Hong Kong claim Asia Rugby under-19s Championship for seventh time, secure place at World Rugby Junior Trophy
- Tries from Blake Elliot, Cooper Wnek and James Kee help Hong Kong to 19-12 victory
- Heavy downpour moments before start leads to scrappy encounter littered with knock-ons and forward passes
Hong Kong held off a spirited late onslaught from Taiwan to claim a 19-12 win in the final game of the Asia Rugby Under-19s Men’s Championship on Sunday, securing the title for the seventh successive tournament.
Victory also sealed a place at the World Rugby Junior Trophy in Kenya next July for coach Logan Asplin’s side.
Heavy rains moments before kick-off in Malaysia turned the pitch into a bog and contributed to a scrappy encounter littered with knock-ons and forward passes.
Ultimately, Hong Kong’s all out defence was the difference, with a 10-man effort needed at the death to stop Taiwan’s dominant maul from driving over.
“It was a tough battle with both teams up for it and a lot on the line,” Asplin said.
“That big downpour in the warm-up followed by the sun, it was like four seasons in one day, which was taxing on the body, but it was good for the players to have adapt to that.
“The game was stop-start and there were a lot of whistles, but we went into it wanting to do three things: win the collision; play in the right areas; and earn the right to score from anywhere on the park.
“Some of those things we executed well, but it doesn’t always have to be pretty. We are stoked to get that win and it was a pretty elated group of boys there at the end.”
