Season ramps up ahead of HK 7s weekend
Hong Kong Sevens audiences are in for a treat after the SAR's rugby team vowed to put on a show at Melrose Claymore matches over the Sevens weekend. The men's and women's squads will be playing those matches at Hong Kong Stadium from April 5-7. The Melrose Claymore is a new competition with games interspersed throughout the showpiece event. And even though there may be more important competitions on the horizon, men’s player Liam Herbert has stressed the team’s desire to perform well on home soil. “Playing in front of a home crowd and showing everyone what we are capable of is massive,” the 25-year-old said. “As a fan I’ve always wanted to play, especially in front of my friends and family, and it’s a huge achievement to play in front of everyone.” After the Sevens weekend, both teams head off for the final leg of World Rugby’s Challenger Series. For the men, who sit fifth in the standings, that means a trip to Germany. There, they will have to better the result of the host nation to qualify for that final, and a chance of promotion to World Rugby’s full Sevens series. The top four will qualify for the grand finale in Madrid at the end of May. The women on the other hand have more ground to make up when they travel to Poland. They are eighth in the leaderboard. And at the end of June, both teams will travel to Monaco for the final global qualification tournament for the Rugby Sevens competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But, as women’s captain Natasha Olson-Thorne said, the key right now is to not think too far ahead. “Take it one step at a time. Just focus on the basics,” said Olson-Thorne. “Run forwards, pass backwards, make a tackle.”