Omicron restrictions force Hong Kong’s women to end Rugby World Cup dream, decision ‘incredibly disappointing’ union says
- Women’s 15s team was expected to play Kazakhstan in Dubai on February 13
- Samoa also forced to withdraw leaving Kazakhstan to play Colombia in semi-final of rearranged qualifier tournament
Hong Kong’s women have been forced to withdraw from their Rugby World Cup qualifier in Dubai next month because of travel restrictions linked to Covid-19.
The women’s 15s side had been expected to play Kazakhstan in the UAE on February 13, with the winners then going into the final global repechage tournament the following week, where a place at the 2021 World Cup in New Zealand later this year is up for grabs.
In a statement released on Friday evening, the Hong Kong Rugby Union said it had also been forced to make the decision because of the lockdown of sports facilities in the city.
World Rugby revealed that Samoa, who Hong Kong would have played if they had beaten Kazakhstan, had also been forced to withdraw because of coronavirus restrictions.
As a result, the governing body has revised the format for the final qualification tournament, with Kazakhstan now playing Colombia in a semi-final on February 19, and the winners playing Scotland a week later for a place at the World Cup.
Hong Kong’s government has banned all sport in the city since January 7, with the clampdown presently running until February 4.
“The team has been unable to train for the competition, which was first scheduled for May 2020 before being rescheduled numerous times with the final dates set for February 2022,” the statement said.
“Given current social-distancing restrictions in place in Hong Kong, the team would not have been able to train until February 4 at the earliest, leaving it just days to ready for the competition, hampering preparations and creating a potential risk to player safety.”