It will not simply be a case of damage limitation, promised national coach Dai Rees and new captain Tom McColl, as Hong Kong face the formidable task of stopping Japan from piling on the points in their encounter today.
The magic number for Hong Kong today could well be nine - the least number of tries they have conceded to Japan in a test in the three years of this tournament's existence. That came in 2009 when Hong Kong lost 59-6. In 2008, the scoreline was 75-29 with Japan touching down 11 times, and last year it was 94-5, including 14 tries.
These statistics underline the gulf between Japan, Asia's World Cup representative and a full-time professional outfit, and Hong Kong's part-timers. But Rees and McColl remain upbeat for today's clash at the Hong Kong Football Club.
'It won't be just trying to limit them from scoring,' Rees said. 'We all aspire to catch up with Japan and, yes, our eyes are on our remaining two games in this competition. But if you ask Tom and the boys, they will be determined to perform in front of their home crowd.'
McColl said: 'This side is vastly different to the teams in the past who have been a little bit in awe of Japan. They have dropped their heads after conceding a couple of tries.
'We hope we can come out and, even if we are down a few early tries, keep pushing them. I believe this side is a lot more headstrong and will be a lot different [to our predecessors].'
McColl will be facing Japan for the first time on the international field. The outside centre missed last year's campaign with a dislocated shoulder, and will be eager to make up for lost time.