PUBLISHED ON 20 SEP 2025
Hong Kong China Men's and Women's Sevens teams lined up for Leg 1 of the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series (ARESS) this weekend at the Hangzhou Normal University in Hangzhou, China. The Series will conclude with Leg 2 in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 18-19 October.
Both Hong Kong China teams are battling for places in the HSBC SVNS Series Division 3 that is set to take place in January 2026, with qualification awarded to the Series winners (note that in the Women's competition Japan and China are already assured of places in SVNS Series Division 1 and 2 respectively, so the next best placed team will qualify from the Asia Sevens Series into SVNS Division 3).
Fans can watch all the action back (via Asia Rugby Live) and check out the full results (via Asia Rugby website).
Reports and reaction for the Hong Kong China teams are shown below:
RESULTS - DAY TWO
- Hong Kong China Women 0-38 Japan - Cup Semi Final
- Hong Kong China Men 33-0 Sri Lanka - Cup Semi Final
- Hong China Women 19-17 Thailand - 3rd Place Final
- Hong Kong China Men 31-12 Japan - Cup Final
RESULTS - DAY ONE
Pool Match 1
- Hong Kong China Women 29-0 India
- Hong Kong China Men 34-0 Uzbekistan
Pool Match 2
- Hong Kong China Women 48-7 Philippines
- Hong Kong China Men 54-7 UAE
Pool Match 3
- Hong Kong China Women 21-17 Thailand
- Hong Kong China Men 59-0 Malaysia
REPORTS AND REACTION
DAY TWO: MEN'S ACTION
Hong Kong China Men 33-0 Sri Lanka (Cup Semi-Final)
Julien Bourron kicked off the Semi-Final against the Tuskers, who were only confirmed to be in the Semi-Final based on the last result of the opening day which saw them squeeze into the top 4 was the best performing runner-up in the Pools. Hong Kong China Men did well to claim the ball from the start, and Fong Kit Fung completed the team's try to lead early. An excellent set move led to the second try with wonderful interplay between Bryn Phillips and Bourron. Harry Sayers grabbed the third score on the buzzer, completing an easy run-in and benefiting from his teammates' hard work.
Allesandro Nardoni carried on his form from the opening day, making huge meters with his bruising runs, and good slick hands, saw Fong Kit Fung grab his second try. Another sublime solo run from Rory Stewart-Cox and subsequent passages of play allowed Matt Rickard to close it out with a convincing 33-0 win.
The boys will play rivals Japan in the Cup Final after they pipped China with a try on the hooter in the second Semi-Final.
Hong Kong China Men 31-12 Japan (Cup Final)
Straight from kick off in the final, Hong Kong China won the ball from a Japan knock-on. The ensuing scrum saw a great switch to Harry Sayers, and Bryn Phillips finished off the move to lead 7-0. Sayers had an impactful game and was crunching through tackles and skipped through the final attempt to score and lead 14-0. The team has only conceded one try all weekend, but Japan made that two to half the lead. Before half time Sayers again caused chaos in the Japanese defence and Sebastian Brien scored the third try to lead 19-7 at the break.
The Japanese played at a rapid pace to start the second half and added a second score, but were soon down to six players with a yellow card. A superbly worked set move allowed Fong Kit Fung to score, and after Michael Coverdale won a turnover, James Christie nearly scored himself, but Liam Herbert benefited as the guys wrapped up the win convincingly, 31-12.
DAY TWO: MEN'S REACTION
Co-captain James Christie said after claiming the Cup final win, “It's the first one of the season with a new squad and some new faces. It is always tough to play Japan and they beat us last time out in the Challenger. They are a smart team with lots of steppers. We asked the guys to play our own game and we got the result.”
Cado Lee added, "we feel fantastic as the boys worked really hard over the summer to get fit and to another level, and I think we showed that in all five wins, especially in the final against Japan.
"That game was close until the last few minutes. We controlled the ball well at the end. They did well to attack our breakdown when we had the ball, and they are good at the transition. We supported well and scored some good tries.
