Hong Kong thump Malaysia 67-8 as road to Rugby World Cup 2019 begins in style
Coach Leigh Jones is happy his charges handled the slippery conditions with aplomb to set a marker in the tournament but wants to see improvement
Hong Kong manhandled Malaysia with a 10-try, 67-8, rout in a wet and humid Kuala Lumpur on Saturday to clear the first hurdle on the Road to Rugby World Cup 2019.
Hong Kong mastered their opponents in the first half and the conditions in the second as the heavens opened after forty minutes, adding even more grease to a slippy ball. That didn’t stop the boys in blue however, as they extended a 27-5 lead at the break into an eventual 67-8 victory in their first Asia Rugby Championship (ARC) action of the season.
“We started slowly but finished strongly,” said coach Leigh Jones. “I’m reasonably happy. With conditions as they were last week we didn’t know what to expect today and it was again difficult to play, but I was pleased with our strike rate.
“We managed to finish off a lot of tries; there were also a lot of errors that I wouldn’t like to see normally, but I think many of those were down to the conditions.”
The bonus point win lifts Hong Kong into coequal position at the top of the table on five points, level with South Korea, whom Hong Kong will face next week in Incheon.