Johnny go quickly

GO JOHNNY GO. That will be the cry from teammates and fans in the South Stand when the face of China rugby, Johnny Zhang Zhiqiang, explodes across the pitch this weekend.

The pacy Zhang is well-known in Hong Kong. He has played for Aberdeen and now turns out for DeA Tigers, the First Division league champions. So when he turns out for yet another campaign with his country, he won't be just another 'nameless' player on the park. Fans can put a name to his face.

'I'm excited at the prospect of playing again at the Sevens. It is the best tournament in the world and I hope we can do well. Our target is to win the Bowl competition,' says the fleet-footed Zhang.

China will field a young team on their seventh visit here. 'The whole team is younger than last year. There are three players making their debut and I'm sure they will be very excited and looking forward to playing,' says Zhang.

As always, China will struggle due to lack of match experience. The more matches they play, the better they are. But the sevens squad, under coach Zheng Hongjun, has been in training for less than a month.

'The team has been together for the past two weeks. I joined the team only 10 days ago after the local Grand Championship ended,' said Zhang, who had a six-week stint with Leicester Tigers this season.