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Hong Kong national rugby union team

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The Hong Kong men's national rugby union team represents Hong Kong in men's rugby union. Since 1952, rugby union in Hong Kong has been administered by Hong Kong China Rugby.

Head coachLogan Asplin
CaptainJosh Hrstich
Quick facts Emblem, Union ...
Hong Kong Rugby
Shirt badge/Association crest
EmblemChinese dragon
UnionHong Kong China Rugby
Head coachLogan Asplin
CaptainJosh Hrstich
Most capsNick Hewson (58)
Top scorerMatthew Rosslee (201)
Top try scorerRowan Varty (24)
Home stadiumKai Tak Stadium & Hong Kong Football Club Stadium
First colours
Second colours
World Rugby ranking
Current23 (as of 6 April 2026)
Highest21 (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
Lowest39 (2009, 2010)
First international
 Hong Kong 11–5 Australian Universities Australia
(1934)
Biggest win
 Hong Kong 164–13 Singapore 
(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 27 October 1994)
Biggest defeat
 Japan 94–5 Hong Kong
(Tokyo, Japan; 22 May 2010)
World Cup
Appearances1 (first in 2027)
Websitewww.hkrugby.com
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Hong Kong has one of the oldest rugby traditions in Asia, having been played there since the 19th century, when British colonists arrived in Hong Kong and brought the sport with them.

For a long time, rugby union in Hong Kong was traditionally associated with Hong Kong's British colonial settlers, but since the 1990s there has been extensive efforts to integrate the game with the local Cantonese Chinese community, it included some local born players, with a degree of success; the first of these players being "Rambo" Leung Yeung Kit, considered to be, one of best Hong Kong players during his era. Other players such as Ricky Cheuk, Max Woodward, Nick Hewson, Rowan Varty and Cado Lee had made significant impact in international tournaments.

Hong Kong has finished first place in the Asia Rugby Championship in 7 years in a row from 2018 to 2026.

They qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup for the first time by winning the 2025 Asia Rugby Championship.[1]

History

Early history

According to old newspapers, rugby union in Hong Kong dates back to the late 1870s, which would establish Hong Kong as perhaps the oldest rugby playing nation in Asia. The players during this era were all British sailors and army/navy men, as well as police and merchant men. The first secretary of rugby in Hong Kong was Jock McGregor.[2]

The first fixtures which predate the creation of the modern Hong Kong Rugby Union in 1952 took place from 1924 to 1949. An unofficial interport team from Hong Kong played Shanghai on various dates from 1924 to 1949, both teams being composed entirely of British expatriates living in said port cities; these fixtures ceased after the establishment of Communist rule in mainland China.[3] In 1934, a Hong Kong team played against an Australia Universities team, running out victors 11 to 5.

After the establishment of modern Chinese borders, which before greyed the exact control a union had over territory in China, the Hong Kong Rugby Union was established in 1952; the continuation of British rule in China, as well as the flow of immigrants and capital from the mainland, as well as Hong Kong establishing itself as a major port, allowed the game to flourish, albeit mostly restricted to the white British community.[citation needed]

During this time frame the first official fixtures under the union took place. Hong Kong first received an NZ Universities team in 1958, losing 47 to nil. In 1958, Larry Abel, one of Hong Kong's earliest rugby pioneers, established mini rugby programmes and tournaments, and has been played annually to this day.[4] In 1968, Hong Kong was one of the charter nations of the Asian Rugby Football Union, the others being Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Korea, and Thailand. Hong Kong won its first official fixture against Japan in 1969, by the score of 24 to 22 in Tokyo.

1970s

During the 1970s Hong Kong played against many of its other Asian neighbors which had a rugby history, these nations being Japan, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Singapore. Hong Kong enjoyed and endured mixed success against its neighbors, finishing second in 1972, only to lose to Japan 16 to nil on home soil.

