Hong Kong China Rugby (HKCR) referees have been making impressive strides on the international scene with numerous recent appointments. This recognition is a testament to the tireless efforts of our local refereeing community.

HKCR Head of Refereeing, Matt Rodden, is thrilled with the appointments: "All our referees have been working hard to hone their skills and it is great to see those excelling locally receive recognition at a representative level."

Recently, during the Div. 1 Asia Rugby Championship, Morgan White, one of HKCR's elite Premiership referees, received his first XVs international appointment, while Craig Chan made his World Rugby U20 Trophy debut in Kenya. These accomplishments are a reflection of the dedication of the local refereeing community.

The exciting achievements continue as HKCR announce the appointment of three female referees, Aggie Poon, Sunny Lee, and Gabriel Lee, who will all be officiating at the Asia Rugby U20 Men's and Women's Sevens in Kathmandu, Nepal from August 19-20, 2023.

Aggie, a former player who represented Hong Kong China at the Rugby World Cup 2017 and in three Asian Games, is excited about her selection: "This will be a great opportunity to develop my skills and gain international experience." 

Alongside Aggie at the tournament are popular figures within the referee community, Sunny Lee and Gabriel Lee. Gabriel also played 15s and 7s for Hong Kong China, before taking up the whistle and, whilst she still often straps the boots on, has now also moved into a referee coaching role. Both Sunny and Gabriel travelled to Stellenbosch, South Africa earlier in the year where they attended the World Rugby Match Officials High Performance Academy.

Sunny is enthusiastic about the upcoming tournament:

“Being involved in the U20 7s is a great opportunity to learn and develop our skills. As a referee, you are always looking for ways to better your game and the fact we will have experienced coaches like Gabriel to guide us will be invaluable”.

Aggie, Sunny and Gabriel's dedication to refereeing make them great role models for local women in the rugby community, as they show that there are opportunities, not just in playing, but also in officiating. 

"We hope their achievements inspire others to take up refereeing", Rodden said. 

Moreover, HKCR is also delighted to announce both Sunny and one of our up and coming development referees, Thomas Ngan, have been selected to referee at the Dubai Invitational 7s later on this year.

If you're interested in becoming a referee, sign up for the Level 1 Match Officiating Course here: https://www.hkrugby.com/pages/referee-courses or reach out to Matt: [email protected]