Hong Kong qualify for World Rugby Junior Trophy after 5th straight Asia Rugby U19s title
Hosts book their fifth straight appearance in the tournament next spring as the side run riot against Sri Lanka at Hong Kong Football Club
The Hong Kong Men’s Under 19s team beat Sri Lanka 40-7 in the return leg of the home-and-away Asia Rugby U19s championship on Saturday night at Hong Kong Football Club.
The sweep saw Hong Kong claim their fifth straight U19s title and book a fifth straight appearance at the World Rugby Junior Trophy next spring.
After last weekend’s 37-8 win in Colombo, Hong Kong U19s coach Stephen Dowse rang the changes in the starting fifteen for Saturday night’s rematch, blooding seven seventeen year olds ahead of the encounter.
As may be expected, Hong Kong didn’t quite hit their stride in the early going until more of the senior squad members made it on from the reserves bench in the second half.
“In the first half we wanted to get guys opportunities and it was great that we were able to do that. We blooded six or seven 17-year olds out there today and we don’t get the opportunity to do that too often at this level, ” said coach Dowse.
“Every year younger guys are coming in and playing Premiership rugby and that is certainly helping. I think it was a great experience for those guys who came on and a few of the older heads coming off the bench in the second half perhaps just steadied the ship a bit.”