Apart from the fantastic result and grabbing a 1-0 advantage in the two-test series, Hong Kong’s players took away a number of other significant benefits from that opening Belgium test match. The first and most obvious of those is the experience gained by our six new caps – Paul Dwyer, Jake Phelps, Andrew McCulla, James Cooper, Josh Li and Ben Rimene. As a player, winning your first cap is a very special day. Many emotions go through your head and one thing you find out when you achieve this is how much support you have, from family, friends, club mates, even old school mates. Everyone recognises your achievement and hard work as you move up to the very privileged status as a "test player". It is amazing how many old boys name their first cap as the most memorable game of their international rugby career – a reflection that it is the start of something unique and something that very few players ever achieve. Come Saturday it will be all on for young and old to enjoy ... so come along and support the boys with a big, loud Hong Kong voice Nick Hewson I remember receiving my first Hong Kong cap in Heidelberg, Germany on the first Christmas tour in December 2009. It was a cold, intimidating place and the score wasn't in our favour that day as we lost to a very physical German side. But that test sticks in my mind as a special day for me personally. Now that German game might have a bit of competition in my memory as Tuesday’s game was my first test as team captain. To be honest, I’m very relieved that it ended on a winning note. I am also pleased for the new guys mentioned that they have started their test careers with a win. And not just any win – a win against a side ranked higher than Hong Kong, which is a feat not often achieved in the international game. To put the victory into perspective, Belgium are a very competitive European team and earlier this year they narrowly lost 17-13 to Georgia, who only recently knocked over Samoa, the world’s eighth-ranked team. So Hong Kong’s victory against Belgium is one that will make knowledgeable observers of the game sit up and take notice. Going into the match we were well-drilled and had it embedded into our minds that Belgium were going to have a physical, heavy pack that would try to bully us off the park, much like they did with great success when we lost to them last year in the Emirates Airline Cup of Nations (Eacon) in Dubai. Our pre-match weekend training camp at Harrow was not only useful for me personally in coming to grips with my new role as captain, but it proved invaluable for us as a team to integrate the new guys into the culture of the squad and for coach Leigh Jones to teach them the core values of being an international player. I mentioned in my last blog that mistakes can be costly in rugby and we emphasised in our training that things you might get away with at club level will be punished against international opposition. It really boils down to the individual performing their role flawlessly while eliminating any bad habits on and off the field. Belgium had clearly been working on minimising their mistakes from the Dubai game last year, so we knew that a simple lapse of concentration would cost us dearly against this quality side. I think we surprised Belgium with how we came out and contested up-front. We were able to get under their skin and draw out their emotional side in the game. Entering the match, we talked at length about how important our set piece was going to be. We started well in this facet until the ball squirted out the side of the scrum. Our mistake was punished with the Belgian halfback pouncing on the loose ball and running in what was a relatively easy try against the run of play. Under the posts after being scored on we stayed positive. We had gone forward in the scrum and just knew it was one of those things that can happen in a game of rugby. From this point on we were able to keep in touch thanks to Chris MacAdam and his counterpart penalties. We attacked successfully at times, coming up just short on a couple of occasions, but it is fair to say there were a few vulnerable periods for us as we approached half-time and they were starting to build some momentum through their forwards and inching ever closer to our try line. But we were able to sustain pressure bravely through determined defence. As it happened, a big turning point in the game was when we were able to push them off their ball in a late scrum and turn over possession in our own half. We ended the first half attacking their try line so naturally that we were positive going into the break with the score left at 12-17. At half-time there was a real positivity throughout the team and an eager belief in victory amongst the guys. Everyone was upbeat and there was a sense of energy and determination to score the first points in the second half. The coach spoke about how prudent it would be to keep our penalty count low and he reinforced that we had them where we wanted them. He believed that it was now only a matter of finishing the job and not letting them get any ascendancy through ill-discipline on our part. As the second half played out we were able to grasp a bit more of possession and territory, and play the game how we wanted to. We also scored the first points of the second half, which ticked another mental box for the team. To Belgium's credit they defended tenaciously and defused a lot of our strikes. It was hammer and tongs for a lot of the final 40 minutes with the game in the balance for a large chunk of it. The breakthrough came for us when Belgium's penalty count got away from them and they were given a yellow card. This infringement not only gave us the chance to stretch our lead through Ben Rimene's accurate boot, it also re-energised the squad. Through more concerted and continued pressure, centre Lee Jones broke through and scored an impressive try near the end to stretch our lead – and give us a bit of breathing space. The vibe in the team afterwards was a real sense of achievement but also, encouragingly, a "glass half full" mentality with test two on the horizon for the weekend. Having a two test series makes an interesting scenario. Unlike the Asian 5 Nations or Eacon which we are familiar with and where we play the opposition once in the calendar year, this series gives Belgium a chance for reinstatement. And with the time to reflect in their environment I know the result isn’t sitting well with them. They will be a much different beast this Saturday and with the element of surprise now eradicated, we can expect them to notch it up physically a level or two. Having said that, it was our first test match in over seven months and we have identified a lot of areas to work on. Having the psychological edge from the first test in the back of our minds is a good thing and we can head into the second test with a lot of confidence. Come Saturday it will be all on for young and old to enjoy. So come along and support the boys with a big, loud Hong Kong voice.