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Opinion
Hong Kong’s hard-won spot in Rugby World Cup is a dream come true
The city, famous for hosting the iconic Sevens tournament, finally made the men’s 15-a-side world cup after coming close previously
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Editorials represent the views of the South China Morning Post on the issues of the day.
Hong Kong is famous for rugby because of the enduring appeal of the iconic Sevens tournament, which attracted more than 110,000 fans this year. But excitement is now being generated by the city’s performance in the more traditional 15-a-side game. Hong Kong has qualified for the men’s Rugby World Cup for the first time. It is a big achievement.
Hong Kong produced an impressive display in the Asia Rugby Championship, winning all three matches comfortably. Qualification for the World Cup in 2027 was sealed this month with a 70-22 victory over South Korea. The team narrowly missed out on reaching the Rugby World Cup, the pinnacle of the sport, in 2018 and 2022. This time, with the tournament expanded to 24 teams, the long-awaited objective has been reached. Hong Kong does not often feature in major global tournaments for team sports. The women’s rugby team made the World Cup in 2017 and the men’s cricket team has twice progressed to the T20 World Cup.
Preparations must now begin for the Men’s Rugby World Cup to be held in Australia in October and November 2027. Hong Kong’s players, ranked 23rd globally, will need to be at their best. They will be performing on rugby’s biggest stage. The last world cup in France in 2023 drew 2.5 million spectators and 1.3 billion viewing hours for broadcasts around the world. There were 425,000 international visitors.
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