Hong Kong HSBC SVNS Series hopes to receive boost with favourable Challenger announcement
City’s men’s team narrowly missed out on promotion shot this year, but programme head Paul John optimistic for 2025 after schedule revealed
Hong Kong’s hopes of regularly mixing it with the world’s best men’s sevens teams have received a shot in the arm after favourable dates for next year’s Challenger Series were confirmed.
Back-to-back opening legs in Cape Town from late February will give head coach Jevon Groves two months to get his troops battle ready.
The third and final leg in Krakow, on April 12 and 13, when the initial 12 teams will be reduced to eight, could provide an issue for Hong Kong, given it follows hot on the heels of the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, where the hosts will compete in the Melrose Claymores competition.
But Paul John, the head of the elite sevens athlete programme, was thankful for the 2025 arrangements, after a January start for this year’s Challenger Series caught Hong Kong cold and, ultimately, cost them a crack at promotion to this season’s global HSBC SVNS Series.
After the three 2024 legs, Hong Kong were fifth, two points outside the top-four spots, which earn promotion play-off berths.
“We will come back from our [Christmas] break on January 6 and have some really good preparation time,” said John, who mooted the prospect of taking oversized playing squads to South Africa, for tournaments from February 28 to March 2, and March 7 to 8, in case of injury or loss of form during the opening leg.
