Four tries from Adam Raby, a hat-trick from Rowan Varty and a brace from Simon Smith lifted Hong Kong to a comfortable 64-6 win over Singapore in the HSBC Asian Five Nations at Football Club yesterday.
The unbridled and explosive display from the rampant backline was a joy to watch. And the delight was heightened by the fact that Hong Kong now have a good chance of finishing second in the competition if they defeat Kazakhstan in their final outing next week in Almaty.
'We are playing with width and shape, our defensive systems are working and I still think that we can go away [to Kazakhstan] and finish second,' predicted Hong Kong head coach Dai Rees.
Rees couldn't have been more delighted with the performance that led to the nine-try blitz. True, it was only minnows Singapore, but winning like this, in style, will just add poise to a squad who he says are still 'growing' in confidence.
Raby epitomises that confidence. Playing in only his second international, the left winger revelled on his home pitch as he crossed the line four times in the second half - one more than against South Korea last week. So will it be five next week? Raby laughed: 'I'm playing with a smile right now. Maybe it will be five or maybe it will be nothing. That all depends on how the team play. I just finish it.'
Seven tries in two internationals has underlined his ability to deliver. And yesterday he had to thank man-of-the-match Varty for providing most of the spoils that came his way.
Varty was switched to outside centre before this tournament began. Against Japan and South Korea, he hardly had the room to show his flair. Unfortunately for Singapore, they came up against a player chomping at the bit to prove his aptitude to attack and boy did he enjoy it as he ran rings around the defence almost at will.