PUBLISHED ON 10 FEB 2026
China and Japan in men’s competition; debutants Denmark join Thailand in women’s competition
The Hong Kong China Men’s and Women’s sevens squads are preparing to defend their Melrose Claymores titles at the 2026 Cathay/HSBC Hong Sevens from 17-19 April 2026 at the Kai Tak Stadium.
In 2025, the teams swept the Melrose Claymore competitions capping a sensational debut for the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens at Kai Tak Stadium. Hong Kong China Men won the Melrose Claymore for a second successive time since the competition’s inception in 2024, beating China and Japan, while the Hong Kong China Women raised the Claymore aloft for the first time after beating Kazakhstan and Thailand.
In 2026, China and Japan again returning to challenge in the men’s competition, setting up a tantalising preview of some of the expected competition at the 20th Asian Games which take place in Japan in September.
Hong Kong China Men’s 7s are twice defending gold medallists at the Asian Games, winning for the first time in Indonesia and defending in Hangzhou, but this year’s Asiad will be held on Japanese soil in Nagoya with the team’s oldest rugby rivals keen to defend home turf.
“This is going to be a huge preparation for us for the Asian Games” said squad co-captain James Christie, who grew up watching the Hong Kong Seven and playing in the youth showcase before making his senior squad Hong Kong Sevens debut in 2023.
“China, Japan and South Korea are all capable of winning Asian Games gold, so every match and tournament we play against them this year will help us prepare.”
Hong Kong China Men’s 7s Coach Jevon Groves agreed saying, “It’s always important to put some good performances in against those teams over the next few months. We are disappointed after the Challenger result so it’s really good to have something like the Melrose Claymore and two good competitors to help focus.
“Our build-up is now a bit different to what was originally planned with the Challenger. The guys are now in club rugby with a few rounds remaining and once that is finished, we can fully concentrate on preparing for Hong Kong Sevens. We have a few training days planned with opposition to help us prepare and with four to five weeks solely to focus on seven leading up to the Melrose we should be in good shape,” added Groves who appeared from 2009-2013 for Wales at the Hong Kong Sevens.
After a heart-breaking extra-time loss against Canada eliminated Hong Kong China from advancing to SVNS 2 in Kenya, James Christie says the squad is excited to return to Kai Tak Stadium where they added National Games gold to the Melrose Claymore haul in 2025.
“Our results there show how the team feels about playing at Kai Tak in front of our home crowd. When we are at Kai Tak it is like the crowd is on the pitch with us; they are so loud it makes us play better and we want to make them proud,” said Christie.
The Melrose Claymores women’s tournament will welcome its first non-regional competition with Denmark joining Hong Kong China and Thailand in the fray.
“We are working hard on defending our Melrose Claymores title and looking forward to the competition. It’s always great to play at home in front of our friends and family and the atmosphere at Kai Tak is just amazing,” said squad co-captain Natasha Olson Thorne, who made her Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens debut in 2011 and has been a fixture in women’s representative rugby ever since.
“We don’t know much about Denmark, but it’s always exciting to play someone new. We are very familiar with Thailand, having played them many times, but we just have to keep the focus on ourselves and play our game.
“The squad has already had quite a long build-up already. We have been focusing on our strength and conditioning. We want to make sure that we are stronger and fitter than ever when we get to the tournament,” added Olson-Thorne.
In recognition of their shared global sevens legacies, Hong Kong China Rugby and Melrose RFC, the birthplace of Sevens in Scotland, exchanged trophies for their respective famed rugby sevens tournaments in 2023. The trophies for the men’s and women’s teams in Hong Kong are named the Melrose Claymores, while the Hong Kong Shield is presented to the shield winner of the competition at Melrose.
The Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens is one of three World Championship events on the HSBC SVNS Series and will feature 24 teams (12 men and 12 women). The Melrose Claymores brings the total number of international teams participating inside Kai Tak to 30. Over 100,000 tickets have been sold for the 50th Anniversary Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens tournament from 17-19 April 2026.
The 2026 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens is proud of being an “M” Mark event that helps enhance the image of Hong Kong as Asia’s sports event capital. The “M” Mark awarded by the Major Sports Events Committee, symbolising intense, spectacular and signature event in the territory sports calendar.
Fans can learn more about all available ticketing options for the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens here, and find out more general information on the event at hksevens.com.
