Meet the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens Team
Kevin Kaho Tsui chats up seven players from Hong Kong's local squad, The Hong Kong Dragons.
Cado Lee
Position: Scrum-Half
Cado Lee: I started playing when I was in high school in England. When I returned to Hong Kong for my university studies, I managed to get into the Under 20s team and have been training and playing progressively since then.
HK: How are you preparing for this year’s tournament?
CL: I was injured last year, so I was just on the sidelines watching the team play. I’m now fully fit for this year’s tournament and I’m really looking forward to it. Last year the whole team played really well, but we got little bit unlucky with one of our players getting a red card and eventually we lost to Japan. If we play as well as we did, I think we have a real good chance of winning something this year.
HK: Best moment of the Sevens?
CL: Definitely last year’s match between Hong Kong and Japan. We all thought we were going to lose, but we kept fighting and managed to take it into extra time. Although we lost the match, I was really moved by the spirit of the whole team and the amazing support from the crowd.
Salom Yiu
Position: Winger
Salom Yiu: I went to my first Hong Kong Rugby Sevens event as a spectator in 2000, back when they had only five Chinese players on the whole team, and I was extremely fascinated by the freshness and excitement of the sport, so I started learning and doing research about it.
HK: Who are your biggest / most challenging competitors and why?
SY: For Asian countries, it’s definitely Japan. Otherwise, I would hope to not have to face Fiji. They’re an extremely physical and strong team, but I would love to gain valuable experience from playing against them.
HK: Funniest moment you’ve witnessed?
SY: There was this time when a spectator ran all the way onto the pitch and managed to climb all the way up to the poles on the touchline. I love these moments as they are part of what Rugby Sevens is all about, but if it happens during the middle of a game—it happened to us once a few years ago—I think it shows a lack of respect to the event and the team players who are fighting for their country.
HK: What’s your favorite place to hang out after the games?
SY: We usually go to LKF after each year’s Sevens and mingle with players from other teams.