Hong Kong China U20s coach Logan Asplin has unveiled his squad to embark on Hong Kong China’s campaign for the World Rugby U20 Trophy in Kenya (15 – 30 July). The team is in Pool B with hosts Kenya, Samoa and Spain, and the Trophy winners will gain promotion to the World Rugby U20 Championship in 2024, joining the best of the best international up-and-comers.

Following an immersive local and global engagement programme to identify future Hong Kong China talent, Asplin and his management team have selected 28 travelers to represent the city for a seventh consecutive World Rugby U20 Trophy tilt – and the first since the pandemic impacted the World Rugby calendar in 2020.

Hong Kong China’s young guns reloaded after the pandemic with a seventh straight Asia Rugby Junior Championship title last December, but the regional competition is at U19s level. The increase in age grade and challenge in Kenya necessitates a wider approach to team selection.

Fortunately for Asplin all the pieces are in place, bar a bit of juggling: “We have a lot of platforms from which to identify our young guns. From local club rugby to the Asia Rugby Championship defence last year, through to the New Year’s Day Tournament, I’m really happy with our player base. We also have a lot of qualified talent living and training internationally, so it’s great to be engaged with those guys as well and to provide them the opportunity to represent Hong Kong China on the world stage.”

For the elite players in the squad that opportunity could soon extend to donning the senior jersey and earning test caps in the near future. Hong Kong China senior coach Lewis Evans invited the U20s to train alongside the men’s senior programme twice in the build-up to June’s Asia Rugby Championship, with a core of U20s impressing.

“There have been five or six players that have been in and out of our training, and the exposure for them at that level, and what they are bringing back into their group in turn, has been great. The squads trained together twice and it was a great opportunity for them to come in, bolster our squad and gain exposure to our high performance environment.

“There are certain positions in the seniors where we are without natural successors, so these are some of our future projects and this is why the transition from the U20s is so important. Ultimately, these are the players that will be featuring in future Asia Rugby Championships and Rugby World Cup qualifiers for us. There are some guys that hopefully will transition from their World Rugby Trophy in Kenya into the squad in the short-term as well,” added Evans.

That pathway is clearly visible for the next generation of Hong Kong China aspirants with former U20s captains like Sam Tsoi and Paul Altier all featuring in the men’s squad for June’s Asia Rugby Championship. Former graduates abound in the elite sevens programme at the Hong Kong Sports Institute including James Christie, Hugo Stiles, Eric Kwok Pak-nga, Liam Herbert and Max Denmark.

Evans agreed with Asplin on the rude health of the junior platforms saying, “We have a great foundation to keep kicking on from and I look forward to watching the U20s in an exciting competition in Kenya and seeing more of those guys coming through. Hopefully, this will be a successful tournament in Africa, and these guys can come back and push to feature for the seniors in November.”

The 28-man squad features nine of the team that won the Asia Rugby U19s championships including some names that are quickly becoming familiar around Premiership pitches in Blake Elliot, Camill Cheung and Marco Conti.

Additional depth comes from players pursuing their schooling and rugby overseas who will help provide some added physicality and experience.

Hong Kong China rugby’s familiar connections are also at the fore of the selection. Some of the local game’s most prominent surnames appear on the travel squad list including Joe Denmark, sibling of Hong Kong China Rugby sevens star Max Denmark, and Adam Baber, son of former Hong Kong China and Fiji Sevens coach Gareth Baber.

Pre-tournament, the team will gather in the Netherlands for a training camp and a warm-up match with the Netherlands U20 on 8 July before heading on to Kenya for the main event.

Hong Kong China Rugby U20 Travelling Squad: Blake ELLIOT; Callum FITZHENRY; Camill Martin Marie CHEUNG; Charles AMISTOZO-WARREN; Chun Yim Glenn HUI; Ciaran DELANEY; David BENNETT; Dominic HEDLEY; Dylan MCCANN; Ethan AGREN; Fritz-Gonzales MAHN; Izac Tehanakore MANU; Jamie BLAIR; Joseph Michael DENMARK; Josh BAILEY; Joshua EUSTACE; Jude HARDING; Julien BOURRON; Justin EDEN; Marco CONTI; Maxwell THRELKELD; Oliver PYLE; Samuel MARTIN; Takuma YAMAUCHI; Theodore Angel MAG; Tyler MCNUTT; William RIGBY; Adam BABER.