PUBLISHED ON 10 FEB 2025
At the start of the season, Sunny Lee became the 4th Hong Kong China referee to be appointed by World Rugby to a sevens series in the modern era – and the first female referee since Gabriel Lee in 2016.
“Friends may poke a bit of fun at me and say, ‘Oh look you're an international referee or a professional referee now’, but I actually still don't feel like that.”
There is a big smile etched on her face as Sunny Lee explains how her friends and colleagues joke with her. It is a good insight into how humble and grounded she is. With the HSBC World Rugby SVNS Series heading towards the 4th leg of the 2024-2025 season, Sunny is experiencing her first season at the very summit of Sevens Rugby and thriving.
Reflecting on being selected as one of the match officials for this season, Sunny explained, “I was very surprised that I was selected to be involved in such a high-profile event – I still think I'm like a new referee. I'm always learning, and I'm just a Hong Kong China referee, but I am lucky enough to be involved in such a big series. It is still unreal and blows my mind.”
She has already officiated on the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger, Asia Rugby tournaments, at the Hong Kong Sevens (as part of the Melrose Claymores), the Singapore Sevens, and domestically for the HKCR local leagues. She also took charge of her first international 15s fixture when Japan played Kazakhstan in the Asia Rugby Women’s Championship in Hong Kong in 2024.
Emirates Dubai Sevens – First SVNS Event, First Final
It’s been a rapid rise for Sunny Lee, and even though she won't admit it, she has done incredibly well and has been involved as part of the match official team for both finals of the tournaments she has been involved in this season: in Dubai and Cape Town in December 2024.
“In Dubai, I think it was the quarter-final between Japan and GB women, and I felt I didn't do well in that game. I was stuck in my own head, but then they told me I had another game. At first, when I found out I was to be involved in the final, it didn't give me much excitement to be the Assistant Referee (AR) as I was stuck on my performance from the earlier match.”
On changing her mindset from negative to positive between matches, which probably is not something fans appreciate as they might only consider players going through the experience, Sunny explained that the team of match officials plays an important part in supporting each other at these events.
“In Dubai, I was still very new to the team and a little bit of an introvert. I talked to my Hong Kong China referee colleague Morgan White after that quarter-final and he gave me some kind feedback and advice on how to adjust and to trust in and be myself. That helped give me focus.
“When we walked onto the field, and it was a classic final between New Zealand and Australia, and seeing the teams and realising these were the players I would be running on the field with, and hearing the crowd screaming and cheering them on, I got goosebumps.”
Cape Town SVNS – Officiating The Final In Her Favourite Place, Doing Her Favourite Thing
Sunny Lee is a fan of South Africa. She had previously visited there before the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger in 2024 as part of a high-performance academy. Her classmates, as she calls them, on that trip included Arno Katsuki from JRFU. She was awestruck by how scenic the city is, and of course, the iconic Table Mountain.
Subsequently, she visited Cape Town on holiday with her family. “The views and Table Mountain, the Cape of Good Hope, they are not something that you can see in Hong Kong. I must say, I'm not a sightseeing person, but this is a perfect country for me, so I really like South Africa.”
How serendipitous that DHL Stadium in Cape Town, in just Sunny’s second HSBC World Rugby Sevens event, would be the venue of her first final as a match referee. “If I had to pick a place to referee a final, then it would definitely be Cape Town. When you look at the broadcast, you can see the stadium – and in the backdrop, Table Mountain behind – it is beautiful. So it's like living in a dream, in my favourite place, doing my favourite thing, and I was really rewarded.”
Asked if she told her parents about being selected to referee the final, Sunny says she didn't tell them until she was heading back to Hong Kong after the tournament, but she did say her mum is incredibly proud of her, “She always told me not to rush for anything and was confident I could do it.”
On what she remembers of walking out in between the two teams and the match itself in Cape Town, which featured the New Zealand Black Ferns Olympic gold-medal sevens side and the USA women who had won bronze at Paris 2024, Sunny said, “When you are standing in the middle of the pitch of that stadium, and then you can hear the players singing the anthems next to you, you know that this is something big for them, and then it's not something to muck around.
“It made me a little nervous, but more excited really. When the anthems were playing, I looked around and saw Matthew Rodden (HKCR Head of Refereeing) in the stands. He took his phone out and took videos and pictures of me. I felt like he was a proud dad, and that distracted me from the nerves. He has helped me so much to grow from the beginning and to reach that stage, and to see him in the stands fighting for me, being happy for me, proud of me… It was quite touching, but also very funny, and he did tell me that he cried.”
Of the match itself, Sunny recalled that the USA made a strong start, which was unexpected, and that everyone had assumed Australia would be there instead.
“I remember the halftime score was quite close. I was like, ‘Wow, this is a game!’ I was really happy to be involved and happy for the USA that they were improving so much and led by a female coach with their sevens team,” added Sunny. Although New Zealand went on to win in Cape Town, Sunny added that this season has been unpredictable, and it does “bring some change and sparkle to the Women's Series."
Next Stop – Vancouver
After not being involved in Perth in January, Sunny Lee is due to be involved in all of the remaining legs of the SVNS Series, starting with the HSBC Vancouver SVNS from 21-23 February 2025, which will be her first time visiting the country and BC Place.
In terms of preparation, Sunny has been studying games from Perth. “I've been watching so many games. Although I was not in Perth, I watched all the games back, especially the mind-blowing final. I can see that the teams have used a lot of players this season, and the teams are now working better and playing better. I can foresee that in the next few tournaments, and the World Championship in LA, there will be some great games showcasing the sport.
“It's my first visit to Vancouver. I heard that it would be very cold, so I bought a really big jacket,” Sunny said, laughing. No matter the weather, she will be shining bright as she takes the game forward, and the team at Hong Kong China Rugby could not be more proud.
This article was posted in collaboration with our good friends at RugbyAsia247 – check them out for all the latest Asian Rugby news!
