2025 NEW YEAR'S DAY YOUTH RUGBY TOURNAMENT

The 2025 New Year’s Day Youth Rugby Tournament is underway, as the Hong Kong Football Club hosts the annual tradition to showcase Hong Kong’s most exciting age-grade rugby talent. Attendance at Hong Kong Football Club is free of charge. Members of the public are asked to enter via the Hong Kong Jockey Club entrance to Happy Valley.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE AND RESULTS

• Naylor Wright Cup for U16 Girls - Hong Kong Dragons 34-7 Overseas Lions (Best & Fairest Player, Lea El Asmar)
• George White Trophy for U16 Boys - Hong Kong Dragons 22-20 Overseas Lions (Best and Fairest Player, Arthur Grislain)
• Lassies Quaich for U19 Girls - Hong Kong Dragons 20-14 Overseas Lions (Best and Fairest Player, Holly Terrebrood)
• Middlesex Cup for U19 Boys - Hong Kong Dragons 7-24 Overseas Lions (Best and Fairest Player, Luke Bannon)
• Larry Abel Trophy for Best & Fairest Player in Tournament awarded to Lea El Amsar

Check out the 2025 New Year's Day Youth Tournament Programme

View the 2025 New Year's Day Youth Tournament Gallery

Watch the 2025 New Year's Day Youth Tournament Live Stream (also available to watch back)

TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

The New Year’s Day Rugby Youth Tournament has been a major date on the local rugby calendar for over five decades. Many young stars of previous tournaments have gone on to proudly pull on the Hong Kong China jersey, with some alumni also representing other unions at international level.

An incredible experience awaits each and every young player lucky enough to step out on New Year’s Day in Hong Kong – coupled with a sense of great pride at being part of a historic event that reaches its 57th edition in 2025.

The 2025 tournament, hosted at its traditional home of  Hong Kong Football Club, will feature four matches.  The U19 and U16 boys and girls from Hong Kong will play as the Hong Kong Dragons and take on their counterparts who are Hongkongers based overseas playing as the Overseas Lions.

The action-packed day will begin at 12:30 with the Naylor Wright Cup for U16 girls, followed by the White Trophy for U16 boys at 13:50. Next on the festive menu is the Lassies Quaich for U19 girls at 15:10, and the Middlesex Cup for U19 boys will conclude the tournament at 16:40.

Preparations began earlier this month with trial sessions at King’s Park, Hong Kong China coaching staff and Nan Fung Group | AIRSIDE Premiership Club Coaching Officers (CCOs) have joined forces to trial, select, train and manage the eight teams, with almost 200 players set to feature across the quadruple-header. 

Sian Moore, Head of Performance Pathways at HKCR, is particularly enthusiastic about the emergence of several promising young players who have made it onto the team rosters for New Year’s Day.  ‘The tournament is a significant part of our performance pathway, featuring players with Xfactor skills. Keep your eyes on local talents such as Matthew McQuhae(Boys U19), Sheryn Chan(Girls u19), Arthur Grislain(Boys U16) and Cassandra Skoett(Girls U16), Whilst the Lions will boast players such as Liam Gordan(Boys U19), Zanzi Falahati,(Girls U19), Cooper Glanville(Boys U16) and Isabella Hague(Girls U16). The Lions will also showcase  impressive players like Liam Gordan (Boys U19), Zanzi Falahati (Girls U19), Cooper Glanville (Boys U16), and Isabella Hague (Girls U16), all of whom are poised to bring electrifying rugby to the Football Club with their electrifying rugby on January 1st. We can anticipate  a display of solid rugby skill sets, intense physical collisions, and most importantly, a fun experience for all participants!