Analysis | Rugby World Cup will remain out of Hong Kong’s reach until there is wholesale change to way game is run at home and abroad
- More opportunities to play internationals central to any progression in national team’s ability to reach global tournaments
- But the club game in Hong Kong must evolve too, and winning the premiership can no longer be the ultimate goal
When the Hong Kong Rugby Union sits down to pick over the bones of the men’s latest attempt to qualify for a World Cup, it will do so with a clear idea of what must be done if the next time is to end in success.
The chances of the team beating Portugal and the USA in Dubai this month were always slim, and that might be overstating the case. But it would be wrong to suggest anyone connected with the squad went into the tournament with anything other than a clear understanding of what lay ahead.
There is a significant gulf in class between Hong Kong and the likes of Patrice Lagisquet’s Portuguese side, who will be playing in France next year, and only fundamental changes to the way the game is run in the city, and the opportunities available internationally, will close that gap.
The union has already embarked on a wholesale review of Hong Kong’s domestic competition, and has accepted that the 2031 World Cup in the United States is a more realistic goal for qualification than 2027.
