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The Hong Kong China Men’s 15s representative team are in Dubai for the opening round of the Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship 2025, where they take on the hosts at the Sevens Stadium on Saturday, 14th June.
Josh Hrstich leads the squad as captain and said they are fully focused on the match and are approaching it without any complacency. “You've always got to respect your opposition. And we won't be taking anyone lightly this year, that's for sure.”
He said the two camps in Australia, with the Brumbies where they had a hit out against an A side, and in Japan where they played the Japan XV full of JRLO players, have put the team in a good position, preparation-wise.
“We're getting exposure to those sorts of games played at a higher level and a fast tempo, and we're probably training at a higher intensity to try and simulate some of that.
It’s the best prep that we’ve had. We’ll never be more prepared than we are, and we are very lucky and grateful for the time we’ve had together. It’s a huge opportunity, and what it will do for our rugby community – the growth we will see, it’s hard to put into words how meaningful it could be. For me personally, it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to experience the pinnacle of the game.”
Hong Kong China Men’s 15s Head Coach Andrew Douglas said of the added anxiety and pressure for this year's championship, “Everyone's doing a lot more. So you can't just think it is going to be the same as last year, but we're certainly not walking away from the fact that there is a lot of pressure, and I think we'll enjoy that. Pressure's a privilege, so we'll just embrace it.”
The UAE men played Kenya recently, in addition to the two November tests in 2024 against Zimbabwe and Germany, all of which were lost by the Asian side, who were runners-up in last year's Asia Rugby Men's Championship.
“We've seen those games and we know they are improving and they will only get better from those experiences. They have a big advantage with two home games this season, and for us, it is an eight-hour flight, a four-hour time difference, and it's about six to seven degrees hotter.”
The conditions are something that both teams will have to deal with, and the Head Coach said that they have tried to prepare as well as they can. It's currently peaking at 40 degrees with high humidity levels, and even with the match being a night game at the Emirates Sevens Stadium complex, the ball will be bound to be wet.
Of the opposition, he commented, “They’re pretty big men. I think they’ll try and bash us a bit – they rate their maul so we expect they’ll have a crack there and try to go through us rather than around us.”
Squad Depth and Experience
The squad selected for this first crucial match includes several Sevens players who have made the trip to Dubai, including Harry Sayers, who starts on one wing, and Max Denmark on the other.
Douglas said, “I’m very happy with where the squad’s at, I think we’ve created a bit of depth over the last 20 months. Having the Sevens boys released early was very beneficial.”
Max Denmark said of coming back into the 15s fold, “I’ve very much enjoyed it – it’s been a lot of learning and it’s been a long time since I’ve been part of the test team. I’ve played in quite a lot of high-pressure games at this point, but it’s a different environment to Sevens.
Every person has a distinct role, and each cog needs to turn for the team to perform. There’s a big carrot at the end of the day – but we want to take it step by step.”
Several players who were capped last year are in the mix, such as Sunia Fameitau, who starts in the front row and played both matches against Brazil in November for his first caps. The second row and loose forwards are all familiar names in the team setup, with Josh Hrstich captaining from the back of the scrum.
The backline mixes pace and power with menacing centres and speed across the back three.
Of the international contingent who are stalwarts in the senior Men’s 15s setup, Alex Post starts at hooker after a successful season with Richmond where the club were crowned champions of National League 1 and promoted to the Championship, Nathan de Thierry starts at flyhalf, and Matt Worley is at fullback.
Worley's club side, the Bedford Blues, enjoyed their best league finish for 13 years in the UK Championship as runner-up, and he finished joint-second top try scorer for the club with 14 tries and passed a century of appearances for the club.
He said of his club's support, “They have been supportive as a whole – the club, the management, the players – there’s a lot at stake and they’re really keen to let me achieve it.”
On the UAE side, he added, “From what we’ve seen, they have a physical pack. I haven’t played them before, but I know they’ll be up for the challenge as there’s so much at stake. We’re just focusing on ourselves and putting our best foot forward.”
Paul Altier is among the reserves, and his club side Chambery, which competes in the Pro D3, lost the Pro D2 promotion playoff. Calum Scott is another among a strong reserve lineup. He was first capped by Hong Kong China in the Championship last year against Malaysia and has previously been selected for the England Under-20 squad and participated in the U20 Six Nations, but now plays with London Scottish in the RFU Championship.
It's a bench that packs a punch with the likes of the Cinnamond brothers and Callum McCullough due to make a real impact, as well as James Sawyer, Sevens Men’s captain James Christie, while former Kowloon coach and current U20s HKCR coach Joe Barker is due to make his international debut.
Douglas said on the eve of the team’s departure for the UAE, “It’s all excitement now – the boys are ready to go and play in a competition after two months of training and a few friendlies.”
Hong Kong China Men are currently ranked 23rd in World Rugby’s global rankings, and the UAE are 50th. In last year’s championship, the Hong Kong China men were undefeated and beat the UAE in Hong Kong on the way to a fifth consecutive Asia Rugby title.
Confirmed Squad
Team Management:
Andrew DOUGLAS (Head Coach)
Lewis EVANS (Coach)
Logan ASPLIN (Coach)
Marno MEYER (Coach)
Alex ALLAN (Coach)
Pete NUGENT (S&C Coach)
Andy YUEN (Analyst)
Henry ELLIOTT (Physiotherapist)
Jonathan MOSES (Physiotherapist)
Charles CHEUNG (Team Manager)
Players:
- Sunia FAMEITAU (HKU Sandy Bay)
- Alexander POST (Richmond)
- Keelan CHAPMAN (HKFC)
- Mark PRIOR (HKU Sandy Bay)
- Patrick JENKINSON (HKFC)
- Tyler McNUTT (HKFC)
- Pierce MACKINLAY-WEST (HKFC)
- Joshua HRSTICH © (HKFC)
- Jack COMBES (USRC Tigers)
- Nathan DE THIERRY (Hunter Wildfires)
- Harry SAYERS (Valley)
- Thomas HILL (HKFC)
- Ben AXTEN-BURRETT (HKFC)
- Max DENMARK (HKFC)
- Matt WORLEY (Bedford Blues)
- Calum SCOTT (London Scottish)
- Rory CINNAMOND (HKU Sandy Bay)
- Zacceus CINNAMOND (HKU Sandy Bay)
- Callum McCULLOUGH (HKFC)
- James SAWYER (Valley)
- James CHRISTIE (HK Scottish)
- Joseph BARKER (Kowloon)
- Paul ALTIER (SOC Rugby)
Fans can watch the action live on Saturday via HKCR YouTube or RugbyPass TV (KO 19:30 local / 23:30 HK).
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