In 1976, the first ever edition of the Hong Kong Sevens was established, which was pivotal in strengthening the sport in Hong Kong. The concept was discussed by business partners Ian Gow and Tokkie Smith, who wanted to promote a viable rugby product in Asia. The first sponsors of this event were Cathay Pacific and Rothmans International, later replaced by HSBC.

The first sides at this competition were Asian, as well as two representative sides from Australia and New Zealand. Soon, the competition grew to include teams from around the world before becoming an official part of the Rugby Sevens calendar.[5]

1980s–1990s

During the 1980s, Hong Kong lagged behind Japan and South Korea in terms of competition; Hong Kong was successful against other Asian nations but consistently finished in third place, whereas Japan and South Korea were vying for the top crown. Hong Kong officially joined the IRB in 1988, allowing Hong Kong to compete in the Rugby World Cup, though they did not enter the competition to qualify for 1991.

The 1990s proved to be a much more fruitful decade for Hong Kong. Hong Kong played its first ever test match against a non-Asia-Pacific opponent in 1992, losing 16 to 23 to the United States in 1992 in Kezar Stadium, San Francisco. In the same year, Hong Kong finally broke through and reached the final of the Asia Rugby Championship, beating South Korea 20 to 13 before losing to Japan 9 to 37.

Some notable players during the 1990s represented Hong Kong at the international level including Ashley Billington, David Lewis, Leung Yeung Kit, Chan Fuk Ping and Pieter Schats.

Hong Kong participated in its first qualifying tournament for the Rugby World Cup in 1995, being drawn with Thailand and Singapore in its group. Hong Kong lost its opening fixture to South Korea 28 to 17 before beating its other opponents; Hong Kong therefore missed out on a spot at the 1995 Rugby World Cup. An impressive feat achieved during this campaign though was Ashley Billington's ten tries versus Singapore on 10 November 1994, which is the most tries ever scored in a Rugby World Cup qualifier by a single player.

Through the 1990s, Hong Kong began organizing tests against non-Asian opponents. Opponents that were played were Namibia, Papua New Guinea, the United States, and Canada. Hong Kong recorded some famous victories, beating the USA Eagles on three occasions in the decade, including a victory in San Francisco, and beating Canada in 1998.

Despite major improvement in the 1990s, Hong Kong bottomed out in its qualifying group for the 1999 Rugby World Cup; Hong Kong beat its nemesis South Korea, but lost to Japan and were upset by the Chinese Taipei; they finished fourth and missed on direct qualification and a repechage.

2000–2015: the new millennium

In 2000, Hong Kong made history when they played China; this was the first test that Hong Kong played against a team from the Chinese mainland since 1949. The game was played in Shanghai to honor the old rugby matches between Hong Kong and Shanghai. China upset Hong Kong 17 to 15 that day.

Hong Kong struggled during the early 2000s and in 2001, Hong Kong were once again surprised by China, drawing at 25 points each in Guangzhou. In the 2003 Rugby World Cup qualifying, Hong Kong were upset by the Chinese Taipei, losing 20 to 15 to see them fail to progress past the second round of the qualification process; although Hong Kong did beat China for the first time in that same qualification.

In 2005, Hong Kong finished bottom of their division during the 2007 Rugby World Cup Asian qualification process, seeing the drop down to the second division of Asian rugby for 2006. However, with wins over China and Sri Lanka they quickly returned to the top division for the final stage of qualification. Hong Kong later lost all its fixtures in the final round of the World Cup qualifying campaign, missing out again on repechage or qualification.

The 2011 qualifying campaign was similar: Hong Kong beat both South Korea as well as newcomers Kazakhstan, but lost a crucial fixture to the Arabian Gulf; due to bonus points, Kazakhstan advanced instead of Hong Kong to the repechage.

After the 2011, Hong Kong became a development nation for World Rugby, and were included in the inaugural Cup of Nations tournament held in Dubai. Hong Kong won the tournament, earning their first bit of significant silverware.

