HONG Kong's hopes of qualifying for the 1995 World Cup were dealt a blow with yesterday's decision to hold next year's Asian Rugby Football Tournament - which will double as a regional qualifier - in autumn rather than spring.
The Asian Rugby Football Union executive committee, meeting in Kuala Lumpur where the tournament will be held, had to choose between dates in April and October.
They settled for October 22-29, keeping to the tradition of playing the biennial tournament in autumn.
Moves had been made to bring the dates forward to April as, originally, all World Cup qualifiers had to be finished before September, 1994.
And the April dates would have suited Hong Kong perfectly, coming at the tail-end of the domestic season.
But the October dates mean national coach George Simpkin will have to keep his squad together during summer - always a difficult task in Hong Kong.
''We would have preferred the tournament to be played in April. The players would have been match-fit and raring to go,'' said Peter Burbidge-King, Hong Kong manager.