It's a role reversal at its best. Hong Kong will warm up for the East Asian Games and the Asian Games by taking on the world's best this weekend.
It is very rare that any local rugby event can overshadow the Hong Kong Sevens in importance for the players. But the East Asian Games in Hong Kong in December and next year's Asian Games in Guangzhou are the two main targets.
As warm-ups go, it won't come any tougher than games against Argentina, Portugal and Tonga in the preliminary round today and tomorrow. When you target Tonga as the game to win, as Hong Kong have done, then you realise this is truly a hard group.
'It is a difficult pool. Both Argentina and Portugal did very well at the World Cup and will be hard opponents,' said new Hong Kong captain Mark Wright. 'Tonga haven't been playing well recently, and hopefully we can get a good result. But we will be trying to win every game.'
The two quadrennial Games are multi-sports events. While rugby sevens has been part of the Asian Games since Bangkok in 1998, it will be the first time the abbreviated game will be on show at the smaller East Asian Games.
And the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union has set its heart on becoming the first team sport in town to win a medal of any kind at both Games. Hong Kong have failed on the past three occasions at the Asian Games. But there are high hopes this squad can lift a medal alongside powerhouses Japan and South Korea. Optimism is high in the Hong Kong camp as 10 of the 12 players are Asian Games qualified (John Gbenda-Charles and Mark Goosen are ineligible). And they are all in the team purely on merit. The days when Hong Kong was mainly represented by rugby journeymen are long gone.