2015: The growth of Hong Kong Rugby

Between 2011 and 2015, Hong Kong rugby continued to grow, and by the time of the 2015 Rugby World Cup qualifiers, Hong Kong established themselves as the second ranked team in Asian behind Japan. In this time, Hong Kong thrashed South Korea 39 to 6, as well as recording a resounding 108 to 0 victory over the Philippines. At the conclusion of the 2014 Asian Five Nations, Hong Kong finished as runners-up, to see them advance to the 2015 Rugby World Cup repechage play-offs against Uruguay.

In the repechage match, Hong Kong held firm for the first half, only trailing 6 to 3; however, Hong Kong indiscipline, coupled with key players not being available, meant that Hong Kong collapsed in the second half, losing 28 to 3, and bowing out of the qualifiers.

At the end of 2015, Hong Kong hosted the 2015 Cup of Nations, which included 3 other emerging rugby nations: Portugal, Russia, and Zimbabwe. Hong Kong finished second, beating Portugal and Zimbabwe but losing to Russia.

In 2016, Hong Kong hired Leigh Jones, Japan's defense coach who played a key role in Japan's epic upset of South Africa in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, to take the role of head coach and high performance in Hong Kong.[6]

In order to further build for future success, the HKRU, under the vision of Leigh Jones, launched its first fully professional 15s programme called the Elite Rugby Program; the goal of the programme is to encourage domestic players to pursue rugby as a profession in Hong Kong, and long-term, create a professional competition akin to Japan's Top League.[7]

The foundations set by Jones, saw Hong Kong finish as runners-up in the Asia Rugby Championship in 2016 and 2017, seeing them finish in second for four straight years.

Hong Kong continued to receive World Rugby development status, and hosted the Cup of Nations tournament in 2016 Cup of Nations and 2017 Cup of Nations. In both tournament, they finished in second, behind Russia in both 2016 and 2017.

With Japan already qualified for the 2019 Rugby World Cup (by virtue of hosting), the 2018 Asia Rugby Championship saw only the developing nations in Asia compete, a stance that still remains. This saw Hong Kong claim the title for the first time, winning all four of their games over South Korea and Malaysia. This saw them progress in the 2019 Rugby World Cup qualifying process, advancing to an Asia/Oceania play-off series against the Cook Islands, which they won on aggregate 77 to 3.

In a revamped World Cup qualifying Repechage, Hong Kong played in a round-robin tournament against Canada, Germany and Kenya to earn the final spot in the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Hong Kong finished in third spot with just one win over Kenya.

Between 2019 and 2023, Hong Kong retained their Asian Rugby Championship title, and in 2022 once again advances to a World Cup Final Qualification Tournament. However, like in 2018, they only secured one victory (again against Kenya), to them not progress to the World Cup.

From 2018 and 2021, Hong Kong also played alongside will the Western Force and other developing Asian sides in the Global Rapid Rugby competition.

Ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup, World Rugby expended the competition to 24 teams, and the qualification process granted Asia a direct spot into the World Cup alongside the already qualified Japan. This encouraged further development for Hong Kong, prompting a tour to South America during the 2024 July window and significant home tests during the 2024 November window.

In June and July 2025, Hong Kong competed against the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, and Sri Lanka in the 2025 Asia Rugby Championship. Hong Kong won all their matches to remain Champions and in doing so they qualified for the Rugby World Cup for the first time, becoming just the second Asian nation to qualify. They will play Australia in the opening match.[8]

Team image

Kits

The national team's home kit is typically a blue shirt, blue shorts, and black or white socks, while the away kit features red and white shirts and shorts, and red or white socks.

