Local boys to storm the Sevens

With four ex-Hong Kong schoolboys in the squad, support for the hosts will be especially strong at next weekend's Rugby Sevens World Cup.

The boys (pictured from left) are ex-Island School pupil Alex Gibbs and former King George V School (KGV) students Ricky Cheuk Ming-yin, Andy Chambers, and Rowan Varty. They will be showing off their talent at the Hong Kong Stadium during the March 18-20 showpiece.

The inclusion of the four is especially encouraging for local rugby, with all having been carefully nurtured through the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union's development programmes. Andy and Alex used to play together on the Hong Kong under-19 team. The other eight in the squad moved to Hong Kong from overseas.

It will be 18-year-old Rowan's debut at the Sevens while Ricky, 22, has appeared once before, and also played at the World Cup Sevens in Argentina in 2001. Alex, 28, played in last year's Hong Kong Sevens and Andy, 26, is making his fourth Sevens appearance.

The four learned they had made the final cut of 12 players last Monday. The squad has been whittled down from 35 over the last few months.

'I think this is the first time that there have been as many as four ex-Hong Kong schoolboys in the final squad,' said Alex, the Communications Manager at the Canadian International School in Aberdeen.