Asian Games trio Mark Wright, Rowan Varty and Keith Robertson will be missing in action when the Hong Kong sevens squad fly out today for a one-day hit-out with the South Korean national squad in Seoul.
Wright and impressive backs Robertson and Varty are all based overseas and were unable to join the 17-strong training squad for the trip to Seoul. Also missing will be pilot Kris Marin. But all are in strong contention for the Hong Kong Sevens at the end of the month.
'We will be naming our final 12-man squad for the Hong Kong Sevens after we return from Korea. All four players who will be missing the action will also be in the running for a place,' said Ivan Torpey (pictured), the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union's head of performance.
Hong Kong will play four games against South Korea, who are likely to field the same squad who won the silver medal at the Asian Games in Doha last December. Despite being drawn in the same pool at the March 30-April 1 Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens - along with England and Argentina - Torpey feels the training camp will be beneficial.
'I don't think we will be showing our hand and we won't be revealing the dynamics of the team. This visit will be a good measure to gauge how our IRB-qualified players will go against Korea,' Torpey said.
Hong Kong lost 21-7 to South Korea at the Asian Games fielding a side who had to follow strict eligibility rules, where only players of Asian heritage or who were Hong Kong-born could be fielded. But this squad will be different with IRB-qualified players (three-year residency qualification) Nigel D'Acre, Andrew Chambers, Colin Bisley and Justin Gregory being included.