Kit suppliers

More information Kit supplier, Period ...
Kit supplier Period
Reebok 1990s
Adidas 1990s
Canterbury of New Zealand 1990s- 2000s
Kukri Sports 2006–2024
Castore 2024–present
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Overall

More information Rank, Change ...
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  1. Change from the previous week
Hong_Kong's historical rankings
date2124273033363910/6/200310/19/200911/2/201511/15/2021Hong KongMen's World Rugby rankings
Source: World Rugby[9]
Graph updated to 24 August 2026

Below is a table of the representative rugby matches played by a Hong Kong national XV at test level up until 18 July 2026, updated after match with  Uruguay.[10][11][12]

More information Opponent, Played ...
Opponent Played Won Lost Drawn Win % For Aga Diff
Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf Arabian Gulf642066.67%101115–14
Australia Australian Universities210150%148+6
 Belgium431075%9473+21
 Brazil430175%11168+43
 Canada716014.29%109209–100
 Chile312033.33%4766–19
 China531160%10881+27
 Chinese Taipei19135168.42%638295+343
 Cook Islands2200100%773+74
 Czech Republic10100.00%517–12
 England XV10100.00%026–26
 Fiji30300.00%33155–122
 France XV10100.00%626–20
 Germany422050%9876+22
 Japan28424014.29%3701212–842
 Japan XV918011.11%86299–213
 Kazakhstan541080%12667+59
 Kenya742157.14%220169+51
 Malaysia111100100%64386+557
 Namibia10100.00%1222–10
 Netherlands10100.00%1025–15
New Zealand New Zealand U–2310100.00%047–47
New Zealand New Zealand Universities50500.00%25142–117
 Norway1100100%5917+42
 Paraguay1100100.00%8012+68
 Papua New Guinea3300100%7926+53
 Philippines3300100%24130+211
 Portugal312033.33%39106–67
 Russia50500.00%62144–82
 Samoa10100.00%1966–47
 Scotland XV10100.00%642–36
 Singapore13112084.62%540112+428
 South Korea372116056.76%1016816+200
 Spain10100.00%729–22
 Sri Lanka111100100%524105+419
 Thailand963066.67%28989+200
 Tonga10100.00%2244–22
 Tunisia211050%3441–7
 United Arab Emirates7700100%42080+340
 United States844050%198201–3
 Uruguay211050.00%4568–23
 Wales XV10100.00%357–54
 Zimbabwe3300100%8629+57
Total242129106753.31%6,5905,339+1,251
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Tournament history

Rugby World Cup

More information Rugby World Cup record, Qualification ...
Rugby World Cup record Qualification
Year Round Pld W D L PF PA Squad Pos Pld W D L PF PA
New Zealand Australia 1987 Not invited Not invited
England France Ireland Scotland Wales 1991 Did not enter Did not enter
South Africa 1995 Did not qualify 2nd 3 2 0 1 274 41
Wales 1999 4th 3 1 0 2 39 88
Australia 2003 3rd 4 3 0 1 81 42
France 2007 3rd 6 2 0 4 79 243
New Zealand 2011 3rd 4 2 0 2 65 133
England 2015 P/O 9 5 0 4 333 201
Japan 2019 P/O 9 7 0 2 365 117
France 2023 P/O 5 2 0 3 88 177
Australia 2027 Qualified 1st 6 6 0 0 380 57
United States 2031 To be determined To be determined
Total 49 30 0 19 1704 1099
  •   Champions
  •   Runners–up
  •   Third place
  •   Fourth place
  •   Home venue
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Asia Rugby Championship

