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The Hong Kong men’s and women’s sevens squads have unveiled their lineups for the Melrose Claymores tournament at the Hong Kong Sevens this week, with the men’s team introducing two young debutants.
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This year, the SAR men will defend their Claymores title, playing China and Japan, while the women will face Thailand and Kazakhstan, in the brand-new Kai Tak Sports Park.
James Christie, who marked his 20th tournament for the SAR, was named captain of the men’s squad. His teammates include veterans Cado Lee Ka-to, Michael Coverdale, Max Denmark, Liam Herbert, Alessandro Nardoni, Harry Sayers and Bryn Phillips.
Five SAR players will make their Hong Kong Sevens debut: Jack Combes, Matteo Avitabile, Shiven Dukhande, James Kee, and Rory Steward Cox. Notably, this will also be the first time Kee and Steward Cox represent Hong Kong on the field.
For women’s, veteran Natasha Olson-Thorne, will co-captain with Chloe Chan. The team also includes Nam Ka-Man, Chong Ka-yan, Au Yeung Sin-yi, Stephanie Chan Chor-ki, Jessica Ho Wai-on, Jessica Eden, Forrest Shanna, Sabay Lynam, Rosanna Wright, Pun Wai-yan and Shanna Forrest.
The men will play China on Friday and meet Japan on Saturday. On Sunday, Japan will then play China in the morning, with the final in the afternoon.
The Hong Kong China women’s team will face Kazakhstan on Friday evening, and Thailand on Saturday afternoon. Kazakhstan and Thailand will play on Sunday with the final held later that day.
Hong Kong women’s head coach Andy Vilk anticipated a “very competitive” match against the Asian rivals, describing them as “strong and skillful.”
Men’s head coach Jevon Groves admitted a difficult and competitive selection of this year’s squad, which is a mix of senior and younger players.
Groves also shared his assessment of Hong Kong competitors in Melrose: “Japan [players] are quick, and when they face us, they come out firing. China [athletes] are making significant improvements and will be very physical.”
“So we have to get how we want to play right and put in those individual performances we owe ourselves for the months of preparation.”
Meanwhile, Hong Kong China Rugby said 8,000 more tickets have been sold in the past week for the Hong Kong Sevens, bringing the cumulative three-day total ticket packages issued to nearly 43,000.
Along with box configurations, this represented a total ticket sale of over 90 percent.
It is expecting a total of 138,000 spectators over the tournament weekend, a record-breaking crowd size as the sporting event is held in the Kai Tak Stadium for the first time.
To celebrate the Hong Kong Sevens’ debut in Kai Tak, tournament co-title sponsor Cathay Pacific is planning a fly-past of a Cathay A350 aircraft over Victoria Harbour and Kai Tak Stadium.
This will depend on the weather, with final details to be announced.
(Jamie Liu)
