Men's Championship title and booked a spot at the global tournament in Australia in 2027. Hong Kong will be only the second team from Asia to play in the World Cup after ever-present qualifiers Japan, who have already qualified for 2027 after finishing third in their pool at the 2023 tournament in France. The 10 tries Hong Kong scored at the Incheon Namdong Asiad Rugby Stadium, after they ran in 12 against Sri Lanka two weeks ago, took the team's total to 28 for the championship, underscoring the gulf that exists between the side and their regional rivals. Once again they came from forwards and backs, with the former having the upper hand in the rout. Alex Post, the hooker, and Josh Hrstich, who started the game at No 8, scored a brace each, while James Sawyer and Luke van der Smit also crossed. Hong Kong captain Josh Hrstich scored two tries in his team's 10-try haul. Photo: HKCR In the backs, Matt Worley's individual score – created by man of the match Nathan de Thierry, who kicked nine conversions as well as pulling the strings from fly half – got things moving with just two minutes gone, and he was followed across the line by Paul Altier, Harry Sayers and Max Denmark.
NDTV
05-07-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Hong Kong Qualify For Rugby World Cup For First Time
Hong Kong qualified for the Rugby World Cup for the first time in their history on Saturday as they romped past South Korea 70-22 in Incheon to become Asia champions. The victory gave Hong Kong a sixth consecutive Asia Rugby Championship and with it a place in the expanded 24-team tournament to be hosted by Australia in 2027. Hong Kong, globally famous for its annual Sevens tournament, will now rub shoulders in the 15-a-side showpiece with the likes of world champions South Africa and New Zealand's All Blacks. "It's pretty overwhelming to be honest," said No.8 Josh Hrstich, the Hong Kong captain. "Just super, super proud of our playing group, our management, coaching staff and people behind the scenes. There's a lot that goes into making a team successful. "Thanks to everyone who has supported us and we're going to need them for the upcoming years because it's going to get pretty special." With Asian powerhouses Japan one of 12 teams who had already qualified by virtue of finishing in the top three of their pool in the 2023 World Cup, a berth was up for grabs for the continental champions. Hong Kong not only earned regional honours but also made history as only the second Asian team, after Japan, to qualify for a men's Rugby World Cup. Hong Kong finished comfortably on top of the four-team table after wins against the UAE (43-10), Sri Lanka (78-7) and South Korea in the past month. The United Arab Emirates finished second in the table and remain in contention for qualification. They will face the runners-up of this month's Rugby Africa Cup in a play-off on July 26. The winner of that encounter will progress to a final qualification tournament in Dubai in November.
The 42
05-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Hong Kong qualify for Rugby World Cup for first time
HONG KONG QUALIFIED for the Rugby World Cup for the first time in their history on Saturday as they romped past South Korea 70-22 in Incheon to become Asia champions. The victory gave Hong Kong a sixth consecutive Asia Rugby Championship and with it a place in the expanded 24-team tournament to be hosted by Australia in 2027. Hong Kong, globally famous for its annual Sevens tournament, will now rub shoulders in the 15-a-side showpiece with the likes of world champions South Africa and New Zealand's All Blacks. 'It's pretty overwhelming to be honest,' said No.8 Josh Hrstich, the Hong Kong captain. 'Just super, super proud of our playing group, our management, coaching staff and people behind the scenes. There's a lot that goes into making a team successful. 'Thanks to everyone who has supported us and we're going to need them for the upcoming years because it's going to get pretty special.' Advertisement With Asian powerhouses Japan one of 12 teams who had already qualified by virtue of finishing in the top three of their pool in the 2023 World Cup, a berth was up for grabs for the continental champions. Hong Kong not only earned regional honours but also made history as only the second Asian team, after Japan, to qualify for a men's Rugby World Cup. Hong Kong finished comfortably on top of the four-team table after wins against the UAE (43-10), Sri Lanka (78-7) and South Korea in the past month. The United Arab Emirates finished second in the table and remain in contention for qualification. They will face the runners-up of this month's Rugby Africa Cup in a play-off on July 26. The winner of that encounter will progress to a final qualification tournament in Dubai in November. – © AFP 2025
RTHK
05-07-2025
- Sport
- RTHK
HK, China qualify for Rugby World Cup for first time
HK, China qualify for Rugby World Cup for first time Hong Kong, China will make their Rugby World Cup debut in the 2027 tournament in Australia. Photo courtesy of Hong Kong, China Rugby Hong Kong, China qualified for the Rugby World Cup for the first time in their history on Saturday as they romped past South Korea 70-22 in Incheon to become Asian champions. The victory gave the SAR a sixth consecutive Asia Rugby Championship and with it a place in the expanded 24-team tournament to be hosted by Australia in 2027. Hong Kong, globally famous for its annual Sevens tournament, will now rub shoulders in the 15-a-side showpiece with the likes of world champions South Africa and New Zealand's All Blacks. "It's pretty overwhelming to be honest," said No.8 Josh Hrstich, the city's captain. "Just super, super proud of our playing group, our management, coaching staff and people behind the scenes. There's a lot that goes into making a team successful." "Thanks to everyone who has supported us and we're going to need them for the upcoming years because it's going to get pretty special." With Asian powerhouses Japan one of 12 teams who had already qualified by virtue of finishing in the top three of their pool in the 2023 World Cup, a berth was up for grabs for the continental champions. Hong Kong not only earned regional honours but also made history as only the second Asian team, after Japan, to qualify for a men's Rugby World Cup. The SAR finished comfortably on top of the four-team table after wins against the UAE (43-10), Sri Lanka (78-7) and South Korea in the past month. (AFP)
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.
