'French Paul doesn't miss... I was just wondering what celebration he was going to pull'

The opening month of the 2026 Nations Cup delivered a stream of competitive, high-intensity games, multiple outstanding tries and set-piece battles, and several great moments and memories that made July a successful start to the newly formed competition.

However, for Hong Kong China, their win over Uruguay tops everything else, as it came down to the final play. With no time left on the clock, the visitors squeezed out a penalty, and there was only one way forward: call for Paul Altier and ask their sharpshooter to send the ball through the posts.

With the kick set 40 metres from the Los Teros in-goal area, the winger put the ball on the tee and, without an ounce of doubt, punted the pill successfully over, sending him, his teammates, staff and supporters into raptures.

However, were his teammates as confident as Paul Altier in that moment? According to both Alexander Post and Matt Worley, yes.

“Paul’s confidence was the highest it has ever been, after that game against Chile in which he basically got every kick right. We had confidence he would put it over,” said Worley.

World Rugby Nations Cup

Pool A

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

USA

3

3

0

0

14

2

Chile

3

2

1

0

10

3

Samoa

3

1

2

0

7

4

Tonga

3

1

2

0

7

5

Uruguay

3

0

2

1

7

6

Canada

3

1

1

1

7

Pool B

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Georgia

3

3

0

0

14

2

Portugal

3

2

1

0

12

3

Spain

3

1

1

1

9

4

Romania

3

1

1

1

9

5

Hong Kong China

3

1

2

0

5

6

Zimbabwe

3

0

3

0

2

“French Paul doesn’t miss”, stated Alexandre Post. “And I was just wondering what celebration he was going to pull. The moment we got that pen, I was pretty sure he was going to slot it in.”

Hong Kong China were able to finish their July Nations Cup campaign in style after a slow start against Samoa, with former Northampton Saints and Bedford Blues player Matt Worley revealing how the team felt before that final match.

“I don’t think many people expected us to win at all, but we went in there with nothing to lose. Morale wasn’t where we wanted it to be before the game, but we went out there, played our game plan with a bit more freedom, and things started working. We capitalised on the momentum and ended up winning!”

After finally making their dream of qualifying for a Men’s Rugby World Cup come true, Hong Kong China’s senior national team has opened a new chapter in its high-performance programme, as the union reintroduced a full-time programme for more than 30 players.

Alexander Post, who played for Richmond over the past few seasons, was among those who returned to Hong Kong China under the new programme.

“The full-time programme was reintroduced, which I think has been pivotal for our latest development. Since we qualified for the Men’s Rugby World Cup, the programme was established, allowing players like Matt and me, who were playing abroad, to return to Hong Kong China and play full-time. It lets us focus on the details and push the team to take the next step up the ladder.”

Post, who was born and raised in Hong Kong, China, feels more positive about Hong Kong China’s future in the game as recent developments have finally borne fruit with the win against Uruguay, hopefully the first of many.

“You are always aiming to win every game that you are playing. Our head coach [Logan Asplin] says we don’t know where our ceiling is, and I agree, as some of our teammates weren’t full-time players before, and others were playing abroad,” stated the 30-year-old hooker.

“However, now that we’re working together week in, week out and putting in the hard work, we can go further in our goals and performances.”

Post and Worley have returned home after successful stints overseas, both featuring in the English Championship in recent years. Worley, who wore the Bedford Blues mantle for more than 100 games, holds special memories of a club that played a huge role in his career.

“I have great memories of the Champ and Bedford, as I stayed with them for six years and grew as a rugby player there. It’s a great league that’s been a bit neglected in the past, but not so much anymore, as I feel it’s got more attention. When I left, we were pretty close to full-time hours, completely different from when COVID hit.”

However, the utility back left out a vital piece of information about his impact in Bedford, prompting Post to step in and add it.

“There is a reason why they call Matt the king of Bedford!” reveals the experienced front-rower.

“The Champ is definitely neglected. It is a tough league packed with serious and great players. I learned a lot, and I can only thank Richmond for what they did for me. I loved every minute of it.”

While in England, the two faced each other several times, each enjoying their share of victories, and Post vividly recalls one particular encounter.

“We hosted the Blues and were down by 33 points at half-time, but we managed a 36-point comeback. I was on the bench and came on at half-time. Not saying I had anything to do with it, but it was nice to get one over Matt and Bedford! Facing London Scottish on New Year’s Day was also a pretty special memory.”

For Worley, however, that shared story is all but gone from his memory, though the Champ’s colour and character are still very much alive in his mind.

“I actually forgot about that game. I don’t recall it ever happening. Seriously, our trips to Cornish Pirates were always pretty great, as was the seven-hour bus trip, and we bonded as a team over it. Beating Ealing on their own ground is also another remarkable memory.”

With Champ Rugby serving as a platform to prepare both players for the Test match arena, they also explained that not everyone understood why they were always available to represent Hong Kong China, with Worley sharing a past episode.

“When I was in France and went back for U20 stuff, often people questioned why I was playing for Hong Kong China because they had a stereotypical idea of what a player from there should look like. Hong Kong China has a diverse culture and a huge rugby community. But that sentiment is less prevalent now.”

As Post reveals, they aren’t an exception to how the Hong Kong China rugby player pathway used to function, as players needed to go abroad to develop as senior players. Fortunately, with Nations Cup and World Cup participation and the full-time programme in place, Post expects a new chapter for them.

“You just have to look to Matt and me, two players who did the age-grade stuff in Hong Kong China, before going abroad when we became seniors. Now we can go back home and bring that international experience to add value to how we work. It is not easy to keep hold of those expat kids, but if we stay connected and keep an avenue open for them to come back, it can only be positive for our game.”

As November approaches, they are already geared up for what is expected to be another exhilarating Nations Cup month, with Worley setting their goals for matches against the United States of America, Canada and Tonga.

“We just hope to give a good performance in the next three games. We want to play our exciting brand of game, make it competitive, and show we can keep going higher.”

As Hong Kong China prepare to host Tonga in the final game of their campaign, Post shares the team’s biggest ambition ahead of its Men’s Rugby World Cup debut, now just 11 months away.

“We want to be memorable. We want to be everyone’s second team and for people to acknowledge that we tried to play an exciting style of rugby.”