HKCR NAME SIDE TO FACE KOREA IN ASIA RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP TEST

Hong Kong China Rugby have named its squad to face off with South Korea in the Asia Rugby Championship (ARC) match at Hong Kong Football Club tomorrow (Sunday, 7 June, kick off at 16:30).

With the city’s contracted Rugby World Cup 2027 (RWC) squad members having returned from a two-match warm-up series in Japan ahead of the Nations Cup in July, the ARC heavy lifting has been done by the city's Next Gen stars.  
 

Experienced Kiwi coach Nigel Hotham, HKCR Club Coaching Officer for USRC Tigers, is helming the abbreviated ARC campaign, overseeing the blooding of a number of new representative players. This young group faces its biggest challenge to date this week against Korea.

“This game is interesting because we came away very realistic about the improvement that we need after Sri Lanka and we are not under any illusions about South Korea. Admittedly, our squad and the whole campaign has been a little bit around changing week by week with personnel and that offers its own challenges, but the squad here has coped with that really well. The boys that have come in have been fantastic, and I feel like we've gone from strength to strength. Let's hope we see that tomorrow as well.

“ There are pretty talented boys that have come in, and everyone's got the right to prove a point tomorrow. You're either going to put your hand up and say: ‘I could be on a plane to South America,’ or ‘I could be going to a World Cup’, or ‘in the next couple of years, I could be a guy that you want to look at’. Like everyone has that goal to work towards, which makes it extra exciting. It's not just another test match, not for Hong Kong China Rugby at this moment. There are so many exciting things on the horizon,” added Hotham.

Sixteen new caps were included in the group that toured Sri Lanka in the ARC opener, digging deep for a last-second win triggered by centre and captain Dean Squire, who again leads the squad against Korea.

In Sri Lanka, the side looked at times like what it largely is, a XV brought together over a short period trying to gel at the deeper end of Asian rugby.  Their first true test match experience will have benefited the group, which has now had a fortnight to build off that experience and become accustomed to each other.

“It has been a really positive mood in camp in the last few weeks, partly due to the result in Sri Lanka and the way that we won that, that was really good for team morale. But just in terms of the group we have, and then for 16 boys, that was their debut. To come back after having that experience, getting that first win as a group, a lot of boys getting their first cap, we really just want to build on that this weekend. And then with the full time boys coming in, strengthening us in some areas that we want to target, like we probably left some tries out there with our driving maul, so that's something we're going to be focused on this week.

“So, we're hoping to see an improvement there and we're really looking forward to putting the performance out there,” Squire added.

The Group is keen to show what it can do and to perform in front of home audiences but a step up in competition is expected after Sri Lanka also showed signs of rust a fortnight ago.

The task looks simple on paper with Hong Kong enjoying 13 wins over our traditional closest run rivals in Asia behind Japan since the advent of the HKCR’s first professional player programme in 2015.  The last two years of ARC competition have seen Hong Kong post the widest winning margins ever with its Rugby World Cup XV, with last year’s result an away drubbing 70-22.

But Korea is typically a side with pace and power from 1-15, and they have the potential to prove a handful for this new look Hong Kong squad. Undoubtedly Korea will be eyeing this opportunity to try and catch a combined Hong Kong China Rugby XV at a loose end.    
 

To ensure that does not happen, a number of Rugby World Cup squad members have joined the squad for Sunday’s home clash, most notably lock Kyle Sullivan, who will earn his 30thcap when he runs out at Football Club after making his debut against Japan in 2017.

“With this program freshly capping a number of boys, it’s a fresh feeling in camp, it's always nice to work with a different group of players. My challenge to them is that the jersey doesn't belong to anyone; it's borrowed from Hong Kong China. So, you know, I am challenging them to make sure we do proud for that jersey and show the program, the union, and the city that they are worthy of this jersey, and they deserve it.

“Korea are a structured team. Man for man, they are good athletes, good players. If you let them get their tails up, they will run riot so we have got to slow them down. We've really got to come out with a big, twenty minutes and bring it to them and control that game, and hopefully that will put them away. They are a big confidence team,” added the experienced lock forward.

Sullivan is joined by prop Sunia Fameitau in the starting group, while fellow front rower Callum McFeat-Smith will come off the bench.  Jack Bartlett also comes into the squad at No.8. Recently capped Dana Fourie returns to the ARC squad after joining the Rugby World Cup training squad in Japan, alongside wing Charles Higson-Smith. They both get their third call-up in as many weeks.

Higson-Smith joins a back three of Rugby World Cup training squad members including fullback Dylan McCann and wing Murray Brechin, who will be hoping to add to his strike rate of scoring a try per match so far in his Hong Kong China test career (4 tries).

Hooker Luke Dewar is in line to earn his first cap for Hong Kong China Rugby with Emnanuel Lai also in line for a cap. He will back up scrumhalf Brendon Nell from the bench.

Higson-Smith's and Sullivan’s inclusions account for 47 of the squad’s 85 caps, with the coaches keeping faith in the wider Asia Rugby Championship group who will be out to prove a point about their quality in front of home crowds.

The match will be streamed via YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWrskBGTxXg

Hong Kong China Rugby vs Korea

Asia Rugby Championships (7 Jun 2026, Hong Kong Football Club)

1. James HOLMES 2. Luke DEWAR* 3. Sunia FAMEITAU 4. Glenn HUI 5. Kyle SULLIVAN, 6. Dana FOURIE, 7. Joseph KNIGHT 8. Jack BARTLETT 9. Brendon NELL 10. Oliver PYLE 11. Murray BRECHIN 12. Barnaby HORBERRY 13. Dean SQUIRE (C) 14. Charles HIGSON-SMITH 15. Dylan McCANN 16. NG Siu Lung, Billy 17. Thomas CONCU 18. Callumn McFEAT-SMITH  19. Connor O’BYRNE 20. Dean ROUSSOW 21. Emanuel LAI* 22. Jack ABBOTT 23. Dylan WHITE