More information Asia Rugby Championship record, Year ...
Asia Rugby Championship record
Year Position P W D L F A
Hong Kong 1972Runner-up32013522
Sri Lanka 1974Fifth place31024361
Malaysia 1978Fifth place3012926
Taiwan 1980Third place430123151
Singapore 1982Third place43017641
Japan 1984Fifth place31026770
Hong Kong 1988Third place43016176
Sri Lanka 1990Third place42029356
Hong Kong 1992Runners up430115666
Malaysia 1994Third place430135467
Taiwan 1996Third place430129849
Singapore 1998Third place31023988
Japan 2000Fourth place300347136
Thailand 2002Third place31025085
Hong Kong 2004Third place21017547
Hong Kong 2006–07Third place2002875
Hong KongJapanKazakhstanSouth KoreaQatarUnited Arab Emirates 2008Third place420296154
Hong KongJapanKazakhstanSouth KoreaSingapore 2009Fourth place4103110126
BahrainHong KongJapanKazakhstanSouth KoreaUnited Arab Emirates 2010Third place420265133
Hong KongJapanKazakhstanSri LankaUnited Arab Emirates 2011Runners-up430115561
Hong KongJapanKazakhstanSouth KoreaUnited Arab Emirates 2012Third place220215998
Hong KongJapanSouth KoreaPhilippinesUnited Arab Emirates 2013Third place4202134108
Hong KongJapanSouth KoreaPhilippinesSri Lanka 2014Runners-up430119665
Hong KongJapanSouth Korea 2015Runners-up411264111
Hong KongJapanSouth Korea 2016Runners-up420295139
Hong KongJapanSouth Korea 2017Runners-up42029965
Hong KongSouth KoreaMalaysia 2018Champions440022744
Hong KongSouth KoreaMalaysia 2019Champions440021237
Hong KongSouth KoreaMalaysia 2022Champions11002321
Hong KongSouth KoreaMalaysia 2023Champions220011819
Hong KongSouth KoreaMalaysiaUnited Arab Emirates 2024Champions330012211
Hong KongSouth KoreaSri LankaUnited Arab Emirates 2025Champions330019139
Hong KongSouth KoreaSri Lanka 2026 Champions 2 2 0 0 60 23
Total7 titles1086524237652228
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Cup of Nations

More information Cup of Nations record, Year ...
Cup of Nations record
Year Position P W D L F A
United Arab Emirates 2011Champions330015334
United Arab Emirates 2012Runners-up32018537
Hong Kong 2015Runners-up32015548
Hong Kong 2016Runners-up32018533
Hong Kong 2017Runners-up32016652
Total 1 title 15 11 0 4 444 204
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Players

Current squad

On 15 June, Hong Kong China named a 30-player squad ahead of the 2026 World Rugby Nations Cup Americas-Pacific Series.[13]

Head Coach: New Zealand Logan Asplin

  • Caps updated: 18 July 2026 (Uruguay v Hong Kong China)

Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.

