HONG KONG CHINA U20 MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TEAMS SET FOR ASIA RUGBY U20 SEVENS CHAMPIONSHIP

The Asia Rugby Emirates U20 Sevens Championship 2026 will take place at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India, from 14-15 November 2026. The tournament will bring together 17 teams, comprising ten men's and seven women's teams, for two days of international sevens competition.

The annual championship provides an important platform for emerging rugby talent across the region, offering young players the opportunity to test themselves against international opposition and gain valuable tournament experience as they progress through their respective representative pathways.

POOLS AND FIXTURES

Men's Group A

- Hong Kong China

- India

- Uzbekistan

- Chinese Taipei

- Nepal

Women's Group C

- Hong Kong China

- Malaysia

- Thailand

- Nepal

The tournament fixtures are currently being finalised by Asia Rugby. The full schedule will be available on the Asia Rugby website once confirmed.

Hong Kong China will be represented by both men's and women's U20 squads, looking to build on an outstanding result at last year's championship in Bihar, India, where the two teams secured gold and silver medals respectively.

The Hong Kong China U20 Men claimed the title with a convincing 33-0 victory over Sri Lanka in the Cup Final, while the women's team finished runners-up following a closely contested 29-21 defeat to China. Both performances highlighted the depth of emerging talent within Hong Kong China Rugby’s development programme and the progress being made across the men's and women's pathways.

Four players return to the men's squad from last year's tournament, with Floris Kennes, Benjamin Marks, David McMurtray and Ryan Schroeder once again representing Hong Kong China at U20 level. The tournament has also provided a valuable stepping stone for players progressing into the senior programme, with the likes of Matthew Rickard and James Kee, who featured in last year's competition, now representing the senior men’s squad. Rickard has also enjoyed recent international success, winning gold with Hong Kong China at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya. 

On the women's side, six players return from last year's silver-medal-winning squad, including Sophie Aranha, Sara Harries, Elsie Hulme, Beca John, Elizabeth Stanton and Haruka Uematsu. The continued progression of players from the U20 programme into senior international rugby is also evident, with Uematsu now featuring in the senior women's sevens squad, having made her 7s debut at the Hong Kong Sevens in April 2026. Meanwhile, Ella Lynam, who was part of last year's U20 squad, has progressed into the Hong Kong China Women's XVs team, where she impressed during the WXV Global Series Challenger on home soil in Hong Kong. 

The competition presents another opportunity for Hong Kong China's emerging talent to gain valuable experience, challenge themselves against some of Asia's strongest young teams and build on last year’s success. 

Fans can catch all the action live on the Asia Rugby Live YouTube and Facebook channels. For fixtures and results, be sure to visit Asia Rugby’s official website.

SQUADS

U20 Men’s Squad

U20 Men’s Team Management 

Tomos HOWELLS – Head Coach 

Hugh EVERSON – Physiotherapist 

Sam BEARD – Team Manager 

U20 Women’s Squad

U20 Women’s Team Management

Andrew VILK – Head Coach 

Rosanna WRIGHT – Assistant Coach 

Hugh EVERSON – Physiotherapist 

Sam BEARD – Team Manager