World Cup Repechage Guide – Hong Kong

Hong Kong enter the Repechage competition as the wild cards in a sense. They are the highest ranked team at 21st in the world but their road through the qualification process has undoubtedly been the easiest. Two wins each over Malaysia, South Korea, and the Cook Islands was enough to put them from there to here.

Another part of their equation is that the majority of the squad are full-time professional rugby players who train together on a daily basis. The Elite Rugby Program (ERP) trains at a first class facility that includes a full-size indoor pitch for year-round training. There are 19 members of the team in the ERP with another 11 contracted who didn’t make the cut for the Repechage series.

 

RECENT FORM

The Dragons enter on the hottest streak of any side, eight wins in a row with their only losses in the past two years coming against World Cup teams Japan and Russia. Those results themselves were impressive – 29-17 and 16-0 defeats to Japan in May 2017 and a slim 16-13 loss to Russia in November of that year. Notably they played Kenya three times in the second half of 2017, defeating them twice with one draw coming in Nairobi.

 

HISTORICAL RESULTS

vs Germany – 1 game, 1 loss
2009-12-12 – Hong Kong 14-24 Germany – Heidelberg

vs Kenya – 5 games, 3 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw
2011-12-13 – Hong Kong 44-17 Kenya – Dubai
2016-08-27 – Kenya 34-10 Hong Kong – Nairobi
2017-08-20 – Kenya 19-19 Hong Kong – Nairobi
2017-08-26 – Kenya 34-43 Hong Kong – Nairobi
2017-11-18 – Hong Kong 40-30 Kenya – Hong Kong

vs Canada – 6 games, 1 win, 5 losses
1996-06-01 – Canada 18-12 Hong Kong – Hong Kong
1996-07-06 – Canada 57-9 Hong Kong – Vancouver
1997-05-24 – Canada 35-27 Hong Kong – Hong Kong
1997-06-07 – Canada 17-16 Hong Kong – Vancouver
1998-05-09 – Canada 17-23 Hong Kong – Hong Kong
1998-06-13 – Canada 38-12 Hong Kong – Shawnigan Lake

 

COACHES

Dr. Leigh Jones took over the squad from fellow Welshman Dai Rees in 2012 and has driven their standards up steadily from their starting point of 26th in the world. Sports psychology is his specialty and he knows how to get the best from his players.

The supporting cast is equally well-regarded. Former Scotland international Andrew Hall is in charge of the day-to-day training with the ERP. Long-time professional and Samoa Sevens rep Mark Fatialofa presides over the backs. Another Scot – former national ‘A’ hooker Andrew Kelly – works on the set pieces with a Cardiff Blues Academy product Scott Sneddon the skills and kicking coach.

 

CAPTAIN

After splitting his time between league and union in Australia, James Cunningham took the plunge and returned to the country of his birth to have a crack at international rugby. Of course he only spent the first six months of his life there before his family took him back to Australia. A blindside flanker originally, Cunningham was moved to lock in 2017 with Hong Kong preferring a more open style of play. The 28-year-old took over the captaincy from long-time leader Nick Hewson earlier this year.

 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

In a transient rugby community like Hong Kong you never know who might pop up on a work placement. Grant Kemp has now been in country just long enough to qualify, the former Southern Kings prop a welcome addition to anchor the right side of the scrum. A graduate of the u20 program who has largely been used with the sevens side until now, Michael Coverdale is a link player who fits well into Hong Kong’s open style. Similarly Thomas Lamboley, brother of former France international Grégory, brings subtlety to the No8 position instead of brute force.

An interesting decision for the coaching staff will be the choice between Ben Rimene and Matt Rosslee at flyhalf. Both are New Zealanders, the former an unpredictable stepper with the latter a more traditional 5/8th who can also slot in at inside center. It’s hard to miss Conor Hartley. At 1.98m (6’6″) he is as big as it gets for a winger. Not the fastest ever but he takes some stopping. Another newcomer is former Manawatu fullback Casey Stone, arguably the form player in Hong Kong rugby at the moment.

