photo: HKRFU

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

 

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