Belgium topple 2027 World Cup outfit before Nations Cup

Hong Kong China will head into the World Rugby Nations Cup on the back of a loss having fallen to Belgium 27-17 at the Edmond Machtens Stadium in Brussels on Saturday.

Hong Kong started the match in ideal fashion, winning a scrum deep inside Belgium’s 22 after Isaac Campbell-Wu’s probing grubber kick was fumbled. Just two phases after the ensuing scrum, flanker Jack Bartlett wrestled his way over the line, and with Paul Altier’s conversion, the visitors had a 7-0 lead.

It did not take long for the hosts to restore parity, with flanker Flor Van Den Bussche driving over the line, aided by lock Toon Deceuninck, to leave the scores level after 10 minutes following Hugo de Francq’s conversion.

Belgium started to enjoy the share of territory and possession, but Hong Kong were the next to strike, with Altier kicking three points following an infringement at the breakdown by Belgian lock Goran De Clercq just outside his own 22.

The hosts continued to control the match, but had to wait until the closing minutes of the first half to claim the lead, when fly-half Guillem Fernandez Grau spotted no cover behind Hong Kong’s defensive line and caressed a grubber kick for his winger Dazzy Cortez to chase.

De Francq’s conversion gave Belgium a 14-10 lead, and Laurent Dossat’s side went on the assault again immediately from the kick-off, spreading the ball to the right flank where an offload put Van Den Bussche into space, with the back-row carrying deep into the Hong Kong half before the ball was recycled and spread to the left for Deceuninck to score. A failed conversion made the score 19-10 at the break.

The second half continued in the same fashion, with Belgium extending their lead just two minutes into the half following a scrum penalty after Hong Kong spilt the kick-off.

While Hong Kong had a number of forays into the Belgium 22 before the hour mark, they were ultimately unable to turn any pressure into points. It was not until the final 10 minutes, however, that Belgium put the game to bed, with Cortez scoring in the corner following a sustained attack to give the Black Devils a 27-10 lead.

Hong Kong were able to finish the match in style, with Brendon Nell going over after a series of offloads, but it was ultimately not enough.

The 2027 World Cup qualifiers will face the USA, Canada and Tonga over the coming weeks in the Nations Cup.

“Obviously very disappointed,” said HKCR captain Josh Hrstich.

“We made far too many mistakes. Belgium are a quality team and played off the back of those, so credit to them, but it was a really good test for us, and a good match for us to go into the Nations Cup with.”

Head coach Andrew Douglas added: “We weren’t accurate enough; we made too many errors; and when we were under pressure, our decision making probably went out the window a bit, but it’s our first game for a long time and it showed. We gifted them a few easy scores and they made the most of it. They’re a good side, and we have to respect what they’ve done, but this match was ideal for us. We need more of these games, and we’re searching for them. It was a tough day for us, but I think we’ll be better next week.”