HONG KONG CHINA RUGBY HOST RUGBY AUSTRALIA FOR SEVENS WEEKEND

As part of the inaugural Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens at Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong China Rugby (HKCR) hosted a number of international Unions. This included Rugby Australia, to continue discussions around a more formal relationship between the two Unions. 

Hong Kong China Rugby Chairman Chris Brooke and CEO James Farndon took the opportunity to invite Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh and Director of High Performance Peter Horne to the field of play for a photograph to acknowledge the partnership work to date.

Hong Kong China Rugby CEO, James Farndon, highlighted the benefits that the ongoing work Rugby Australia brings:

“As an organisation we are always looking to grow and strengthen, and this mutual collaboration with Rugby Australia – as a leading Tier 1 Nation – provides a great opportunity to do so. 

“We look forward to agreeing strategic objectives that provide mutual benefit as part of a future MoU, our goals being to share knowledge and best practice across a number of key areas, including player, coach, referee and practitioner development.”

Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh reflected on his trip to Hong Kong, and commented on the potential for the partnership:

“Rugby Australia is committed to playing a leadership role in growing the game globally and we look forward to evolving our already strong relationship with Hong Kong China Rugby.

“The passion for rugby in this region is enormous, as witnessed at Kai Tak Sports Park this week, and we are excited to share knowledge and resources with James Farndon and his team as they unlock rugby’s huge potential across Hong Kong and China.

“A future MoU between Rugby Australia and Hong Kong China Rugby will deliver substantial benefits to both unions and the game globally. We are making good progress on identifying key strategic objectives to collaborate on including, but not limited to, the areas of high performance, sports science and infrastructure.”

Hong Kong China Men’s 15s Head Coach Andrew Douglas also acknowledged some of the work that has been completed to date:

“In the last 12 months, both our men’s and women’s representative 15s teams have benefitted from training opportunities with respective ACT Brumbies squads, these have served to accelerate the development of our players, both on and off the field. 

“This partnership will enable our teams to more optimally prepare for future competitions, including upcoming Asia Rugby Championships and the Rugby World Cup pathway matches.”

Douglas also highlighted successful exchanges for several Hong Kong China representative coaches and practitioners in the last 12 months, with more planned. 

NOTES

HKCR announced an MoU with the Japan Rugby Football Union at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2025.