 

WHO’S MISSING

The Dragons have combed through every option leading in. Those left out are by design. Loosehead prop Adam Fullgrabe, Australian hooker Mitch Andrews, former Cardiff lock Craig Lodge, versatile halfback Jamie Lauder, and fullback Alex McQueen might be considered unlucky. The latter is one of the most experienced players in Hong Kong rugby and misses out due to the undeniable class of Stone.

 

VERDICT

Hong Kong have prepared as well as any and have a decent all-around squad. They lack a bit of size in the midfield but then feature the giant Hartley on the wing or up-and-comer Max Denmark along with speedy local Kam-Shing Yiu. Up front they sacrifice bulk for mobility to suit the high tempo approach.

This promises to be the most polished side in the competition and the main questions surround experience at the highest levels, which they concede to Canada, and that little worry about the forwards where they concede size to every other team. They are tops on the rankings but overall those questions make it hard to give them the favorites tag.

Prediction: 3rd

 

FIXTURES

DATE	LOCAL	ET	PT	OPPONENT
Sun, Nov 11	16:00	10:00	07:00	Germany
Sat, Nov 17	13:00	07:00	04:00	Kenya
Fri, Nov 23	21:00	15:00	12:00	Canada

 

SQUAD

NAME

POS

HGT

WGT

DOB

CAPS

CLUB

Barlow, Dan	LH	1.81 5-11	109 240	Jun 24 1986	10	Tigers
Higgins, Ben	LH	1.82 6-0	108 240	Jul 15 1992	14	Valley

Jans, Dayne	HO	1.84 6-0	108 240	Aug 18 1988	5	HK Scottish
Post, Alex	HO	1.81 5-11	103 225	Oct 10 1995	3	Esher (UK)
Roberts, Ben	HO	1.81 5-11	98 215	Apr 22 1988	13	HKCC

Kemp, Grant	TH	1.87 6-2	119 260	Oct 31 1988	–	Valley
Parfitt, Jack	TH	1.89 6-2	120 265	Jun 23 1992	23	HK Scottish
Rogers, Dylan	TH	1.87 6-2	115 255	Jul 5 1984	12	HKCC

Cunningham, James	LO	1.92 6-4	108 240	Mar 18 1990	22	Kowloon
Delaforce, Jack	LO	2.00 6-7	122 270	Aug 17 1990	17	Sandy Bay
Field, Fin	LO	2.00 6-7	108 240	Jul 22 1995	5	HKCC
Parfitt, Michael	LO	1.98 6-6	109 240	Sep 2 1994	7	HK Scottish

Boucaut, Kane	FL	1.86 6-1	100 220	Apr 17 1991	8	HK Scottish
Coverdale, Michael	FL	1.85 6-1	95 210	Mar 12 1995	2	HKFC
Fenn, Toby	FL	1.80 5-11	92 200	Aug 24 1987	21	Valley
Hewson, Nick	FL	1.92 6-4	100 220	Mar 6 1984	55	Valley

Lamboley, Thomas

N8

1.91 6-3

98 215

Jul 27 1990

16

Valley

Hood, Jamie	SH/FB	1.80 5-11	84 185	Nov 13 1986	30	HKFC
Phillips, Bryn	SH	1.76 5-9	86 190	Sep 23 1992	–	Kowloon
Slatem, Liam	SH	1.70 5-7	80 175	Jan 12 1989	7	Sandy Bay

Rimene, Ben	FH	1.75 5-9	80 175	Oct 9 1984	20	Valley
Rosslee, Matthew	FH	1.83 6-0	94 205	Feb 24 1987	18	Valley

Axten-Burrett, Ben	CE	1.78 5-10	95 210	Oct 1 1992	–	HKFC
Spitz, Tyler	CE	1.77 5-10	83 180	Jan 27 1990	21	Tigers
Warner, Lewis	CE	1.80 5-11	90 200	Jul 25 1991	–	Kowloon
Woodward, Max	CE	1.82 6-0	92 200	Oct 27 1990	11	Valley

Denmark, Max	WI	1.87 6-2	95 210	Aug 11 1999	7	HKFC
Hartley, Conor	WI	1.98 6-6	115 255	Jan 5 1993	5	HK Scottish
Yiu, Kam-Shing	WI	1.83 6-0	83 180	Feb 4 1988	45	Tigers

Stone, Casey

FB

1.78 5-10

90 200

Mar 3 1985

–

Tigers