Seven to make Asian Five Nations debuts in Almaty

Barnstorming No 8 Pale Tauti will be one of seven players tasting action for the first time in the HSBC Asian Five Nations Top Five competition when Hong Kong open their 2011 campaign away to Kazakhstan on Saturday.

It will not be the first cap for Tauti and the others, but the fact that almost half the team is changed from the one that took the field against the Arabian Gulf in the final game of last year's campaign is proof of the depth in the senior squad.

'We have seven players who will be playing in the Five Nations for the first time, but by no means are they new to the Hong Kong set-up as they were all part of the squad which toured Europe last December,' Hong Kong head coach Dai Rees said.

'The importance of going to Europe pre-Christmas is being seen now. We are not going in cold with a new combination of players. All these guys have played together for some time and that will benefit us against Kazakhstan.'

Apart from Tauti, hooker Brent Taylor and lock Ollie Jones will be packing down in their first A5N.

In the backs, there will be a new midfield combination of Lee Jones and skipper Tom McColl, scrumhalf Peter McKee and fullback Ross Armour.