PUBLISHED ON 05 SEP 2026
[HONG KONG, 5 SEPTEMBER 2026]: The Hong Kong China Rugby (HKCR) women’s representative XV squad members taking part in the upcoming World Rugby WXV Challenger 2026 Hong Kong were announced today in front of over 1,000 mini and youth players and supporters before the team’s public training session and warm-up match against Samoa.
Six of the elite teams in women’s rugby will battle it out across three match-days of triple-header rugby excitement. Hong Kong China Rugby matches feature as the centerpiece of each round with 15.30 kick-offs at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground.
The WXV Challenger 2026 features teams ranked just outside of the top 12 in the world with Team Hong Kong China currently ranked 16th in the world. Also participating are Fiji (13), Spain (14), Samoa (15), The Netherlands (27), and 25th-ranked Brazil. Final standings will play an important role in the qualification process for Rugby World Cup 2028.
The HKCR Women’s XV are famously the first representative rugby team to qualify for a Rugby World Cup, having made their debut in 2017 in Ireland. Five of the players unearthed in that competition are still featuring for HKCR in the WXV Challenger (WXVC), in what could be the programme’s biggest international competition since that world championship.
With the WXVC representing the first home tests for HKCR since 2024, this month’s action offers a rare opportunity to recognise some of Hong Kong’s most dedicated rugby athletes ever and support Team Hong Kong China Rugby.
The five veterans from 2017 are all forwards and include several former captains: Chow Mei Nam – who led Hong Kong China back at that Rugby World Cup, and Hong Kong’s most capped female XV representative, Lee Ka Shun, who could earn her 40th cap in the WXV.
Also featured are experienced prop forward Tammy Lau Nga Wun and crossover fifteens and sevens stars, Pun Wai Yan and Winnie Siu Win Ni.
“Being the most veteran player in this squad, my mindset is to treat every single match as if it were my very last,” said Lee Ka Shun. “This tournament is the final stretch of the whole cycle.
Whether I start or come on as a substitute I want to treasure every single minute I get to represent Hong Kong. I want to cherish these opportunities and give it my absolute all.”
Next Sunday (13 Sept.) HKCR will play Brazil in the opening round of games (15.30 kick off), that also sees Fiji versus Spain at noon and Samoa versus The Netherlands at 19.00. All Hong Kong matches are at 15.30 with games against Fiji on 19 Sept., and Spain on 26 Sept.
Despite some of the city’s elite rugby athletes flying the SAR flag at the Asian Games rugby sevens which also kicks off this month, Hong Kong Women’s Lead Coach Tumua Iaone has drawn a balanced 28-woman squad from a wider pool of potential players trialed in a series of camps held across June and July.
“Most of us are holding down full-time jobs, so after a full day of work we have to rely on our remaining physical energy and determination to go to training, ” said Lee, who is a full-time school social worker.
“The reason we persevere is because there are so many moments we deeply enjoy—like the bond with teammates and the mutual motivation in training.
“We want more out of life than just the bare minimum. Rugby has brought massive positive changes to our lives. Even as amateurs our women's team made it to our first Rugby World Cup back in 2017, experiences like that are extremely rare and special for non-full-time athletes and we treasure them.”
Sixteen players in Iaone’s final 28 featured at the Asia Rugby Emirates Women’s Championships earlier this year in Kazakhstan. That group includes front rower Kea Herewini, who captained the group in Almaty last April, and nine other forwards as Ioane’s squad features a 16/12 forwards to backs split - indicating some physical rugby is expected in the WXV Challenger. Roshini Turner, Fion Got and Chloe Baltazar add further experience to the forwards group.
Lara Schats, Wan Tsz Yau, Zoe Smith, and Abigail Chan all return to the backline from the Asian championships, where they are joined by an experienced campaigner in Fung Hoi Ching with nine caps.
Several of the eight players that made HKCR debuts last April in Kazakhstan are also given a second run to stake their claims including Lauren Knowler, Jenna Potgeiter and Isobel Littlehailes, all of whom impressed on their debut performances for HKCR.
Fifteens and sevens star Sabay Lynam is also included in the group after returning from playing commitments in Australia, and is joined by sister Ella, who could earn her first cap in the WXV Challenger. Rosie Down, Georgia Cutt and Ching Yi Shek are others in line for potential first caps in the WXV Challenger.
The World Rugby WXV Challenger Hong Kong 2026 is proud of being an “M” Mark event that helps enhance the image of Hong Kong as Asia’s sports event capital. The “M” Mark awarded by the Major Sports Events Committee, symbolising intense, spectacular and signature event in the territory sports calendar.
With much at stake the competition will be intense and represents one of the biggest challenges for the HKCR Women’s programme since 2017, aside from the matches being an important platform to perform in front of local fans for the first time in years. That pressure comes with the territory for Lee.
“It’s incredibly important. Historically, the public is more familiar with sevens so hosting WXV is a fantastic promotional tool because it shows that rugby is played in different formats. It allows people to understand the sport more comprehensively and encourages wider participation. If the public understands 15s, they will see that people of all shapes, sizes, and abilities can play rugby. Beyond physical fitness, the camaraderie, friendships, and personal growth derived from rugby are immense,” said Lee who is a full-time registered school social worker when not playing or training international rugby.
Lee looked ahead to the competition saying, “Our team has a mix of veteran and younger players. No team is ever perfectly ready, but we have prepared as thoroughly as we can for what lies ahead. We are focusing on our execution and controlling what we can control.
“We also need to be clear about our strengths. We need to focus on what we excel at. Even though we are up against high-level teams, our unwavering goal is to win. We won't let confidence be shaken just because our opponents train full-time as professional athletes. Off the pitch, our goal is cohesion.
“This tournament spans an entire month, we have to live and breathe rugby on and off the field,” Lee added.
HKCR Women’s XV Squad (28 Pax) for WXV Challenger 2026 Hong Kong
Forwards: LEE Ka Shun; CHOW Mei Nam; Tammy LAU Nga Wun; Kea HEREWINI; PUN Wai Yan; Winnie SIU Win NI; Fion GOT; Roshini TURNER; Chloe BALTAZAR; NG Ki Sum; Kristie STEVENSON; Grace HOOD; Jenna POTGIETER; Tanya DHAR; Isobel LITTLEHAILES; Iris LAM
Backs: FUNG Hoi Ching; Lucia BOLTON; Abigail CHAN; CHING Yi Shek; Georgia CUTT; Rosie DOWN; Lauren KNOWLER; Ella LYNAM; Sabay LYNAM; Lara SCHATS; Zoe SMITH; WAN Tsz Yau;
Management: Selene COOPER (Manager); Tumua IOANE (Lead Coach); Charli JACOBY (Asst.
Coach); Terry SIBANDA (Asst. Coach); Sam HOCKING (Asst. Coach); Ian BONNET (S&C Coach);
Jake MARTIN (Analyst); Suzzen CHONG (Sports Rehabilitator) Olivia CHIU (Physio)
Tickets on Sale
Good things come in threes at the WXV with nine world-class games split across three days of triple-header matches and non-stop action. Single round tickets are HK$180 for adults, HK$140 for students, and HK$100 for kids. Reserved seating starts at HK$250. The tournament package offers all three rounds and all games starting from HK$250 for kids, HK$350 for students, and HK$450 for adults. Tickets are on sale through the Hong Kong China Rugby Ticketing Platform and the HKCR Ticketing App.
