Rugby World Cup 2027 looms large as Hong Kong aim to get up to speed
Amid countdown to tournament debut in Australia, coaches working to ensure the city can be competitive
Qualifying for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia was the easy part; now the hard work begins for Hong Kong head coach Logan Asplin.
Faced with the prospect of taking on the world’s best sides in one of the biggest sporting occasions there is, the New Zealander must build a team capable of holding their own.
The first step has been to sign 26 players in the city to full-time contracts. Overseas stars have been brought in, the nucleus of the squad that won the Asia Rugby Championship kept together, and young players, some not yet qualified, secured with an eye on the future.
Matt Worley is back from Bedford Blues and has returned to his childhood home at Football Club, centres Isaac Campbell-Wu, who was with Bristol Bears, will play for Valley, and Marcus Ramage, latterly of Nottingham, heads to Scottish.
Having his players was something Asplin called “pretty advantageous”, and it allows the head coach and his staff to decide “what a Hong Kong player” looks like.
“How do we take characteristics out of what we do and drive them for two years into the World Cup?” Asplin said. “What can we do now, and little and often to make 2027 successful?