Fresh talent: new faces boost Hong Kong’s physical force for Cup of Nations
Stand-out Premiership performers and many returning after completing education abroad are among those chosen to make debut in tournament starting Friday
Hong Kong have 12 new caps in their squad for the week-long Cup of Nations test series with Russia, Zimbabwe and Portugal.
Hot on the heels of the Asia Rugby Sevens Qualifiers-Hong Kong for the 2016 Olympics, the Cup of Nations will see double-headers of top 15s rugby at the Hong Kong Football Club, starting on Friday when Hong Kong face off against Zimbabwe and Portugal play Russia.
Hong Kong enter the tournament as the second highest-ranked side competing - 24th in the world, two spots off Russia's 22 and ahead of Zimbabwe (26) and Portugal (28).
There are differences in all three of the opponents, but the one overriding factor is that they all have that physicality, which we will need to counter
Hong Kong coach Andrew Hall said: "I think what we are seeing is a product of our enhanced commitment to the next four-year cycle in terms of qualification for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
"After last year's Asian championship we had some natural attrition with a couple of retirements and guys who have moved on. The majority of players we have included in the training squad are those we are counting on to be here four years hence, when we aim to qualify for Rugby World Cup 2019," Hall said.