Hong Kong must go pro to test Japan, says Eddie Jones

Hong Kong can pose a threat to Japan's dominance in Asia, says Brave Blossoms head coach Eddie Jones, but not today and only if the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union decides to go down the road of professionalism.

Just a few days after it was confirmed the sevens programme will go full-time with the assistance of the Hong Kong Sports Institute, Jones suggested Asia's number one team would have to look over their shoulder if the HKRFU decided to follow suit with its 15s programme, too.

"Hong Kong is ahead of Japan as far as sevens is concerned right now and if their 15s team, too, did the same thing [investing a lot of resources and becoming full-time pros] then Hong Kong would pose a threat," said Jones on the eve of today's HSBC Asian Five Nations encounter at Hong Kong Football Club.

Right now everyone agrees the threat is minimal. The results over the past few years also point to that: 67-0 last year, 45-22 (2011), 94-5 (2010), 59-6 (2009) and 75-29 (2008).

Hong Kong head coach Leigh Jones admitted the gulf between the teams was huge. "I'm not sure it is [a level playing field] at the moment," said Jones. "You don't need to be a rugby pundit to realise that and know when you are pitting semi-professionals against full-time pros what the outcome will be. It will be a tough ask for the players."

So should the HKRFU bite the bullet and contract players full time? Should 15s also have a full-time programme similar to what sevens will soon have?

Hong Kong's Jones refused to be drawn into that debate, saying only it was a decision for the "powers that be".