"The squad is coming along well and growing stronger every day. I think the youngsters here, Julien, Matt, Rory - they showed flair and are pushing the old bucks like me, which means I have to work harder. I enjoy the healthy competition in the squad - that's how we will grow and get better, not just in Asia, but on the world stage.”
Jevon Groves - Hong Kong China Men’s Head Coach thought the same, adding: “The boys started well, and it could have gone either way, but I am pleased with how we managed the game and slowed things down. We have been practising decision-making on whether we go quickly or not, and try to dictate the momentum and tempo of the game, as we know they wanted to play fast.
"The newer guys did well, but also credit to the experienced guys who laid the foundations. Julien and Matt were excellent, and Rory has been growing in every game. Fong Kit stepped up, and I think he played one of his best tournaments and that all bodes well for the future and the sustainability and competitiveness of the squad.
"We will have difficult selection conversations for the next tournament, as we have a group of players I feel can commit at this level who are still in Hong Kong, and it's a nice challenge for us coaches to have. It bodes well and brings out the best in the players who are selected. The group we can choose from is bigger now, and with a long season ahead, it's a good place to be in.”
DAY TWO: WOMEN'S ACTION
Hong Kong China Women 0-38 Japan (Cup Semi-Final)
Heading into the Semi-Final, the winners knew they would face China in the Cup Final as they had just beaten Thailand in the first Semi-Final.
Natasha Olson-Thorne was leading the cover defence and prowling for tackles as the opening minutes were cagey, and both sides won turnovers. Once Japan broke the deadlock, they proved too clinical with the ball in hand, and ran in three tries to lead 17-0 at the break.
Hong Kong China Women did create several good chances, making some great meters in the second period, notably the runs by Julia Mibuy Mba Oyana and Stephanie Chor Ki Chan early in the second half, before Japan pounced again. They put the girls under pressure with the restarts late in the game, added a couple more tries at the death to win 38-0.
Hong Kong China will face Thailand again in the 3rd Place Final, which will be all important for the Series standings, with finalists Japan and China not in contention for SVNS Division 3 qualification from this tournament (their places in SVNS Division 1 and 2 respectively are already assured).
Hong Kong China Women 19-17 Thailand (3rd Place Final)
It was 21-17 when the two sides met in the final pool game on Saturday, before both teams suffered losses in the morning to square off for third place. The games have always been tight and the record books show we have played them 32 times, each team with 15 wins and two draws.
The women were fantastic to come back from behind and pip Thailand 19-17, with Julia Mibuy Mba Oyana scoring a hat-trick in the tense final.
Stephanie Chor Ki Chan kicked the game off, and within a minute, Mba Oyana picked up the scraps from a messy Thailand ball to score and lead 5-0. Thailand struck back immediately with a good converted try under the posts. Natasha Olson-Thorne had good, powerful runs through the middle, but both sides - like in the first game - were making mistakes in the opening half and absolutely everything was contested in a scrappy, nervy game. The team did wonderfully well to get the ball to Mba Oyana out wide again to score as we led 12-7 at the half.
Hong Kong China had to defend for three full minutes as the Thais came at the team, and eventually the blue wall broke, and it was 12-12. The Thais kicked long from the restart and forced a mistake and scored again to lead 17-12. Olson-Thorne was provided defensive reprieve, and a turnover and quick tap allowed Mba Oyana to race through for her hat trick under the posts with less than 30 seconds left. There was time for a restart, but Melody Li won a crucial turnover well after the hooter, and the girls kicked the ball dead. Amazing resilience, and the double-win is huge for the team’s confidence and Series points.
DAY TWO: WOMEN'S REACTION
Nam Ka Man said after the Cup Final: “We are super proud of that result, and beforehand we said we needed to stick together for the whole game and be switched on, and we showed that for more than 14 minutes.
"We improved game by game in our preparation, and it was good that we had the pre-season hitouts in China. We have learned a lot, and we have said we want to build from each game, and we have seen that we have done that.”
