Latest news with #MaxDenmark
South China Morning Post
16 hours ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Max Denmark aims to transfer his Hong Kong Sevens X-factor to city's 15s World Cup quest
A lot has happened since Max Denmark last pulled on a 15s jersey for Hong Kong in 2018. Advertisement An ever-present in the city's sevens side, Denmark has accumulated Asian Games gold medals, regional dominance and some painful near misses in the bid to get the men's team to the highest level. Throughout it all there have been tries – lots and lots of tries. There were three alone in a 31-7 rout of China during the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens in March. The 25-year-old also has two from eight previous Test appearances, and added another – Hong Kong's only score – in the warm-up game against Japan last month. It is that nose for the line, as much as anything, that has earned him a spot in the team to play the United Arab Emirates on Saturday in the opening round of the Asia Rugby Championship. Max Denmark (right) puts in a tackle for Hong Kong against ACT Brumbies A in May. Photo: HKCR And while excited to be back, Denmark admitted the sheer volume of information involved meant it had taken some time to readjust to a 'new but really enjoyable challenge'.
South China Morning Post
01-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Rugby sevens circuit set for revamp as Hong Kong await fate, USA player hits out
World Rugby plans to slash the number of teams in the sevens World Series to just eight, all but ending Hong Kong's slim hopes of ever joining the elite of the game. Advertisement In a radical overhaul of the sport, rugby bosses are also understood to have created a second division of six teams, playing three tournaments, starting in the 2025-26 season and reportedly staying in place until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The switch comes just two years after officials cut the number of teams from 16 to 12, while combining the men's and women's competitions, saying that previous move was to bring the sport in line with the Olympic format. While there has yet to be an official announcement, USA player Stephen Tomasin revealed the restructure in an emotional Instagram video on Thursday. The 30-year-old, who said it meant 'the Olympic format obviously doesn't matter', added that he was speaking out because 'World Rugby doesn't seem to want to put out any information about what's going on right now'. Max Denmark on the charge for the home team in this year's Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. Photo: Elson Li 'The worst part about it all, it wasn't like we learned about it this season, and they are going to implement it next season,' he said. 'The teams found out that things were going to change in January, and that this was going to be the way things were going in March.'
South China Morning Post
28-03-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong Sevens: hosts savour double joy as fans ‘blow lid off' Kai Tak Stadium
Hong Kong gave their jubilant supporters cause for cheer by recording twin triumphs on the opening day of the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. Advertisement Competing in the secondary Melrose Claymores tournament, the city's women scored five tries in a 29-14 win over Kazakhstan on Friday. For the men, Max Denmark led the way with a hat-trick, as head coach Jevon Groves' team survived an early hiccup to blow away China 31-7. Harry Sayers and James Kee, on his debut, also crossed for Hong Kong. Sayers felt that the atmosphere inside the new host venue at Kai Tak Sports Park had surpassed that created for Hong Kong Stadium's farewell tournament 12 months ago. Women's star Chong Ka-yan, who scored twice, added that there was a 'concert-like' mood. After scoring his team's second try, Sayers said: '[The noise] was incredible … it blew the lid off. It's a great opportunity to play here, but we also want to inspire the next generation – we want this [tournament] to carry on forever.' Advertisement Playing for the first time since this month's poor Challenger Series campaign in Cape Town cost them a chance of HSBC SVNS Series promotion, Hong Kong conceded a first-minute try to Song Boyang.
