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PUBLISHED ON 28 AUG 2025
[Hong Kong, 28 August 2025]: Hong Kong China Rugby (HKCR) has announced that following the city’s historic qualification for a first-ever Men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027, the Hong Kong China Men’s XVs representative team will make its debut at Kai Tak Stadium versus Japan XV on Friday 24 October.
The match is the start of an intensive preparation phase for Hong Kong China Rugby, which will include more international matches and full and partial contracting of players ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
The friendly match against the Japan XV side (Japan’s national A team) marks the first ever fifteen-a-side rugby match to be held in the new 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. The game will be held on Friday 24 October (Kick-off at 7PM / Gates open at 4:30PM). HKCR’s traditional Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens Long Lunch will also be held inside Kai Tak Stadium that afternoon.
Hong Kong has a strong history of defending home turf at Kai Tak Sports Park after beating Brazil 38-17 in November in what was the opening event at Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground, before overcoming Sri Lanka 78-7 in the Asia Rugby Championship in June at the same venue.
The fixture is part of a growing collaboration between the HKCR and the Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU), who agreed to an MoU designed to promote, grow and benefit the game of rugby in Asia at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens in March 2025.
The match against the Japan XV will be the first appearance for a Hong Kong China XVs team at Kai Tak Stadium, which became the new home of the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens in March.
HKCR CEO James Farndon commented on the opportunity to play at the venue:
“Kai Tak Stadium has already proved itself to be a world-class sports facility for fans, not only at the Sevens but also at their recent sellout concerts and football matches.
“The fixture against the Japan XV will be a very special moment for all of our players and coaching staff, as well as serving as a great opportunity for our fans to celebrate the recent World Cup qualification in style.
“We are delighted to also be hosting pre-match rugby showcases from our men’s and women’s development pathways. The programmes featured form a key part of the legacy that we are striving to create from our World Cup qualification, in increasing participation and improving performance.”
HKCR Men’s Dragons Programme Lead, Salom Yiu Kam Shing – who is the Hong Kong China record cap holder for 7s (75 tournament appearances) as well as being capped 49 times in 15s – was eager to give the group a run out at Kai Tak:
“Our recently relaunched programme is made up of 18–28-year-old Hong Kong passport holders. This ensures we have a strong focus on local talent and Hong Kong-qualified players. We toured Singapore in June, and the group cannot wait to get out and play a showcase in front of a home Kai Tak crowd.”
HKCR Women’s Rugby Programme Lead, Royce Chan – who represented Hong Kong China when the team competed at the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 in Ireland – added:
“We have seen an increase in interest from players, schools and sports associations in recent months for both our men’s and women’s pathway programmes. We are delighted to give some of the girls currently involved the chance to take to the field and be part of a fantastic day at Kai Tak.”
HKCR Head of Technical Rugby, Andrew Douglas, spoke about bringing his squad back together after their historic Rugby World Cup qualification, and their preparations for the upcoming match:
“After qualifying for the Rugby World Cup, the players were given five weeks off, which was obviously a much-needed recovery after what was a long, intense and successful campaign.
“We'll head for a camp in Okinawa and a couple of games in Japan during October to bring technical work in, and begin preparations for Japan XV and our international calendar. We've just got to raise that level of intensity, and this will help the players understand the levels they need to reach.”
Hong Kong China will play Skyactivs Hiroshima and LeRIRO Fukuoka in Japan in October.
Hong Kong China Men’s XVs Captain, Joshua Hrstich, shared his excitement for the next steps on the team’s journey:
“We have had a nice break. Getting away with families and friends has been unreal for a lot of us, but in the last few weeks it's been awesome to come back and reconnect back with the boys, who have all come back fresh and ready to begin the hard work for the World Cup in 2027.
“To have a chance to kick-start our campaign at home and play the first ever 15s match at Kai Tak Stadium is a huge honour and boost for the whole squad.”
Tickets for Hong Kong China Men’s XVs vs Japan XV will be on sale from Tuesday 9 September at 9AM HKT. For further information and updates, please head to hkrugby.com.
Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens Long Lunch also scheduled for Friday October 24
Before the action gets underway on the field, the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens Long Lunch will enjoy centre stage on the spectacular setting of the stadium’s South Terrace. The long-standing Sevens tradition marks the official countdown to the 2026 event, with World Rugby set to confirm dates for the SVNS Series in September.
Featuring international rugby legends and comedians, the famed Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens Long Lunch brings fans, corporate clients and sponsors together for an afternoon of food, drink, entertainment and fundraising for Laureus Sport For Good, the Official Charity of the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens.
Tables of 12 are available now, priced from HK $24,000, at tickets.hksevens.com/longlunch and include entry to the match against Japan XV.
