Tokyo 2020: Hong Kong’s men’s rugby sevens run their whole bench and blitz Malaysia in opening show of strength
- With tries from seven different players, coach Paul John gets all 12 of his players on field in their opener
- The team will play their second game of the day against Taiwan at 2:14pm Hong Kong time
Hong Kong wasted no time in showing why they are favoured to qualify for the Olympics this weekend in Incheon, South Korea, as they blasted Malaysia 54-0 in their first game of the tournament.
Veteran Salom Yiu Kam-shing, 31, opened the scoring for Hong Kong after a few minutes and the team never looked back in their opener to the 2020 Asia Rugby Men’s Sevens Olympic Qualifier at Namdong Asiad Stadium in Incheon.
Hong Kong were up 26-0 at half-time and used all 12 available players through the match. Head coach Paul John said the plan was to get his boys out on the pitch so they could get their legs moving.
“It’s always good to get that first game in and get rid of that rust and get into sevens mode,” said John. “We had a bit of defending to do at the start and I think that was good. I think it was important for us to have that test right away.”
Hong Kong got tries from seven players with captain Max Woodward, who played the whole game, scoring twice.
John said he intends to do the same for the team’s second match and go deep into his bench against Taiwan which starts at 2:44pm Hong Kong time.
“Malaysia are a very capable squad and a lot more physical I think than some people expect,” said John about the Asian nation.
Tom McQueen, 30, who scored a try and is part of the squad with his older brother Alex, said pushing Malaysia back and defending for the first few minutes was a great way for them to start the tournament.
“Without being disrespectful to some of these teams that don’t get the exposure that we do, we tend to run away with the scoreline, so it was good for us to get a few defensive sets in because we know throughout the weekend we are going to be under pressure and a lot of the teams we will play tomorrow are going to push us a lot more.”
McQueen, who got his first cap during the 2008 Hong Kong Sevens, said even though it’s cliché, it is “one game at a time” as they march towards a possible historic berth at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Hong Kong have not sent a men’s or women’s team to the Olympics since 1964 when the men’s field hockey team went to Tokyo. They did not win a game.
“We are favourites and we have to earn that right,” said McQueen. “Max (Woodward) actually said it in warm-ups, whenever we play these teams it’s the same as when we play World Series teams, the Fijis, the New Zealands, the South Africans.
“It’s our cup final when we get to play them so I would imagine some of these teams would feel the same way against us. And we know what it is like to be on the wrong side of a score like this.”
The temperature in Incheon was 16 degrees Celsius during the match and McQueen said the squad feel quite comfortable, but he remembered one unfortunate incident involving himself here a few years back.
“A couple years ago I snapped my ACL on this pitch, but it is a good pitch and not too hot so it’s good for people who are not too fit like myself.”
