HONG KONG CHINA MEN'S AND WOMEN'S 7s TEAMS DEPART FOR SHELFORD 7s

The Hong Kong China Men’s and Women’s 7s teams departed for the United Kingdom yesterday to compete in the Shelford 7s tournament. 

The tournament takes place on Saturday 7 June, and is the second leg in the LIT Super 7s Series. After the opening leg in Oxford, our men’s team currently ranks third, while the women’s team sits in second place. 

The LITS Super 7s Series is a recent merger between the UK Super Sevens Series and the LIT7s Series, helping create one of the biggest and most prestigious rugby sevens series in Europe. 

There are a few changes to the men’s squad from the first leg. Billy Rigby and Elliott Quinton, who both impressed in the first leg, will be absent. In their places, Julien Bourron has joined the team from the 15s programme, while Dylan McCann, Shiven Dukhande, and Blake Elliot return from injury. The squad has expanded to 14 players, providing additional depth for the competition.

Men’s coach Tomos Howells expressed his ambitions for the team, saying “We’re looking to do one better than last time, aiming to reach the final and hopefully get the win. This would put us in a favorable position on the standings heading into the final two legs”.

Speaking about the squad, Tomos said “Joe Knight keeps his captaincy with Liam Herbert as vice-captain. This is a young group, and Joe is one of our more mature players. He has led the Super Series as captain for a couple of years and has established himself as a leader within the team. Liam's experience has also been really good with the younger players. Overall, it’s an exciting squad.”

On the women’s side, the team remains largely the same, with only a couple of changes. Veteran players Natasha Olson-Thorne and Nam Ka Man are resting after a long season, making way for Chan Wing Kei Yami and Joyce Tse, who are both eager to impress and step up. 

Women’s coach Robbie Fergusson expressed enthusiasm about welcoming back Haruka, who returns from the 15s programme. “She’s a young, exciting player, and we’re keen to see her play more 7s”, he noted. The squad also features experienced leaders with Jessica Ho and Stephanie Chan. 

At the Oxford 7s, the women's team faced a challenging final against Shogun Rugby. Though they trailed 26-7 at halftime, they fought back to win the second half 10-5, ultimately falling short with a final score of 31-17.

The team aims to reach the final again this weekend, with Robbie stating “Our expectation is to back up where we left off at leg 1 and hopefully go one step further. It was encouraging to make the final against a strong Shogun side, but we are aware that the opposition have played more tournaments than us. We’ve been working really hard in Hong Kong to make improvements in our game”.

Following the Shelford 7s, the men’s team will stay in the UK for a training camp at Cardiff Metropolitan University, while the women will return to the Hong Kong Sports Institute to prepare for the National Pub 7s, set to take place in Harpenden on Saturday 21 June.

To follow the latest from the LITS Super 7s Series, please head to supersevensseries.com.

Men’s Team Management

Tomos HOWELLS – Team Manager/Coach

Peter JERICEVICH – Coach 

Olivia WITHERS – Physiotherapist

Men’s Squad

FONG Kit Fung (Kowloon)

CHEUNG Camill Martin Marie (USRC Tigers)

Blake ELLIOT (USRC Tigers)

Alexander MOSES (HKFC)

Joshua Logan EUSTACE 

Joseph Richard Anthony KNIGHT (USRC Tigers)

Juan Esono MBA OYANA (USRC Tigers)

NG Yuk Shing (Kowloon)

Julien BOURRON (HKFC)

Liam HERBERT (USRC Tigers)

Dylan McCANN (HKFC)

LO Pui Yin Mervyn (USRC Tigers)

Shiven DUKHANDE (USRC Tigers)

Matthew RICKARD (Sandy Bay)

Women’s Team Management 

Robbie FERGUSSON – Team Manager/Coach 

Peter JERICEVICH – Coach 

Women’s Squad 

Lucia BOLTON (HKFC) 

Jamie BOURK (HKFC) 

CHAN Chor Ki Stephanie (Gai Wu) 

CHAN Sze Hang Sheryn (USRC Tigers) 

LEE Pui Yee (Gai Wu) 

Haruka UEMATSU (Valley)

HO Tsz Wun (Gai Wu)

KWONG Tin Tung (Valley)

HO Jessica Wai On (USRC Tigers) 

CHAN Wing Kei Yami (USRC Tigers)

MAK Cheuk Wing (Valley)

WONG Sze Ying (Gai Wu)

TSE Joyce (Valley)