Domestic 15s game faces juggling act if Hong Kong earn World Series place

Hong Kong's national fifteens programme is likely to be scaled back if the sevens squad win the qualifying tournament at the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens and become a core team in the World Series, says top official Pieter Schats.

"Something's got to give. When and if we qualify we will have to relook at our 15-a-side programme. The two might not necessarily go hand in hand the way it goes now," said Schats, Hong Kong Rugby Football Union chairman.

Schats pointed to the poor progress of rivals Japan in their inaugural year on the World Series and said Hong Kong could learn some lessons.

Despite having a far bigger player base than Hong Kong, the Asian powerhouses are last in the standings, having won only one of their 25 matches in the five legs of the series. Japan has an estimated 53,000 registered male players, while there are about 2,000 in Hong Kong.

"To compete in the World Series, which next season is likely to have 10 tournaments, you will need a squad of probably 27 or 28 players and that is a lot for us. Can we manage it?" asked Schats. "With every silver lining comes other challenges and that is what we are here to do, to try to manage those pluses and minuses."

Just one berth is available from the 12-team qualifying competition for the World Series next season. Head sevens coach Gareth Baber said the Hong Kong squad were in peak form.

With sevens an elite sport at the Hong Kong Sports Institute and getting more than HK$5 million in funding from the government every year, the focus has shifted from 15s to sevens, especially with the shortened code now an Olympic sport.