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Hosts Hong Kong will be without their captain Jeff Wong this weekend for this weekend’s sixth leg of the IRB Sevens World Series. 

Wong who took over the reins this year has had to withdraw the Hong Kong Sevens due to a reoccurring knee injury. 

The 25-year-old Wong damaged ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in his left knee last October when playing for Hong Kong at the Asian Sevens Series tournament in Kota Kinabalu.

The injury was aggravated further at the East Asian Games where Hong Kong finished runners-up to Japan. 

Tim Alexander will make his debut in Wong’s absence. The rest of the squad has a familiar look to it with experienced regulars Rowan Varty, Anthony Haynes, Mark Wright, and Keith Robertson once again involved.
Joining Alexander for their first taste of Hong Kong Sevens action is Yiu Kam Shing Salom, Simon Leung and Ben Ho.

The squad is similar to the one that suffered the heart-breaking final second loss to Japan at the East Asian Games, also staged at the Hong Kong Stadium – the venue for this weekend. 

Dream Pool says Coach

The youthful squad will face the Japanese in the pool stages once again with England and Wales also grouped with the hosts.

Hong Kong National Coach Dai Rees takes over the reigns for the first time as Sevens Coach, having previously coached Wales Sevens.

“It has been the toughest team selection since I have been in charge and this is my fifth tournament with the team. I am very pleased that competition for places within the playing group and the rugby fraternity in Hong Kong is stronger than ever.”

“We are not the finished article yet but we showed faith in the guys who performed so well at the East Asian Games. We did end up making the one change in Tom McQueen, which proves that there are guys who are now forcing themselves into the silver medal squad. Tom was the leading try scorer on the Hong Kong Step tour of Chinese Taipei and has showed very good club form this season.”

“It is a dream pool for us,” added Rees.

“It just has the spice with England, an inexperienced Wales squad who could be vulnerable on the big stage and our arch rivals Japan. Our expectations are to be in a final and that can be achieved. We’ll be looking to make a few upsets on day one and two.”