Hong Kong U20s ready to mix it up with world’s best

When Hong Kong’s U20s take on some of the future stars of the game next month in the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy, they will be able to draw inspiration from one of their own who is about to make his Hong Kong Sevens debut.

Raef Morrison, who has been named in the Hong Kong men’s sevens squad for this weekend, has been an influential member of the U20s representative squad and was involved in the senior sevens side that competed in the Zimbabwe Sevens last weekend.

The Hong Kong Football Club flanker – together with DeA’s Chris Maize, Hong Kong Cricket Club’s Mike Parfitt, Valley’s Theo Rolston and Club’s Mike Coverdale – is expected help the home side make an impact in the IRB Trophy.

“Chris and Raef are obviously influential player for us,” said team manager Paul Renouf. “Chris is just coming back from injury. That’s the only real worry we have – that players get injured – but we are happy with how our preparations have gone for the tournament.”

However, Hong Kong U20s coach Pale Tauti is under no illusions about the size of the task that lies ahead.

“We’ll be going in as underdogs for every game, but we’ll be looking to be very competitive, if not get the win. I’ve a lot of confidence in the personnel we have,” Tauti said.

“The pressure won’t get to them. Most of them have either regularly featured in senior men’s domestic rugby here in Hong Kong or played at underage national level. It means they’re getting exposure to adult rugby, which only helps their development.”