Rowan Varty is champing at the bit. He cannot wait to take part in the 'most important tournament' of his career as he is convinced a gold medal awaits Hong Kong in Guangzhou.
'I have a good feeling about Guangzhou,' said Varty, a powerful winger and lynchpin of the 12-strong men's squad. 'This will easily be the most important tournament I have played in, for it is a potential turning point for rugby in Hong Kong.'
A gold medal victory by the men's rugby sevens team would be a momentous occasion - the first time a team sport would have lifted the plum prize at an Asian Games.
Last weekend's performance at the Borneo Sevens in Kota Kinabalu adds weight to the growing belief a gold medal is in sight. Hong Kong defeated Japan 31-28 in the Cup final in Borneo, the second leg of the Asian Sevens Series. It was an accomplished victory, and a comfortable one with the score line not really telling the story.
'We had the game in the bag and never felt as if we were going to lose,' Hong Kong head coach Dai Rees said. 'We led 31-14 with two minutes to go and Japan scored two late tries with the second after the hooter had gone.'
That victory ended more than two years of disappointment against Japan and will have heartened the team, especially as Japan were fielding a couple of Pacific Islanders who are not eligible to play at the Asian Games.