HONG KONG will not only sport a brand new strip at next weekend's Cathay Pacific Hongkong Bank Invitation Sevens, but the side will also have a new captain in Rodney McIntosh.
McIntosh takes over the reins from Stuart Krohn in a side which boasts four newcomers, one of them - Mark Solomon - winning his first representative cap for the territory.
The announcement of the 10-strong Hong Kong team by manager Peter Burbidge-King yesterday - at a packed press conference held at the Rugby Union Club, where the new strip and new sponsors of the national team, Swiss Bank, were also unveiled - drew murmurs of surprise at the dethronement of Krohn.
National coach George Simpkin said of the decision: 'It is important to have a captain on the field all the time. There was pressure on certain positions on the team.' This could mean Krohn may struggle to keep his place in the final seven.
'I respect George's view. I don't know what his thinking behind it is, but I'm not all that disappointed. Rod is a good captain and I will just go out there and do my best,' said Krohn yesterday.
American Krohn, who first played for the territory in the 1990 Hong Kong Sevens, is the most experienced player in the team.
The 32-year-old took over the sevens captaincy from Craig Pain last year and also led the territory from his number eight position in the 15s.