Hong Kong China Women’s Head Coach Andy Vilk said: “It's been two incredible battles against Thailand this weekend. Both teams left nothing out there, and they were really good matchups. The intent from the girls is what we asked for, and bouncing back from that semifinal defeat to Japan showed some good character, and we can build on this.”
Of the squad and having new and returning players in the mix, he added, “It's been a challenge we knew was coming our way, and we have focused on that in our training to make sure the connections were there for this weekend. We can now look back at that with a certain amount of success and understand that in Leg two, we need to be even better.”
“Our connections and the players backing each other up are aspects we can be pleased with, and the intent they showed. All of those build trust in the team when you see how hard they work for each other. We need to ensure we recover well over the coming weeks, and we have two full training weeks, and see where we are.”
DAY ONE: MEN'S ACTION
Hong Kong China Men 34-0 Uzbekistan
Hong Kong China Men got their title defence started by playing Uzbekistan, who are also new to the main series. It was Julien Bourron who had a role as the linchpin, and he crossed over after 2 minutes, with Fong Kit Fung and Michael Coverdale making it 17-0. Alessandro Nardoni scored the team's fourth before the half as they looked comfortably in control at 24-0.
In the second half the returning Sebastian Brien scored from the bench and set up the next try for Liam Herbert for a solid 34-0 opening win, with our own line not breached.
Hong Kong China Men 54-7 UAE
The UAE have a big physical team but can be prone to poor discipline. A scrappy opening two minutes saw a resilient UAE keep our men at bay before an excellent solo try from Fong Kit Fung, borne of power and pace. Julien Bourron scored the second as the team worked the space well to the left. The UAE got one converted try before the break, and Liam Herbert gave our boys some breathing space with the team’s third before the half for a 19-7 lead.
Co-Captain James Christie scored early from a Callum McCullough break, and it was replicated by Allesandro Nardoni soon after. A much better and more ruthless half saw Harry Sayers and McCullough add two more scores before debutant Matthew Rickard ended the game with a try for a final 54-7 scoreline.
Hong Kong China Men 59-0 Malaysia
The men ended the day on a high note and started and finished the game well against Malaysia. Harry Sayers crossed first, but there were additional tries to Bryn Phillips - three of them - as he completed a hat trick within the half, before Sayers added a second for a commanding 33-0 lead at halftime.
They didn't take their foot off the pressure and added 26 more points in the second period. Rory Stewart-Cox secured a brace, and Allesandro Nardoni and Liam Herbert all added their name to the scorecard, but it was a complete team performance.
DAY ONE: MEN'S REACTION
Callum McCullough made his debut for the Sevens team at the World Rugby Sevens Series 2021 in Vancouver and is playing his 17th tournament this weekend. Following victory over the UAE in the second pool match, he said:
"We were very pleased with those opening two games as we had an unknown with Uzbekistan to start. We had to focus on ourselves, and we wanted a good start to the tournament, which I think we achieved.
"With the UAE, we have played them so many times and knew what to expect and what they can bring as they are big physical boys. In that first half, we fell into a trap a bit and played their game. We addressed that at halftime and corrected things, and really took control of things and went to what we know best, so I am pleased with that. Once we played our game and put the ball into space, and got the rewards."
“Defensively, we know we are dangerous when we have the ball and we can score. So if we can limit teams on defence and put them under pressure and we put points on the board we know we can go far in this tournament."
Bryn Phillips said at the end of day one's play: “It was important for us to start well today after a long Summer and I am happy with our performances in defence and in our transition to attack, which took care of itself. To only concede one try is good for day one, and we can build on that tomorrow."
"There is a great blend to the squad and guys pushing hard for jerseys, so it means there is competitive training which has translated well to the pitch today.”
DAY ONE: WOMEN'S ACTION
Hong Kong China Women 29-0 India
In the opening game of the new series, newcomers to the top flight, India, started strong, but poor discipline saw them concede a yellow card early on, and Hong Kong China made the most of the situation running out 29-0 winners.
