Paris Olympics: Hong Kong sevens coach Groves up for challenge of rebuild, after team falls short in Games bid
- Head coach Jevon Groves says starting again a ‘daunting prospect’, after Japan defeat
- Welshman eyes third successive Asian Games gold and qualifying for LA Olympics in 2028
Jevon Groves said he was ready for the “daunting prospect” of building a new team, after defeat by Japan on Sunday all but ended Hong Kong’s hopes of qualifying for the Paris Olympics next year.
Hong Kong surrendered a 14-7 advantage with 70 seconds remaining, to lose 21-14 in Osaka at the Asian rugby sevens qualifiers.
While the team’s Olympic hopes are not completely dead, with a repechage tournament to come in June, the 12 teams fighting for one spot makes it a “different ask” from winning in Japan.
The Welshman said the squad’s thirtysomethings would be considering their futures following last weekend’s heartbreak, which came four years after Hong Kong suffered an overtime loss to South Korea in the 2020 Olympic qualifying final.
“The toughest thing was knowing what reaching the Olympics meant to the players,” Groves said. “They invested so much over the past four years, and it was particularly hard, given it mirrored what happened last time.
