Boots and all | Here’s hoping for the Wright decision

It was great to see that Mark Wright is back in the fray in sevens. The former Hong Kong captain has been missing in action for so long that we thought he had been lost permanently to the system.

But he has been included in the 14-strong national squad which is presently in Zimbabwe for the Harare International Sevens this weekend.

It will be the first time that Gareth Baber will get the chance to see Wright in action and, undoubtedly, the latter will want to make a good impression, with the Hong Kong Sports Institute head coach using this trip as a barometer to pick the 12 players for this month’s Hong Kong Sevens.

While his return is welcome, there is an asterisk attached to it – Wright is available only until the end of March, after which he must report back to duty with Tokyo Shokki Shuttles, his team in the Japan Top League.

Wright is presently negotiating a new contract but the club is keen to get him back and it is inevitable that he will be gone soon. This is a pity, for he is a key asset with the Asian Games coming up in September in Incheon, South Korea.

Winning the gold medal at the Asian Games must be a priority – in addition to qualifying as a core team on the HSBC Sevens World Series. Hong Kong who has never won a team gold medal at this multi-sports event which is only second to the Olympics in terms of numbers of athletes and medals presented.

An Asian Games gold medal would be huge as it would give added credence to rugby in the local community. In recent years the sport has gained a lot of face and credibility, culminating in it being accepted on merit into the Hong Kong Sports Institute where it is the only team sport in the elite category.