Hong Kong Sevens head coach Groves urges sparkling side to create ‘buzz’, says star man Webb ‘taking break from rugby’
- Hosts will carry momentum into competition following run to World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series final last week
- Russ Webb stepping away from sport to spend time with wife, who lives in the United States
Head coach Jevon Groves is urging his team to use the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens next month to create a buzz around rugby in the city.
The city’s men delivered a series of compelling displays to reach the final of last week’s Challenger Series leg in Uruguay, including beating series co-leaders Kenya in last four before being blown away by hosts.
But a number of experienced performers were missing in South America, with Groves managing the welcome, but difficult task of choosing from an increasingly deep talent pool.
Captain Max Woodward, forward Mike Coverdale, and Salom Yiu Ka-shing, veteran of four Asian Games campaigns, all sat out the tournament, while star half-back Russ Webb has taken an indefinite break to spend time with his wife in the United States.
Woodward, Yiu, and Coverdale are all in contention to play at the Hong Kong Stadium’s farewell sevens, where the hosts are in a secondary competition, also featuring Japan and China. Groves’s team competed with the elite global nations 12 months ago, and toppled both Kenya and Canada to claim the shield prize.
“The boys want to play against the top teams, that is why they are in rugby,” Groves said. “But we have an opportunity to inspire people to get involved in rugby, and to be excited about Hong Kong rugby. The competition we are in does not really matter, we are in the shop window, and the stadium’s last sevens will be pretty special.
“There is also the bigger picture of having three years to build for the Asian Games, so we might bring in some players to begin getting them towards that level.”
Groves, who is waiting for results from a scan on Seb Brien, who suffered an ankle injury that “does not look good” in the Uruguay final, said no timeframe had been set for Webb’s return.
“He needed a break away from the game,” Groves said. “He has put a lot into the jersey, and it means so much to him. He has been living apart from his wife for a couple of years, which is difficult, so he wants some normality, and time with his family.
“We do not only treat the guys as rugby players, they are people, too. They need to be happy in their lives for me to push them as hard as I do. He is looking after himself and his family, and has our full support. If and when he wants to return, we will get him back into rugby.”
Groves said success in Uruguay stemmed from carefully managing the 40-hour journey, after learning from previous long-haul travel when players picked up “colds and stomach problems”.
On the field, Hong Kong profited from a six-week preparation period, and were “more aggressive” than in Dubai, where they lost a quarter-final against Germany.
“We were underdogs, and had to play like it, to not be conservative, and play to win,” Groves said.
“Beating Chile was significant, and we steamrolled from there. The final was one game too many. Uruguay have our number, at the moment. We had to start well to negate their home advantage, but we conceded two quick tries.”
Hong Kong are fifth in the overall Challenger Series standings, ahead of May’s final stop in Germany. The top four teams then battle it out for places in the 12-team HSBC SVNS Series.
At the conclusion of the Challenger Series campaign, Groves’s focus will immediately turn to June’s Olympic repechage in Monaco, where 12 teams will squabble over one remaining Games spot.
“The performances [in Uruguay] give us more motivation,” Groves said. “We will lose key players [non-passport holders], but we can challenge every team in the competition.”
