The Hong Kong China men were narrowly denied their hopes of competing in Madrid but ended the weekend in Munich on a high by claiming third place, while the women enjoyed their first win to end 11th in Krakow on Sunday 19 May.

Hong Kong China Men Fall Just Short in Munich

There will be understandable disappointment among the Hong Kong China men, as they fell agonisingly short in a tight and nail-biting match against Germany in the Cup semifinal which saw the hosts secure the final spot in Madrid. However, it's been a phenomenal season for the men and they still have one more step this season then they head to Monaco for the Olympic Repechage.

On Sunday morning, Hong Kong China faced Tonga in the Cup quarterfinal, fully aware this would be one of at least two massive hurdles standing in their way to achieve the ambitions of competing in Madrid for a chance to reach the HSBC SVNS Series.

The side was full of pace and looked cohesive as they ran in tries against the Pacific islanders whom they had already beaten in pool play on Saturday 45-5.

The restarts were a source of points as they put Tonga under pressure and Seb Brien, our leading try scorer in Munich, bagged the first try which was converted by Hugo Stiles.

A second combination from James Christie, Cado Lee and Liam Herbert produced the second try, while Cado Lee ran in a third. Late in the half was the first real Tongan attack which forced Hong Kong China to defend and tested their shoulders on the Pacific islander frames which they did well to lead 21-0 at halftime.

Brien added his 8th try in Munich, and Max Denmark his 5th, before Doherty added one more to extend the lead to 42-0 after the break. Late in the game, with the result decided, the Tongans managed to score twice themselves before the final whistle went at 42-14.

The Germans had to win their quarterfinal against Kenya to keep their own ambitions alive and set up the final within a semi final against Hong Kong China, and did so with 6 players on the field.

Hong Kong China had beaten the Germans the last two times they had met, but the strong home support was very much in the favour of the Germans who have experienced similar heartache to Hong Kong China over the years in terms of falling sort of reaching the core SVNS Series.

The two sides were well-matched, each with combinations of pace, wise playmakers and some bruising runners, but it was the Germans who got on the scoreboard first to lead 7-0.

Liam Herbert had another great bustling run up the middle of the pitch before offloading to Max Denmark who cut inside to score his 5th try of the weekend and another Hugo Stiles conversion squared it up.

The game moved back and forth and the main strike weapon of the hosts, Chris Umeh, crossed over for their second try to lead 14-7. A yellow German card soon thereafter needed to be capitalised on but some unforced errors prevented any scores and it stayed the same scoreline at the break.

There was a lot of energy and enthusiasm in the second half but a tight defence, and despite several repeated penalties for Hong Kong China, the boys couldn't get over the whitewash.

Finally, with a scrum only a few metres out from the German line, a set move drew in Max Denmark who sealed his second try to level things up at 14-all.

There was a nervous energy and atmosphere in Dante Stadium which only added to the tension.

After spending several minutes in the German half, the men again could not capitalise and the Germans broke hearts as they crossed for a try at the death to win 21-14, with a 40-metre solo try from the Makonnen Amekuedi ending the path to Madrid.

The men had to pick themselves up after the disappointment to face Chile for third place, the South Americans are also a side they could face again in Monaco in June, and leaving Europe with momentum would still be important.

The game was scrappier but had wonderful moments of unreal defence as both sides failed to score any points in the first half - both were also denied by the TMO.

Head Coach Jevon Groves could be heard giving the team a clear message on the broadcast at halftime and the team responded well. 

Cado Lee finally broke the deadlock and Max Denmark added a second after the break, his 6th try of the weekend for a 12-0 lead which Chile could not reduce by the final hooter. 

The try-saving tackle from the Hong Kong China men after the hooter to deny the Chileans a score was a great testament to the courage and work rate the side has put in this season. The men leave Munich in 3rd place and should have been proud of their efforts.

• Hong Kong China 54-7 Tonga

• Hong Kong China 14-21 Germany

• Hong Kong China 12-0 Chile

  
  

Hong Kong China Women Leave Krakow on a High

The Hong Kong China women, after finding it tough going in the first day of competition in Krakow as a developmental and inexperienced side got to grips with the levels required in international rugby, managed to win their final match against Mexico, leaving Poland with invaluable experience as 8 players got to taste Challenger Sevens rugby for the first time.

With the understandable focus on the Asia Rugby Women’s Championship, which starts this week on 21 May, the women’s players in Krakow were proud to represent their jerseys on the final leg of this season's HSBC Sevens Challenger. Players such as Wing Ni Winnie Siu and Amy Pyke were some bright sparks over the weekend.

Three tough losses on Saturday will be used as ammunition for growth for each of the players and the ladies came into the matchup against PNG for the 9/10th Semifinal without the services of Jessica Ho and Hui Man Ling.

An early Hong Kong China yellow card in the match hampered the team's start and PNG used their power game and numerical superiority to score early twice to lead 14-0

Hong Kong China women stayed in the fight and an excellent team try was finished by Au Yeung Sin Yi which reduced the deficit 14-7 after another excellent conversion from Stephanie Chan.

PNG had too much in the tank though and added a third try before their 4th card of the weekend. The Hong Kong China side played much better with ball in hand on Sunday with some unforced errors denying more points.

PNG came back to add two more scores and won 33-7 leaving Hong Kong China to play for 11/12th against Mexico.

The side came into their final match with a strong record against Mexico and were looking to end the weekend of learning in Krakow on a high. The blend of youth and experience meant the players were savouring the moments on this step on their international rugby journey and development.

It was experienced hand Stephanie Chang who opened the scoring and her second try of the weekend to lead 5-0.

Excellent runs were a feature of the game and Amy Pyle was rewarded with her debut international try for the former Sai Kung Stingray and current France-based player.

Mexico got one back to narrow Hong Kong China’s lead to 10-7, and even though the Mexicans had a yellow card, it was Hong Kong China who were on the back foot and forced to defend for much of the second half.

With the Mexicans chasing a win, the game was played well after the hooter, and Hong Kong China withstood waves of attack to secure 11th place in Poland.

The group hug and clear relief and smiles on the players' faces showed what it meant for them.

• Hong Kong China 7-33 PNG 9/10th Place Semifinal

• Hong Kong China 10-7 Mexico 11/12th Place Final

*Both Sunny Lee and Morgan White were also in action on Sunday as match officials and congratulations to Sunny who was selected to officiate the Women’s Cup Final in Krakow.

You can read more in our Tournament Preview here and our Day 1 Review here.

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