Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
Hong Kong play host to Brazil on Saturday. The visitors have their eyes on making history; a series win against a higher ranked opponent in Asia. Hong Kong are out for redemption after being comfortably beaten at home in Game One. The two teams are aspiring to debut at Rugby World Cup 2027. Hong Kong is the favorite to claim the Asia 1 spot while Brazil is the third seed for the South America 1 spot.
| FORM GUIDE |
Current World Ranking: 23 (58.62 points)
2024-07-20 – Hong Kong 10-23 Brazil (Hong Kong, HK)
2024-07-20 – Brazil 25-26 Hong Kong (São Paulo, BR)
2024-07-13 – Paraguay 12-80 Hong Kong (Asunción, PY)
2024-07-06 – Chile 22-17 Hong Kong (Talca, CL)
2024-06-22 – Hong Kong 67-07 South Korea (Hong Kong)
2024-06-08 – Malaysia 06-70 Hong Kong (Selangor, MY)
2024-06-01 – Hong Kong 52-05 United Arab Emirates (Hong Kong)
Current World Ranking: 26 (57.40 points)
2024-11-09 – Hong Kong 10-23 Brazil (Hong Kong, HK)
2024-10-06 – Chile 36-10 Brazil (Santiago, CL)
2024-09-08 – Brazil 29-64 Argentina XV (Jacareí, BR)
2024-18-08 – Brazil 77-17 Paraguay (São Paulo, BR)
2024-07-27 – Brazil 47-25 Belgium (São Paulo, BR)
2024-07-20 – Brazil 25-26 Hong Kong (São Paulo, BR)
| LINE-UP CHANGES vs |
1 Sunia Fameitau replaces Rory Cinnamond
2 Lam Jak Shing replaces Calum Scott
3 Keelan Chapman replaces Faizal Solomona Penesa
5 Kyle Sullivan replaces Patrick Jenkinson
6 Tyler McNutt replaces Joshua Hrstich
8 Joshua Hrstich moves from 6; replaces Luke Van der Smit
11 Guy Spanton replaces Matt Worley
12 Tom Hill replaces Ben Axten-Burrett
13 Ben Axten-Burrett moves from 12; replaces Maxwell Threlkeld
15 Matt Worley moves from 11; replaces Matteo Avitabile
1 Caique Segura replaces Wilton Rebolo
2 Wilton Rebolo moves from 1; replaces Henrique Ferreira
4 Gabriel Paganini replaces Ben Donald
6 Cleber Dias moves from 8; replaces Matteo Dell’Acqua
8 Adrio de Melo replaces Cleber Dias
9 Felipe Gonçalves replaces Lucas Spago
12 Robert Tenório moves from 14; replaces Moisés Duque
14 Théo Bastardie replaces Robert Tenório
| TEST DEBUT |
– Nicolas Azevedo, Théo Bastardie and Hélder Bryan Lúcio
| + MOST CAPS |
– Kyle Sullivan (27); Benjamin Axten-Burrett (18); Jamie Lauder (17); Charles Higson-Smith (16)
– Lucas Tranquez (52); Cleber Dias (46); Wilton Rebolo (39); Gabriel Paganini (37); Robert Tenório (31)
| + LEAST CAPS |
– Sunia Fameitau (1); Lam Jak Shing (1); Maxwell Threlkeld (1); James Holmes (2); Jude Harding (3)
– Nicolas Azevedo (0); Théo Bastardie (0); Hélder Bryan Lúcio (0); João Lucas Marino (3)| NOTES |
- This is the second of a two match series between Hong Kong and Brazil.
- Brazil won the first match 23-10. Hong Kong won away earlier in the year by a +1 margin.
- An historic test series win by Brazil over Hong Kong would severely question World Rugby. The sport’s governing body favored Asia over South America with allocating places for Rugby World Cup 2027.
- The match is Hong Kong’s 8th of 2024 and the 5th against South American opposition.
- A Brazilian win by 15 or under would lift Brazil to a record high of 23rd in the World Rankings. A win by 16+ would, depending on other results, see Brazil ranked 22nd in the world.
- Wilton Rebolo starts in his third consecutive test match in different front-row positions for Brazil.
- Three men will debut for Brazil: Nicolas Azevedo, Théo Bastardie and Hélder Bryan Lúcio
- Debutant Théo Bastardie is the first Brazilian test player to play in the Top 14. He plays for Vannes. Bastardie is French born and raised. He qualifies for Brazil via a grandparent. He speaks neither Portuguese nor English.
| PREDICTION |
Os Tupis are on a high after game one. They achieved their goal of winning the first test match; attention now turns to a series victory. The weather will allow both to stick to their game plans. The Brazilian forwards won the battle up front in game one and a team has been named for a similar game strategy. Hong Kong will need to improve their discipline now knowing that Lucas Tranquez is accurate from long-range. Brazil are favorites to claim a series victory over Hong Kong in Asia.
| LINEUPS |
HONG KONG
1 Sunia Fameitau, 2 Lam Jak Shing, 3 Keelan Chapman, 4 Mark Prior, 5 Kyle Sullivan, 6 Tyler McNutt, 7 Pierce MacKinlay-West, 8 Joshua Hrstich (capt.),9 Jamie Lauder, 10 Nathan De Thierry, 11 Guy Spanton, 12 Tom Hill, 13 Benjamin Axten-Burrett, 14 Charles Higson-Smith, 15 Matt Worley
BRAZIL
1 Caique Segura, 2 Wilton Rebolo, 3 Matheus Rocha, 4 Gabriel Paganini, 5 Gabriel Oliveira, 6 Cleber Dias (capt.), 7 Matheus Cláudio, 8 Adrio de Melo, 9 Felipe Gonçalves, 10 João Amaral, 11 Daniel Lima, 12 Robert Tenório, 13 Lorenzo Massari Temer, 14 Théo Bastardie, 15 Lucas Tranquez
Replacements: 16 Henrique Ferreira, 17 João Lucas Marino, 18 Leonel Moreno, 19 Ben Donald, 20 Hélder Bryan Lúcio, 21 Matteo Dell’Acqua, 22 Rafael Teixeira, 23 Nicolas Azevedo
| MATCH DETAILS |
Date: Saturday, November 16
Venue: Kai Tak Sports Park, Kowloon (HK)
Kickoff: 4pm (HK); 5am (Brasília)
Weather Forecast: Hot; Partly Cloudy 29 degrees Celsius. Wind: 21 km/h
Broadcasts: Streamed Live on Youtube
| MATCH OFFICIALS |
Referee: Katsuki Furuse (Japan)
Assistant Referee: Reuben Keane (Australia); Morgan White (Hong Kong)
| HISTORY vs (2011-2024) |
Nov 09, 2024 – Hong Kong 10-23 Brazil, (Hong Kong, HK)
Jul 20, 2024 – Brazil 25-26 Hong Kong (São Paulo, BR)
Dec 13, 2011 – Hong Kong 37-03 Brazil (Dubai, UAE)
| HEAD TO HEAD vs (2011-2024) |
HONG KONG Wins 2
BRAZIL Wins 1
