Hong Kong Sevens: China captains full of praise for ‘old rivals’ Hong Kong, honoured to be part of Melrose event
- China’s men and women will take on their city counterparts this weekend at Hong Kong Stadium
- Teams from Japan and Thailand also taking part in Melrose Claymore competition
The captains of mainland China’s rugby sevens teams heaped praise on their “old rivals” from Hong Kong on Wednesday, and said they always enjoyed playing in the city and learning from their counterparts.
China’s men and women will play in the Melrose Claymore competition that is running as part of the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens this week, where they will take on teams from the city, Japan and Thailand.
All the matches in the round-robin tournament will take place at Hong Kong Stadium, with a final on Sunday, and China’s women’s captain Wang Wanyu said their Hong Kong rivals had “really improved a lot in recent years”.
“Specifically their defensive work and the way they move the ball,” Wang said. “When we face them [Hong Kong women’s team] we feel the pressure and need to play at our best to beat them.
“We’re old rivals, and it’s good to play each other so regularly and learn from each other.”
Wang, who won gold alongside her teammates at the Asian Games last year, said she felt a bit of pressure and “a sense of responsibility” having returned to the side after sitting out the HSBC Sevens Challenger series in Uruguay, which China won.
