Hong Kong
We arrived Sunday afternoon and the bus journey from the airport acted as an opportunity to take in the city. Hong Kong was an unlikely mix of green and steel with its soaring skyscrapers juxtaposed with its mountainous steep sloped peaks and expansive water views. Wandering around the harbour that evening I found the city to be a kaleidoscope of colour and an invigorating assault on the senses making the city even more impressive at night.
The hotel hosting us for the week was the Marco Polo overlooking Victoria Harbour. On arrival we were treated to the incredible view of Hong Kong’s famous skyline. This would be the first sight we saw every time we departed the hotel and the team couldn’t help but admire and take a photo every time we passed it.
As Hong Kong also acts as the World Series qualifier there was a total of 28 teams from every continent residing in the hotel. The food put on for us during the week was extraordinary. Hong Kong is well regarded as the culinary capital of Asia and for good reason. The variety of Asian cuisine available throughout the week was unprecedented. The highlight was the large sushi station available at lunch and dinner much to the delight of myself and fellow sushi addict Lloyd Evans.
Training week
With Hong Kong kicking off on Friday evening we only had four days to adapt to the time zone and its humid conditions. The training week began on Monday with a field session. The aim was to get the legs moving again after a long flight and begin adapting to Hong Kong’s hot, humid climate. I’m not sure about the other lads but the conditions made me feel like an asthmatic in a sawmill!
Tuesday we had a training match against Hong Kong who were competing in the qualifying tournament across the same weekend. The match acted as an ideal opportunity to put into practice our moves and for us to have a ‘blowout’ (a high intensity session which helps prime the body to the conditions) before the tournament started on Friday.
That evening we had the privilege of coaching over 100 kids aged 8-11 from clubs across Hong Kong. With Babs (Gareth Williams) at the helm we separated into 4 groups and had 10 minute rotations of utter chaos. Having just completed my Level 2 coaching course the pressure was on, and alongside Luke Treharne, Ethan Davies and Ben Roach we put them through a strenuous game of stuck in the mud. Overall the hour was great success and it was great to put a smile on so many kids’ faces and give something back to the community. Not for the first time we caught our analyst Adam Fuge and conditioner Efion Roberts signing kids jerseys and posing for selfies!
Wednesday was our day off so as a team we took a trip up Victoria peak. The highest point on Hong Kong Island, it offers spectacular panoramic views of the city and its harbours. A perfect location for some trophy fishing! (See photo attached) That evening we were kindly invited by the St David’s society to their annual BBQ at Hong Kong football club. During the BBQ, Warren Gatland was kind enough to make an appearance and present us with our match jerseys. To conclude the evening, Tom Isaccs led the team in the singing of Calon Lân with some of its members.
Tournament
The Hong Kong sevens is unlike any other sporting event in the world. The three-day rugby tournament has become the most prestigious stop on the sevens circuit. It is a weekend that blends the costumes of Rio Carnival and the drinking of Oktoberfest with some great rugby thrown in for good measure.
The event is made even more impressive by the stadium and its backdrop. Enveloped by skyscrapers and mountains the 40,000 seater Hong Kong stadium is easily one of the most dramatic sporting arenas on the planet.
The tournament is scheduled so that each team has one game on Friday, two on Saturday and two or three on Sunday depending on how successful you are. A 6:30pm kick off on Friday against the unknown South Korea meant a long day of waiting and prepping. After watching them play in previous tournaments we knew they would be a physical, stubborn outfit who had nothing to lose. With the stadium full we warmed up behind the dead ball line in front of a boisterous South stand
We conformably won 40-14, however it came at a cost. An illegal shoulder charge to my previously fractured leg left me struggling to walk and meant my tournament had come to a premature end. Meanwhile in the other match in our group Canada nearly upset the odds and narrowly lost to Fiji in the last play 19-17! A result we were very grateful to see.
Day two meant an early start for the team. The squad caught the ferry across the harbour to avoid sitting in traffic. Unable to join them due to my leg I stayed behind and caught a bus in later with one of the other teams and just my luck that the only bus left happened to be South Korea!
Game two was against Canada, a team who were looking for revenge after we were the only team to beat them in their inaugural home tournament. The boys were given some extra motivation after their coach branded our team as one-dimensional following their loss in Vancouver. A 24-10 victory guaranteed our progress into the top half of the competition and left a massive smile on the whole squads faces.
Game three was against world series leaders Fiji. With a Cup quarter final guaranteed we went into the game relaxed and full of confidence. In a game which we asked some serious questions of the Fiji defence the 36-10 scoreline was unflattering towards us. However, that is the nature of sevens and with Fiji able to score tries from anywhere we were given a lesson in being clinical.
Day 3 started with the heaviest rain I’ve ever witnessed in my life. Watching Scotland and Portugal splash around as if they were playing in a paddling pool was nostalgic of playing rugby as a child. The team went into the cup quarter final vs New Zealand with nothing to lose and were in it until the final play. Unfortunately in a game where mistakes hurt you more than any other the rain just makes it tougher. NZ scored from two line out mistakes and we lost 19-7. The players left the field visibly devastated that an opportunity had gone amiss.
A shield semi-final against USA offered a shot at redemption however we were beaten comfortably 27-0 bringing Hong Kong to a frustrating end for the squad. Overall there were plenty of positives for the team to take forward into Singapore and back to back 7th place finishes showed further progress as a group. There were also individual achievements with Sam Cross reaching 100 games on the circuit and being named in the 7s dream team. This is a credit to Sam and it was thoroughly deserved after a quality tournament. It also may finally allow home to step out of fellow ginger, James Rodwell’s shadow.
We were invited up to the BT sport box on the half way line where we watched several of the finals. However myself and few others wanted to experience the atmosphere first hand from the notorious south stand. Usually full at 8am several hours before matches begin the south stand has a reputation for its outlandish fancy dress and alcohol consumption. Although we weren’t drinking its safe to say it lived up to its expectation and it was an incredible place to watch the final, where Fiji overpowered New Zealand, 21-7.
Unfortunately my injury prevented me travelling onwards to Singapore for round 8 of the series. With 3 rounds to go it’s a case of obtaining as many World Series points as we can and the players staking a claim for a place in the GB 7s Olympic squad.
