Coach Jevon Groves is looking for a mix of relentless defense and free-flowing attack when the Hong Kong men's rugby sevens team defend their Asian Games title in Hangzhou starting this weekend.
"Training has been really competitive. We are preparing for every eventuality," said Groves. "The squad is rugby-ready. It has been a tough selection."
Captain Max Woodward and veteran Salom Yiu Kam-shing will lead the team, who will try to emulate the success of the side that beat Japan 14-0 in the gold-medal game in Jakarta in 2018.
Russell Webb, who missed the 2018 Games because of injury, is in the squad, along with Cado Lee Ka-to, Alessandro Nardoni, Liam Herbert, Alex McQueen, James Christie, Max Denmark, Michael Coverdale, Hugo Stiles and Liam Doherty.
They start their campaign against Malaysia and the Philippines in Pool A on Sunday.
Powerhouse Japan loom as their chief rivals for gold but South Korea and hosts China could also be dangerous.
"We expect our opponents to be physical and individually very skillful, and we are focused on countering their strengths while exerting pressure on them, "said Groves.
"They've got the knowledge; it's just a matter of executing their skills and playing consistently for the full 14 minutes."
As part of their preparations, the men traveled to Fo Shan in Guangdong province in July for a series of friendly games against China, while the women's team joined a training camp in Canada that also included teams from Japan and Australia.
Led by new coach Andrew Vilk, the women will have Melody Li Nim-yan and Natasha Olson-Thorne as co-captains.
The squad has a strong core of experienced players - Nam Ka-man, Chong Ka-yan, Au Yeung Sin-yi, Jessica Ho Wai-on and Stephanie Chan Chor-ki. The rest of the squad - Chloe Chan, Shanna Forrest, Fung Hoi-ching, Tse Wing-kiu and Ho Tsz-wun - will make their Games debuts.
Hong Kong are in the same pool as Japan, India and Singapore. They face India and Singapore on Sunday before concluding pool play against Japan on Monday.
"Japan are expected to present the biggest challenge again. And as we advance, it looks highly likely we will be crossing over with China, which will undoubtedly test us physically. However, we are prepared for that," Vilk said.
"The squad has continued to develop and has incorporated new tactical dimensions, and the new players have added to that versatility. We want to play with speed, as it aligns well with our skillset and enables us to apply greater pressure and score tries."
Robbie McRobbie, CEO of Hong Kong China Rugby, is hopeful that both the men and women can finish on the podium.
The Hong Kong sevens teams for the Hangzhou Games are unveiled after an open training session. They start their campaigns on Sunday.
