Hong Kong national rugby union team
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| Union | Hong Kong Rugby Football Union | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Dragons | ||
| Emblem(s) | Chinese dragon | ||
| Coach(es) |
 Andrew Hall (Interim) | ||
| Captain(s) | Nick Hewson | ||
| Most caps | Dave Lewis | ||
| Top scorer | Ashley Billington | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
Japan  24 - 22 .svg.png){kind=small} Hong Kong(9 March 1969) | |||
| Largest win | |||
Hong Kong 164 - 13  Singapore(27 October 1994) | |||
| Largest defeat | |||
Japan 94 - 5  Hong Kong(22 May 2010) | |||
The Hong Kong national rugby union team is a third tier rugby union side. Hong Kong first played in 1969 and have consistently been one of the higher ranked Asian sides. Most of the team's members are White British players with ancestral connections to Hong Kong, though there are a number of Chinese players as well. They have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. Rugby union in Hong Kong is administered by the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union.
Hong Kong took part in the last Asian qualifying round for the 2015 Rugby World Cup in which they played in the Asian 5 Nations. They finished second in the tournament and played Uruguay in the repechage semi-final, but lost 28-3.
History
Rugby has been played in Hong Kong as long as horses have been racing in Happy Valley. Early newspapers at the Hong Kong Central Public Records Office have accounts of rugby games being played during the late 1870s and 80s. Before World War I, Jock McGregor was the secretary of the Hong Kong Rugby Club and the game was played mainly by army and navy men, together with the police and merchants from Hong Kong's ports.
From 1920 until 1949, Hong Kong teams regularly took part in "Interport" competitions with teams fron Shanghai.
After World War II, manpower in Hong Kong increased and local competition flourished. In 1951, the Hong Kong team played in Japan, captained by Gerry Forsgate, former President of the Union. This was the start of Hong Kong participating in many tournaments and games, both home and away throughout Asia. In 1952, the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) was formed.
During this period, the strength of club rugby was with the Football Club side, Police and occasionally Service teams. In 1967, Hong Kong became a founding member of the Asian Rugby Football Union and has since played a key role in developing rugby in Asia.
The Valley Rugby Football Club was formed in 1975 and the first Hong Kong Sevens Tournament took place in 1976. Both remain in very good shape, with Hong Kong hosting the 1997 and 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens and the "Sevens" going on to become the premier tournament of the IRB World Sevens Series. The Hong Kong Sevens is considered the signature achievement of Hong Kong Rugby.
The HKRFU continue to be commited to developing rugby in Hong Kong and Asia, with the game catching on among the ethnic Chinese community. The league has also gradually expanded - these teams include Kowloon RFC, Hong Kong Cricket Club, DeA Tigers RFC, Gai Wu, Causeway Bay, Tai Po Dragons, Hong Kong Scottish, Typhoons, City and University.
Recently, touch & tag rugby has gained a considerable following in Hong Kong, which in turn has increased the awareness of the 15-a-side game.
Today, there are a total of 48 men's teams playing in six divisions and 10 women's teams in two divisions.
Under the eye of the HKRFU, competitive and recreational rugby is offered on many levels, such as youth. In 2013, over 7,000 players were active in the game on a regular basis.
The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union remains committed to recruiting and developing new players and continuing the tradition of rugby in Hong Kong.
Players
Current squad
Hong Kong's 23-man squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup Repechage qualification match against Uruguay.[1]
Head Coach: Andrew Hall
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Current coaches
On 7 November 2014, the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union announced the new coaching team for the 2014/15 international season.[2]
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
 Dai Rees |
HKRFU head of performance |
| Andrew Hall |
Head Coach |
| Gareth Baber |
Backs and Defense coach |
 Craig Hammond |
Forwards and Set-piece coach |
 Peter Drewett |
Development manager |
See also
References
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hong Kong national women's table tennis team |
Hong Kong Sports Stars Award Team Only Sport 2004 |
Succeeded by Sun Hei |
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