More information Player, Position ...
Player Position Date of birth (age) Caps Club/province
Harry Baron Hooker (1996-07-03) 3 July 1996 (age 30) 2 Hong Kong Hong Kong Scottish
Calum Scott Hooker (2003-02-28) 28 February 2003 (age 23) 10 Hong Kong HKFC
Alexander Post Hooker (1995-10-10) 10 October 1995 (age 30) 26 England Richmond
Rory Cinnamond Prop (1999-07-19) 19 July 1999 (age 27) 13 Hong Kong HKU Sandy Bay
Zacceus Cinnamond Prop (1994-08-25) 25 August 1994 (age 32) 20 Hong Kong HKU Sandy Bay
Keelan Chapman Prop (1991-11-12) 12 November 1991 (age 34) 12 Hong Kong HKFC
Sunia Fameitau Prop (1995-06-14) 14 June 1995 (age 31) 10 Hong Kong HKU Sandy Bay
James Holmes Prop (1996-07-12) 12 July 1996 (age 30) 6 Hong Kong HKFC
Lachlan Doheny Lock (2005-08-03) 3 August 2005 (age 21) 3 Hong Kong Kowloon
Max Murphy Lock (2000-01-08) 8 January 2000 (age 26) 3 Hong Kong HKFC
James Rivers Lock (2000-07-19) 19 July 2000 (age 26) 2 Hong Kong Hong Kong Scottish
Kyle Sullivan Lock (1995-06-20) 20 June 1995 (age 31) 33 Hong Kong USRC Tigers
Dana Fourie Back row (1997-03-11) 11 March 1997 (age 29) 4 Hong Kong HKU Sandy Bay
Joshua Hrstich (c) Back row (1990-11-15) 15 November 1990 (age 35) 22 Hong Kong HKFC
Pierce MacKinlay-West Back row (1996-12-07) 7 December 1996 (age 29) 18 Hong Kong HKFC
Tyler McNutt Back row (2003-04-30) 30 April 2003 (age 23) 13 Hong Kong HKFC
James Sawyer Back row (1993-05-23) 23 May 1993 (age 33) 18 Hong Kong Valley RFC
Jack Combes Scrum-half (1997-05-28) 28 May 1997 (age 29) 16 Hong Kong USRC Tigers
Chui Wai Lap Eric Scrum-half (2004-02-12) 12 February 2004 (age 22) 2 Hong Kong Kowloon
Brendon Nell Scrum-half (1995-07-14) 14 July 1995 (age 31) 4 Hong Kong HKU Sandy Bay
Matteo Avitabile Fly-half (2002-02-24) 24 February 2002 (age 24) 10 Hong Kong HKFC
Joe Barker Fly-half (1991-05-14) 14 May 1991 (age 35) 6 Hong Kong Kowloon
Isaac Campbell-Wu Centre (2004-11-30) 30 November 2004 (age 21) 3 Hong Kong Valley RFC
Thomas Hill Centre (1989-10-12) 12 October 1989 (age 36) 18 Hong Kong HKFC
Marcus Ramage Centre (1998-05-27) 27 May 1998 (age 28) 9 Hong Kong Hong Kong Scottish
Maxwell Threlkeld Centre (2005-01-25) 25 January 2005 (age 21) 5 United States California Golden Bears
Paul Altier Wing (1999-05-19) 19 May 1999 (age 27) 20 England Richmond
Sebastian Brien Wing (1994-08-20) 20 August 1994 (age 32) 13 Hong Kong HKFC
Harry Sayers Wing (1994-08-29) 29 August 1994 (age 32) 19 Hong Kong Valley RFC
Matt Worley Fullback (1997-09-06) 6 September 1997 (age 28) 18 Hong Kong HKFC
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Records

Most Appearances

  1. Nick Hewson – 58
  2. Alex Ng Wai Shing – 51
  3. Salom, Yiu Kam Shing - 49
  4. Rowan Varty – 43

Notable former players

The Hong Kong Rugby Union has inducted 16 players into its Hall of Fame as part of its Roll of Honour. Some of these players include;

  • Ashley Billington, wing who holds the record for most tries scored in an international match.

Coaches

Current coaching staff

Correct as of 29 August 2026
More information Position, Name ...
Position Name
Head coach New Zealand Andrew Douglas
Assistant coach New Zealand Logan Asplin
Assistant coach England Toby Booth
Strength & conditioning coach England Allan Ryan
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Coaching history

More information Years, Coach ...
Years Coach
1987–1992England Jim Rowark
1993–1998New Zealand George Simpkin
1998–2001New Zealand Phil Campbell
2001–2003New Zealand Chris Roden
2004–2007England Ivan Torpey
2007–2008New Zealand John Walters
2008–2014Wales Dai Rees
2014–2015Scotland Andrew Hall
2016–2018Wales Leigh Jones
2019–2021Scotland Andrew Hall
2021New Zealand Craig Hammond 1
2021England Simon Armor (Interim) 1
2022–2023Wales Lewis Evans
2023–2025New Zealand Andrew Douglas
2025–2026New Zealand Logan Asplin
2026–New Zealand Andrew Douglas
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  • 1 Hammond appointed head coach in April 2021 but left two months later to return to the UK.[14][15] He was subsequently replaced by Armor as interim coach ahead of the 2021 Asian Rugby Championship, which was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to Armor's abrupt departure.[16][17]

See also

References

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