Opinion | Rugby World Cup 2019: back door to Japan now wide open for Hong Kong men as repechage beckons
If all goes to plan, Hong Kong could be winning their first ever World Cup match a year from now
Three wins and they’re in.
The repechage qualifying event in Marseilles, France (November 11-23) is a new concept for the Rugby World Cup, a Hail Mary round-robin tournament for fringe teams to grab the final 20th spot.
What makes this repechage so salivating is Hong Kong may now be the favourites going into the test matches against Germany, Kenya and Canada (in that order) over 13 days.
Here’s why there’s a legitimate chance Hong Kong could punch their ticket to Japan and send the local rugby community into a frenzy.
Hong Kong are the highest ranked squad at 21, followed by Canada (23), Kenya (28) and Germany (29). While international rankings tend to be one step behind actual results, it’s safe to say these are fairly accurate as none of the squads have beaten any marquee teams as of late to merit a big jump.