On her return from injury, Julia Mibuy Mba Oyana scored first with a powerful and long-ranging run, but there were some cobwebs the team needed to dust off in a scrappy opening period as things did not gel 100 per cent. Stalwart Natasha Olson-Thorne scored a second try to lead 14-0 at the break.
India were very competitive and had some good defensive plays to withstand waves of attack, and Chloe Chan was just stopped short before Gabriella Rivers rounded out a good team try. Stephanie Chor Ki Chan got a fourth from the restart as the team dominated the ruck contest, and an excellent track back tackle by Jessica Eden saw us turn defence into attack for Nam Ka Man to finish off a score and win 29-0.
Hong Kong China Women 48-7 Philippines
Hong Kong China women struggled with the kickoffs at time across both of the first two games, but soon after the start against the Philippines Jessica Eden opened the scoring and Gabriella Rivers doubled the lead to 14-0. Chloe Chan took a quick tap and an excellent back-door pass to speedster Chong Ka Yan, who added a double soon after. The Philippines scored late in the half for a 26-7 lead.
Rivers claimed her second in the game before Eden followed. A late substitution saw Julia Mibuy Mba Oyana round out the win with a brace of scores.
Hong Kong China Women 21-17 Thailand
The winner of our women’s pool would face Japan in Sunday’s semi-final, while the loser (notwithstanding a blowout result) would face China. Thailand is the game that would have been earmarked by players and coaches before the tournament, and the team did really well to win 21-17 after the Thais had scored first in the tight game.
The team moved the ball to the strike weapon Julia Mibuy Mba Oyana (who scored her 4th try of the day) after running a full 80 meters to tie it up. Both sides made small errors due to the pressure of the game, but after Mba Oyana nearly scored her second, Chong Ka Yan did set up her taller teammate to get her brace and led 14-7 with less than a minute before the break. The girls forced Thailand into mistakes and Nam Ka Man scored a third try on the hooter to lead 21-7.
Thailand controlled the territory in the second half and scored twice but missed the conversions to trail 21-17, and that's how it stayed as Co-Captain Natasha Olson-Thorne put in a big hit in the final play to dislodge the ball from the Thai attack.
DAY ONE: WOMEN'S REACTION
Jessica Eden, playing in her 10th tournament and coming back to the Asian Series for the first time in a while, was pleased with the performances and scored three tries in the opening two games.
"I was out for a long time, and it's so great to be back, and I am excited to be here as I have missed out on two years of the Asia Rugby Series. It's fun to be back playing and good to see how the tournament has developed in that time, and the atmosphere around the game has progressed."
Gabriella Rivers is in her 8th event, and she also scored 3 tries in the opening two pool games. She said, "I think defensively we improved in the second game and really put good line pressure on them. The learnings from the first game meant we knew to win the ball back, we had to act like we really wanted the ball more, and I felt like we showed more hunger for it. We had better dominance in contact, too.
“It feels good to be playing these teams, as there is a sense of familiarity as we play most of them so many times, but the development by increasing the number of teams, and we can see the levels improve and a better quality among all of the teams. It means the tournament is more competitive and more intense, which is fun to be part of.”
Stephanie Chor Ki Chan said of the win over Thailand in the final pool game, “I am so happy as they are one of our main rivals, obviously and for a very long time, and we have had some good wins and tough losses over the years. This match showed our character, and based on the hard work we did in the off-season.”
With Sunday’s semifinal against Japan locked in, she added, “We need to focus on ourselves, and it doesn't matter who we play. We believe in our abilities and in each other, and we want to make Hong Kong China proud.”
Chong Ka Yan was also confident at the end of day one, looking ahead to Sunday's semi-final against Japan: “We need to make sure we do the basics right, running hard, good support, and executing well. If we can get that offloading game going as a team, I think we can beat them. We need to be accurate and make sure that on defence we have a strong mindset and decision-making.”
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