Hong Kong China land historic Rugby World Cup opening match

Rugby World Cup debutants Hong Kong China have been called upon to play in a historic tournament-opening match against hosts Australia in Perth.

Tournament hosts have always played the opening match in Rugby World Cups, and with a smorgasbord of historic matchups awaiting Australia in Pool A, Tuesday’s schedule announcement in Sydney saw the Wallabies’ poison picked for them.

A heavyweight collision with the All Blacks will have to wait until round 2, with Hong Kong China lined up for the tournament opener and Chile awaiting the Australians in round 3. Despite 2023’s sensational France vs New Zealand fixture, it is not always the case that the host nation’s best-seeded pool opponent draws the opening match.

The trans-Tasman rivalry is one of the most iconic in rugby, and 2027 will be the first time in Rugby World Cup history that it’s set to feature in the pool stages of the tournament, with Australia slipping into the second band of qualified teams ahead of the pool draw last December.

The draw has set up a hugely competitive opening three weeks of the tournament.

“What an amazing kickoff to the tournament,” World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson said after revealing the World Cup schedule. “We have Hong Kong China in their first-ever Rugby World Cup.

“Part of the decision by the World Rugby Council in 2023, just after we had the wonderful tournament in Paris, was the role we would play in building and extending the reach of the game, and providing the opportunity for more nations around the world to participate.

“It’s part of the longer-term plan for World Rugby this year; the Nations Championship and Nations Cup have been launched, where all 24 teams from Rugby World Cup ’27 are going to be playing this year. Again, this is to lift the standard and opportunity of the game.

“I don’t know if you saw the pool draw, but there were a bunch of guys sitting over in Hong Kong China, who, the moment they saw themselves drawn with Australia and New Zealand, thought, ‘Holy hell, what’s coming our way?’

“So for me, the pools are this great opportunity where we are clearly going to have teams that are dominating, but we also have teams that are aspiring. And that’s our role as World Rugby, to build and grow our global game.”

The 2027 Rugby World Cup has expanded total team participation by four teams, reshaping the pool stages and triggering the addition of a Round of 16.

For event organisers, the call to leave perhaps the biggest Test of the pool stages until round 2 was well considered.

“The tension there with the scheduling is getting the timing right, the opportunity for accessibility, and eventually, you’ve got to play somewhere in your pool, and choices were made around that,” Robinson said. “The team put a lot of thought into that, and clearly, people have different opinions, and the sides will have different opinions.

“But, we’ve landed where we’ve landed, and we’re so excited to be kicking off in Perth on that first day in October.”

Robinson expected the energy around the tournament to be at fever-pitch, with Sydney’s trans-Tasman Test in round 2 sure to draw plenty of punters from across the Tasman Sea.

“The Rugby World Cup is the third-biggest, most iconic event in the world. We’ve got the world coming to our country, and I think there’s going to be hype everywhere.

“Within the pool matches, you’ve got Ireland v Scotland, Wales are playing England; where do you start around the hype? The possibility of South Africa and New Zealand playing in the quarters; there are all sorts of permutations, which is the joy of the World Cup.

“So, now that we’ve announced the cities and where teams are playing, people are going to start to talk, and it’s going to build the excitement. Hopefully, with a whole lot of New Zealanders coming across the Ditch.”