PUBLISHED ON 24 MAY 2026
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Hong Kong China beat Sri Lanka, 15-14, on the last play of the game to open the team's bid for a seventh straight Asia Rugby Championship title with a win in Colombo. The group are backing up the men’s Rugby World Cup training squad while they are playing in Japan.
Centre Dean Squire, wearing the captain’s armband on his debut, masterminded the final scoring strike with a beautifully weighted kick pass out wide, which was gathered in well by Ng Siu Lung to cross the line with time expiring and give Hong Kong China the 15-14 win. The dramatic and textbook execution on the final play belied what was a patchy game by both teams.
Hong Kong China kicked off with 11 of the 15 starters on debut - and looked it for large parts of play - as the abbreviated training period and lack of cohesion in the squad showed in inaccuracies, miscues and indiscipline.
Sri Lanka, with a fistful of debutants of its own, also struggled mightily with miscues in a game that failed to entertain until the dying moments.
A 20th minute penalty from fullback Dylan McCann, one of five players seconded from the Rugby World Cup squad in Japan for the opening leg of the Asian championship, was the only score that either side could muster in the 40 minutes.
Sri Lanka were left ruing two missed tries in the opening quarter, with forward passes ruining two breakaways out wide, while Hong Kong China’s forwards were stymied by miscues and solid Sri Lankan defence on two driving mauls in the first half.
16 penalties, 9-7 against the hosts – added to the stop-start nature of the first half and prevented either team form establishing momentum, a trend that would continue into the second half with another 15 combined penalties in the final stanza keeping the match from taking flight.
Early on it looked as if Hong Kong China would right the ship in the second half. They came charging out of the break when another RWC-squad veteran - burly winger Charles Higson-Smith - took the opening kick-off straight into the teeth of the Sri Lankan defence for a strong gain in territory.
The visitors also produced a midfield turnover and blew up the Sri Lanka scrum for the first time in the match in the opening minutes after the restart.
Most encouragingly, Hong Kong China made its third driving maul attack on the Sri Lanka tryline pay dividends when lock Glenn Hui drove over the line for the visitors' first five-pointer after four minutes. McCann’s conversion was successful, extending the HKCR lead to 10-0.
But errors creeped back into Hong Kong China’s game as they conceded a penalty upfield to Sri Lanka who kicked to the corner and set up a driving maul try of their own four minutes later. The converted score reduced Hong Kong China’s margin to 10-7 and fed the home team’s momentum.
Sri Lanka then built their best attacking period of the match, which saw them earn a penalty in front of the posts in the 57th minute, which was botched by the scrumhalf. Sri Lanka mounted another successful attack on the Hong Kong China try-line in the 60th minute, producing another try through the forwards and taking their first lead of the game at 14-10.
That scoreline was held until the final minutes. It looked as if Hong Kong China would fall short when they were foiled on two driving mauls within Sri Lanka’s 10-metres as the seconds ticked off the clock.
But some poor composure and tactical decision making from Sri Lanka returned possession to Hong Kong China for the final play. A Sri Lankan put in to the lineout was not straight (continuing a disastrous day for Sri Lanka at the lineout) deep in their half.
Hong Kong China opted for and won the scrum with reserve fly-half Dylan White finding metres off the back with a great scything run. He dished to Higson-Smith who carried the ball to the tryline before being tackled. White moved the ball back to midfield where Squires spotted Ng in acres of space out wide and placed the ball on a dime with a kick pass that Ng collected for the last second game winner.
The conversion was missed but Hong Kong China had escaped with a 15-14 win, and their hopes for 7th Asian title intact, but needing significant improvement ahead of the Korea test.
“What a way to finish,” said relieved captain Dean Squires after the game.
“There were a lot of debutants in that side, and all credit to Sri Lanka they really put it to us, but just massive pride to the boys; for so many of those boys to be winning first caps today and to get that first win is massive.
“Our side is new. That is why there are so many debutants. It has been assembled for these games, and we have not been together long, so to win like that takes a lot of effort and belief from the group.
“We can continue to improve by sticking together and sticking with our processes and systems. Our discipline cost us today with penalties; we gave the momentum to the opposition. We will review all of that and try to implement some things now for South Korea,” Squires added.
Hong Kong China will face Korea, runners up to them in last year’s competition, on 7 June in what is expected to be a significant step up in competition from that in Colombo.
Hong Kong China’s Rugby World Cup training squad meanwhile fell to a heavy 80-nil loss in its opening match against Japan Select in Oita. The rematch will be in Fukuoka on Friday morning, 29 May.
HKCR vs SRI LANKA
Asia Rugby Championship 24 May 2026
1. Thomas CONCU*, 2. TANG Man Chun, 3. David BENNETT*, 4. Patrick JENKINSON (vice-captain), 5. Glenn HUI*, 6. Dana FOURIE*, 7. Joseph KNIGHT*, 8. Dean ROUSSOW*, 9 Emanuel LAI*, 10. Oliver PYLE*, 11. Huw ALEXANDER*, 12. Barnaby HORBERRY*, 13. Dean SQUIRES* (Captain), 14. Charles HIGSON-SMITH, 15. Dylan McCANN 16. NG Siu Lung*, 17. James HOLMES, 18. Struan MAIN*, 19. Connor O’BYRNE*, 20. Oliver CLARKE*, 21. Anthony COEBERGH*, 22. Dylan WHITE, 23. Alexander MOSES*
Denotes potential debutant.
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