LONG READ 'Forgotten' Hong Kong China can become 'a world force'

Of the 23 teams to book their tickets to Rugby World Cup 2027, only one has earned the right to display the ‘debutant’ tag on their suitcase: Hong Kong China.

The game has been part of this multicultural country’s fabric since the late 19^th century. Its women’s side competed at the 2017 World Cup, but their male counterparts have never before graced rugby’s biggest stage.

On 5^th July, after claiming bonus-point wins over the UAE and Sri Lanka, Hong Kong China faced South Korea at the Incheon Namdong Asiad Rugby Field in the closing round of the Asia Rugby Championship. A deep-rooted dream was at hand. The winner would lift the cup and seal qualification for Australia 2027. Hong Kong China, emphatically, seized their shot at history, thrashing their opponents 70-22.

So what comes next? While sport can write fairytales, it can also serve as a cautionary tale for those who fail to grasp the moment, something Hong Kong China’s CEO James Farndon aims to tackle head on.

“There’s a growing understanding across our community we have a unique opportunity to raise awareness, given the global exposure and profile a Rugby World Cup will provide,” Farndon says. “That’s one of our key focuses, and our team is working non-stop to spread the sport in all possible formats so that we can engage with more people and add them to our game.”

Farndon, in post since last year, has been employing all his efforts to develop the game, be it at a grassroots level or the national teams themselves.

“It is vital to grow the local and the community game so it will enable the domestic club scene to become sustainable,” explains the former England Students head coach.

“We have defined a strategy to develop a thriving ecosystem, with the domestic game serving as the bedrock of our plan. But we also want to inspire the next generation, and for that, we need role models. To create that status, Hong Kong China needs to be involved in major competitions.”

It is impossible to think of rugby here without picturing the Hong Kong SVNS; the fabled party where legends have been born. Farndon is acutely aware of how the jewel in the crown of the abbreviated game can unlock more important income for his union.

“It is integral for our future. The tournament moved to a new home in March, the Kai Tak Sports Park, which will have a direct impact on our long-term plans. We want to make the tournament even bigger and better, elevating it to a new, previously unseen level. The Hong Kong SVNS is much more than a sports tournament; it is a way to generate revenue and funds that are reinvested in the local game.”

On the same page is Andrew Douglas, the coach who pushed the men’s XVs team across the finish line. The New Zealander has taken on an expanded remit as head of technical and elite coaching, building a full-time men’s programme leading into the World Cup, with Logan Asplin replacing him as head coach.

“We have a passionate rugby community that needs to be more engaged,” Douglas says. “We have the product we’ve got, as we are in the entertainment business, and we need to find ways to entertain them. We are playing, hopefully, now a brand of rugby people want to come and see, as we need our fans to be involved with us so we can reach and engage even more people.

“One of the steps we need to keep making is to get into schools and smaller areas around Hong Kong. Sports aren’t huge here, so we have to show the benefits of getting involved with rugby. That’s part of our job, to show the beauty of the game, and I am certain that there’s a public appetite for that in Hong Kong.”

For Douglas, the World Cup qualification has worked like a carrot, enticing senior and young players to join the cause and chase their dreams.

“We are always looking for the best talent, and some exciting prospects are already coming out from our youth programmes, like James Kee. He is the kind of youngster we want to capture, to ensure they will have the best available development pathway to help them reach a higher stage of excellence.”

While World Cup qualifications are always welcomed, Douglas wishes to look further ahead and work towards what is, for him, a vital item on the agenda: sustainability.

“We have a group of 35 players coming in full-time from now until the World Cup. Our goal is to set up a platform that can become sustainable in the long term and consistently qualify for World Cups. That’s one of the goals we are trying to achieve, and we are going to be able to do that only if we can develop not only a strong club programme, but also a youth pathway one.

“I am really passionate about rugby here, and I want to help it become a world force. like Uruguay and Spain. I want for the best teams in the world to come here and play against us. We need to have good competition on a regular basis, so by 2031, we can be highly competitive and have a shot to knock off what can be considered a top-level team. And, for that, we need to have player depth and strategise how we can do that.”

But what has HKCR devised to help their players progress? How can they develop their rugby internally and improve their international players? Farndon explains the framework that has been put in place for the subsequent two cycles.

“We have aspirations to qualify for the next Olympics sevens, and that’s why we are working carefully on a plan that can manage player load and fatigue well, as we have a fairly limited player pool. We want our players to experience high-level training and planning, so that we can get the best from them. We are committed to providing the best platform for our senior and youth players to achieve top-level, and we want to go beyond the next World Cup.

“The World Cup qualification gives us a chance to maximise the opportunity to keep developing our ecosystem, mainly in how our pathway works.”

For Douglas, those changes in the pathway system and work environment are key, as the players deserve the best possible platform to reach their goals.

“When I first started here, I knew they were in a rebuilding moment. However, the players were eager to be coached, to learn, and to play better rugby. We have demanded a lot from them over the last two years, and they have been receptive to new ideas and the workload. They had a deep ambition and desire to be better.”

Although the World Cup is still two years away, the union is working tirelessly to establish a system that can deliver something special for a team that deserves to be much more than an afterthought.

“Sometimes I think Hong Kong China is a bit of a forgotten rugby union,” Douglas continues. “But with the World Cup qualification, people are starting to realise the immense potential that resides here.”

Without knowing what the future holds, Farndon, his team, and the entire Hong Kong China rugby community will not stop at anything, wishing only to be recognised and respected.

For the CEO, rugby must continue to push its boundaries and find a way to involve every participating team that has the desire to be something more.

“Whether it is Hong Kong China, Zimbabwe, Portugal or Georgia becoming stronger, we need these teams to get to that level so that we can be a global game. That’s the point of a global game. It is a significant challenge to bridge that gap, but we need to work together to cross the finish line. We will do all we can, and we have to remain realistic about what our objectives are, but we want to progress at all levels.”