THE dream of playing in the Cup competition for the first time since 1989 ended for Hong Kong yesterday.
A bruising and physical encounter against Australia in their final pool game finished fairly predictably in the end with David Campese's side winning 28-0 and knocking Hong Kong out of Cup contention.
Missed tackles and dropped passes ended Hong Kong's grandiose ambitions. Coach Jim Rowark is now left with the task of raising his side's spirits for today's tilt at Plate glory.
The home team perhaps paid the price for going into the competition with only one specialist forward in Paul Dingley. He can do only so much. And Hong Kong paid the price against the bigger Australians who dominated possession for long periods of the game.
To make matters worse, Hong Kong were dealt a crushing blow right from the outset. Australia kicking off, won the ball and then Dingley missed a crucial tackle on Bruce Rauqe, one of the finds of this tournament. It was then catch-up rugby.
Built like a runaway bus, and with the speed to match, Rauqe is one of the cornerstones of the Australian side who were determined not to be overshadowed by a side which Campese had labelled a foreign legion.
'I don't know why they call themselves Hong Kong,' Campese told Sports Post earlier in the week.