bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Paul McNamara

Hong Kong rugby bosses have already begun plotting how to manage their latest calendar collision, with crucial women’s 15s and sevens tournaments poised to cross over in September.
The full weight of the city’s rugby armoury is currently behind head coach Andy Vilk’s sevens team, as they target success at the Olympic repechage tournament, which gets under way in Monaco on Friday.
Hong Kong begin their pool campaign versus Paraguay, whom they comfortably beat earlier this year, before games against Uganda and Jamaica on Saturday.
Vilk said he was profiting from the “confidence and good energy” brought back to his squad by the 15s cohort, who finished second in the recent Asia Rugby Championship to seal qualification for WXV3, the third level of the new 18-nation global tournament.
The Englishman was deprived of those 15s players for last month’s Challenger Series leg in Poland, where a green squad suffered a series of one-sided defeats.
Nonetheless, that competition unearthed a couple of potential stars in Chian Hoi-ning and Ho Tsz-wun.

“They are [in the repechage squad] because their displays in Krakow gave us the confidence to bring them with us,” Vilk said.
“They trained well, and have been tested at this level.”
The imperative of reaching the WXV3 competition, which offers a pathway to next year’s World Cup, convinced Hong Kong rugby to prioritise 15s at the expense of Vilk’s team.
“The rate at which the women’s game is accelerating, we have a small window of opportunity to keep up, and it is now,” said Jo Hull, the local governing body’s general manager of rugby performance, before Hong Kong validated their judgment call with victory over Kazakhstan to seal a WXV3 spot.
The WXV3, which will be hosted by the United Arab Emirates, takes place between September 27 and October 13.
The second leg of the 2024 Asia Rugby Sevens Series (ARSS), which provides a route into the second-tier Challenger Series, is provisionally scheduled for late September.
The long-term wish for Hong Kong is to have a player pool that reduces tournament clashes to minor inconveniences.
To that end, a host of the inexperienced players who went to Krakow are in England for a Super Sevens Series competition this weekend.

“We are already talking about [September] to get as much certainty as possible over how it will work,” Vilk said.
“We have fantastic rapport across the programmes, and there are big opportunities in both.
“It is an important time for the 15s, with the opportunity to represent Hong Kong at WXV3, and potentially in a World Cup.
“In the sevens, there is the chance to play in an ARSS and try to qualify for the Challenger Series. It will be a hugely important part of the year, and we are trying to make sure we focus in the right areas for both programmes to be successful.”
Only one of the 12 teams in Monaco will qualify for Paris, with imperious China, recently promoted to the elite world series, outright favourites to claim that remaining spot. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final are all scheduled for Sunday.
Vilk’s side had a practice match against Samoa on Tuesday that “got us thinking about our game … and how to make the most of the opportunities we create in defence and attack”.
Vilk has studied video footage of unknown quantity Jamaica, and following a narrow loss to Uganda this year is expecting a “tricky, physical” test from the Africans.
“Our first aim is to get through the group, and build into the tournament,” said Vilk, who is optimistic the passport application for young star Julia Mibuy Mba Oyana will be resolved imminently.
“It is similar to a Challenger Series, because 10 of the teams are the same,” Vilk added. “A repechage has a certain weight, though, because it is one step closer to the Olympic dream.”


Chinese Olympic gold medallist Zheng Siwei retires at 27, says titles ‘hold little appeal’

Taiwan Olympic boxing champion Lin Yu-ting quits event after gender eligibility questions

Olympic champ Zheng, Hong Kong’s Haughey on strength, sacrifice and a winning mentality

Two months on, a Summer Olympics high turns into winter blues for Paris

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Paris Olympics: Hong Kong rugby women brace for fixture clash as 7s team chase Games spot

Chong Ka-yan dazzled for Hong Kong’s 15s team before returning for sevens duty in Monaco. Photo: Eugene Lee

Natasha Olson-Thorne will captain Hong Kong in Monaco following her 15s exploits. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Coach Andy Vilk is optimistic over an imminent passport resolution for Julia Mibuy Mba Oyana. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Asia Rugby Championship: Hong Kong coach says thrashing Malaysia ‘not the best preparation’

Hong Kong ran in 10 unanswered converted tries in stormy Malaysia. Photo: Asia Rugby

Hong Kong’s coach wants sterner tests for his team after they flattened Malaysia. Photo: Asia Rugby

Andrew Douglas is keen for Hong Kong to experience greater regional competition. Photo: Asia Rugby

Hong Kong women keep World Cup dream alive, prove too powerful for Kazakhstan in Asia Rugby Championship finale

Hong Kong’s Georgia Rivers (left) is tackled by Kazhakstan’s Mariya Grishina in their Asia Rugby Championship clash.  Photo: Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong’s Chong Ka-yan is tackled by Kazakhstan’s Amina Tulegenpva (left) with teammate Anna Melnikova closing in. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Kazakhstan pair Anna Melnikova (left) and captain Natalya Kamendrovskaya (right) try to stop Hong Kong’s Natasha Olson-Thorne. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong sevens team sacrificed for 15s Asia Rugby campaign, but coach Andy Vilk sees ‘exciting opportunity’ for newbies

Nam Ka-man is one of the few experienced sevens performers available for the Challenger Series leg in Krakow. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Chong Ka-yan, who starred against China last month, is unavailable for the Poland tournament. Photo: Sam Tsang

Sevens captain Natasha Olson-Thorne is another stalwart who has turned her attention to 15s. Photo: Sam Tsang

Paris Olympics 2024: coach Jevon Groves rouses weary Hong Kong 7s team for final Games push

Max Woodward will captain Hong Kong in Monaco after missing out on Challenger Series selection this year. Photo: Handout

Max Denmark will be a pivotal figure for Hong Kong in their Olympic quest. Photo: World Rugby

Seb Brien is a non-passport-holder, and consequently ineligible for the Monaco event. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Sport

Rugby

HK Sevens

Hong Kong Rugby Union

Paris Olympics 2024

Hong Kong

Rugby bosses are preparing for September, when the 15s and 7s calendars cross over, but all eyes are now on the Olympics repechage in Monaco


Rugby bosses are preparing for September, when the 15s and 7s calendars cross over, but all eyes are now on the repechage in Monaco.
