Hong Kong will play Sri Lanka in a rugby Test match at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground on June 22.
The fixture is part of the Asia Rugby Championship, a four-team, round-robin tournament that serves as a pathway to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Hong Kong, who have won the last five Asia Rugby titles, will play away fixtures against the United Arab Emirates (June 13) and South Korea (July 5) either side of the home match against Sri Lanka, who qualified for the tournament with an impressive 59-19 win against Malaysia in a playoff last month.
The winner of the 15-a-side tournament will qualify directly for the 2027 World Cup, with the runners-up given a second chance to qualify via an Asia/Africa playoff and final qualification tournament.
Hong Kong head coach Andrew Douglas called the incentive "a real game changer.”
"Our coaching team has been preparing the squad for the best part of a year now, to put us in the best possible position for the campaign,” Douglas said.
"This includes last summer's three-match tour to South America, our two-match autumn series against Brazil in Hong Kong - and supporting our players through a full season of domestic Premiership rugby.
"We are now into our overseas camps, taking 32 players to Australia last month and a similar number to Japan this month, with some additional overseas-based players also in contention for selection. These form critical preparation for the three matches, including tough trips to play in the UAE and Korea, as well as the new challenge presented by Sri Lanka at Kai Tak.”
Captain Josh Hrstich looked ahead to a return to YSG, where the team took on Brazil as one of the venue's test events in November.
"Youth Sports Ground is fantastic from a player perspective, considering the pitch, performance facilities and the atmosphere. It was great to get the chance to play there late last year, and the boys can't wait to go again in June," he said.
"We also know that our fans loved coming to watch us at the Youth Sports Ground, so hopefully we can draw a big crowd to really get behind us against Sri Lanka.”
HKCR CEO James Farndon stressed the importance of playing representative matches at Kai Tak Sports Park, which opened with the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens as its first international sports event in March.
"With Hong Kong boasting a new world-class sports facility, like many sports associations, we are excited about the quality and scale of future events we can deliver at Kai Tak Sports Park," he said.
"Building on the success of the Hong Kong Sevens, we are delighted to be bringing our Asia Rugby Men's Championship home match to the Youth Sports Ground. We know that the team at Kai Tak will support us in delivering a great event both on and off the field, and we look forward to working together in the lead-up to the event.”
Tickets for Test match will be on sale soon. For further information and updates, please head to hkrugby.com.
