Hong Kong Sevens: ‘It was amateurish but fun,’ says former England star Bob Lloyd of 1976’s first edition when he led hosts to Plate glory
- The Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens takes place from April 5 to April 7 at Hong Kong Stadium
- Lloyd captained Hong Kong in the inaugural tournament, staged at Hong Kong Football Club in 1976
Were it not for an intransigent college teacher, and the wanderlust of English rugby chiefs, Bob Lloyd would never have moved to Hong Kong.
More than 50 years later, the former England centre is woven into the city’s fabric. Not that you can take all of his country of origin out of the boy. At Hong Kong Football Club (HKFC), where he is revisiting memories of captaining the city’s team at the same venue in the inaugural Hong Kong Sevens in 1976, Lloyd orders an English breakfast tea.
Leading Hong Kong may not have matched playing for England, but he had silverware to celebrate at the first Sevens, contested over one day. The cosmopolitan hosts won the Plate, beating Tonga 19-16 in the final after Ian Duncan kicked an extra-time penalty.
“We did not celebrate for too long,” Lloyd said. “The tournament was a bit amateurish, and losing certainly would not have ruined our day. We were just scratching the surface, and it was fun, but very few were watching.”
In his mind’s eye, Lloyd can still see Fiji’s huge Ilaitia Tuisese running like the wind in Hong Kong’s pool-stage defeat.
