Hong Kong Sevens: Max Denmark says he is ‘stronger, faster, fitter’ for Sevens return
- Denmark hopes to show local fans this weekend how far his game has come and how dangerous the city’s home team can be
- ‘Three years without much playing gave me a lot of time to develop. I feel like I can compete with anyone,’ says Denmark
There will be no escaping the sense of occasion surrounding Hong Kong’s opening match against Australia as the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens kicks off on Friday night.
For more than three years the Hong Kong Stadium has sat pretty much in silence but expect that to all change when the locals run out against the reigning World Rugby Sevens Series champions, who happen to also be the one team the city has long loved to hate.
Max Denmark said the wait has at times been worrying but it has not been wasted as the locally born and raised prospect the stadium first saw in flashes way back in 2018 has worked at his game, and he has developed, and now, at 23 years old, he is set to reappear as a player close to fully formed.
“Three years without much playing gave me a lot of time to develop athletically,” said Denmark, who missed the tournament in 2019 through injury.
“At my first Sevens, I was 18 and I was pretty, well, not small but you could tell I wasn’t developed yet. I feel like now I’ve grown into my body. I’m a lot stronger, a lot faster, and fitter. I’m reading the game better and that equates to confidence.
