This Easter weekend has been a monster occasion for female 7s players in Hong Kong. With over 700 girls between the ages of U6 to U19 taking part in the All Girls Tournament on Friday and Saturday, and 16 teams battling it out at the Club 7s on Sunday, the past few days have shown the explosion in popularity and development of girls’ 7s rugby in Hong Kong.

The All Girls Tournament, co-hosted by Sai Kung Sting Rays and Laxton Events, was a true testament to the growth of women’s rugby in Hong Kong. The tournament started out in 2006 as a small-scale event at Happy Valley and has since grown into the largest girls’ youth rugby tournament in the world. This year, the event hosted 78 teams and saw 250 games over the course of the two-day tournament in King’s Park. Further evidence of the tournament’s growth was the introduction of several overseas teams; Randwick Magic and Illawara from Australia, Singapore Valkynes from Singapore, and Haggan Guahan from Guam - among many others were there to take on the local club teams.

“It’s been fantastic for the girls to get some experience playing international teams and get the exposure they deserve,” Said Samantha Feausi, Head of Women’s Rugby Development in Hong Kong. “It’s important for them to play these overseas teams in order to develop and improve their own game.” She added.

Despite stiff competition from the international players, our feisty Hong Kong girls managed to muscle their way to the top and feature in two finals. The U16s Discovery Bay Flying Pirates and the U19s Sai Kung Stingrays fought hard but fell to the powerful Renegade 32s and Illawara teams from Australia in the final matches of the day.

On Sunday, 1st April, 16 Hong Kong club teams took part in the second ever Women’s Club 7s event at Happy Valley. The roasting hot day showcased some of Hong Kong’s most talented up and coming 7s stars and drummed up some excitement for the Hong Kong 7s tournament next weekend.

The one day tournament has doubled in size from its inaugural event last year; from just 8 teams in 2017, the competition is now host to 16 club teams, split between two divisions, with nearly all Hong Kong clubs represented.

“This year’s tournament has really shown that women in Hong Kong want to play sevens. And they’re getting good at it! It’s been great to see the growth of the tournament too- with the majority of clubs now represented it gives every team here an opportunity to shine,” said Samantha Feausi who helped orchestrate the event.

The day culminated in a thrilling Cup final between the USRC Tigers and Valley Black Ladies, with a late 29-10 come back and victory for Valley. The stand out team of the day however was the winner of the Division 2 teams, Hong Kong Scottish Kukri, who destroyed all in their path and beat Gai Wu in the final 31-0. Their skillful gameplay and array of talented sevens players made them an exciting team to watch.

With both tournaments being an immense success over the weekend, girls’ rugby retains its title as the fastest growing sport in Hong Kong and sevens has emerged a new female favourite!