Boasting a population of 14,000 people - just about one-third of the crowd who will turn up at the Hong Kong Stadium on Sunday - and only 100 rugby players, it comes as no surprise that the Cook Islands is the smallest country appearing at the Hong Kong Sevens.
But don't worry, the Polynesians promise to punch well above per capita and are confident they will leave their mark by the end of Sunday. 'We are the smallest country with the biggest heart. And we will be the surprise package at the Hong Kong Sevens,' warns Damian Beddoes, coach of the Cook Islands, a net of 15 islands in the heart of the South Pacific.
Beddoes is new to the job. This is his first tournament in charge of the sevens squad. The Cook Islands Rugby Union, impatient for results, approached the New Zealander and asked him to take over the team who have figured in two legs of this year's IRB Sevens - in Brisbane and Wellington - without much acclaim.
They have no series points as yet. But three wins in 11 games at these two tournaments - over Tonga, Papua New Guinea and China - shows the Islanders have the potential to cause an upset or two. 'We have quite a competitive outfit. Half the side are Kiwis, Fijians and Samoans who have made the Cook Islands their home. The rest are all natives. Rugby is the national sport of the Islands and I'm confident the boys will do well,' says Beddoes.
Beddoes himself is an 'outsider'. Having married a woman from the Cook Islands, he decided to leave Rotorua so that his son and daughter could be brought up according to the culture of Islanders. Just 28, he unfortunately is not qualified to play for Cook Islands under the IRB's three-year residency ruling. So the next best thing was coaching.
'We have a close-knit team. Only two of the team live away, in New Zealand, while the rest all play in the local league in Rarotongo which is the capital.