Hong Kong Sevens to feature Asia’s best as tournaments bids farewell to home of past 30 years
- Landmark sporting event expected to relocate to Kai Tak Sports Park in 2025, bringing an end to its association with Hong Kong Stadium
- With city’s men and women cut out of main event, organisers have arranged new Melrose Shield involving China, Japan and Thailand
The last Hong Kong Sevens to be played at the famed tournament’s home of 30 years will feature the city’s men’s and women’s teams, despite them not being involved in the main event.
With World Rugby cutting the elite series to just the best 12 sides, the local squads have had to look elsewhere for their matches this April.
And with a nod to the final event at Hong Kong Stadium before a move to Kai Tak Sports Park in 2025, organisers have returned to the tournament’s roots, inviting the likes of China, Japan and Thailand to take part in a newly created Melrose Shield competition, which pays homage to the home of the sport in Scotland.
Hong Kong’s men will take on China and Japan over the course of the three days from April 5 to 7, while the women will face off against China, and Thailand, who they beat to the bronze medal at last year’s Asian Games.
The competitions will take the format of a six-match, round-robin tournaments interspersed throughout the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens.
“On behalf of Melrose RFC and the Melrose Sevens, I am delighted, that as the home of rugby sevens we are able to donate ‘The Melrose Shields’ to the two new competitions in Hong Kong, as a mark of our support and gratitude to Hong Kong China Rugby, which has done so much to promote and grow our wonderful game of rugby sevens in Asia and beyond,” Phil Morris, tournament director of Melrose Rugby Limited, said.