Rugby balls and wedding bells: debutants Cayman Islands promising a party or two in Hong Kong

One is an archipelago with strong British roots that is known throughout the world as an important financial centre – and the other is, um, an archipelago with strong British roots that is known throughout the world as an important financial centre.

On the face of things, that is where the similarities between the Cayman Islands (population: less than 60,000) and Hong Kong (population: north of seven million) end, with the former conjuring images of swaying palms and unoccupied stretches of sugar-white sand, while the latter doesn’t.

But for Cayman Islands captain Mark Soto, the link between the two is about to get a lot stronger.

Soto will lead his merry band of amateurs out on the pitch against Hong Kong in their first-ever match at the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens on Friday afternoon – and just six days later he’ll marry his Hong Kong-born fiancée at a ceremony on the Peak.

For someone who until late last week had never before set foot in Hong Kong, the place is guaranteed to leave a long-lasting impression on the 29-year-old.

“It’s an exciting time for a lot of reasons but I’m going to be 100 per cent focused on rugby until Sunday afternoon,” says the bearded Soto, who owns a liquor store in George Town, the Cayman capital.

“The missus and her mum have done a great job organising the wedding and everything is pretty much done, so it’s allowed me to concentrate on what we as a team need to do on the pitch.”