Cover Hong Kong China’s men’s rugby team makes history by qualifying for their first Rugby World Cup, stepping out from the shadow of the city’s famous Sevens party to challenge global powerhouses like Australia and New Zealand. (Photo: courtesy of Hong Kong China Rugby)
Hong Kong China’s men’s rugby team makes history by qualifying for their first Rugby World Cup, stepping out from the shadow of the city’s famous Sevens party to challenge global powerhouses like Australia and New Zealand. (Photo: courtesy of Hong Kong China Rugby)
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Hong Kong China’s men have qualified for their first Rugby World Cup, drawn against the host nation, the All Blacks and Chile. This is a moment the city’s rugby culture has been building towards for years—and it’s about to get the attention it deserves
I moved to Hong Kong six years ago knowing almost nothing about its rugby scene. I knew about the Sevens, of course; everyone knows the Sevens: three days in the South Stand, fancy dress by lunchtime, a beer snake that somehow gets longer every year, and time in a stadium that feels less like a sporting fixture than the best party in Asia. I spent my first one in the thick of it, focusing far more on enjoying myself than actually watching the rugby.
If you’d told me then that six years later I’d be writing about Hong Kong China preparing to play at a men’s Rugby World Cup, I’d have laughed you out of the stadium. Look who’s laughing now.
“I remember being completely overwhelmed with emotion,” captain Josh Hrstich recalls of the final whistle against South Korea on July 5, 2025 at the Asia Rugby Championship.
The competition also served as the final stage of the Asian continental qualifier for the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup: “My mind went into overdrive—I was looking for my teammates, the coaching staff, everyone who’d put in the work. I was lucky enough to have my family fly out to Incheon to watch. All I wanted was to find them in the crowd and celebrate what we’d just achieved together.”
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Above Hong Kong China Rugby takes on Chile at the Nations Cup, offering a crucial early test against a future Rugby World Cup 2027 pool mate. (Photo: courtesy of Hong Kong China Rugby)
Hong Kong China Rugby takes on Chile at the Nations Cup, offering a crucial early test against a future Rugby World Cup 2027 pool mate. (Photo: courtesy of Hong Kong China Rugby)
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That result sealed Hong Kong China’s place among the 24 nations at Rugby World Cup 2027; and becoming only the 27th squad ever to appear at the tournament. It is a major achievement for the union, which was founded in 1952, to send a men’s XV to be tested over 80 minutes, alongside the game’s biggest and best-established names.
Then came the draw. Hong Kong is in Pool A, along with hosts Australia, three-time champions New Zealand, and Chile. Hong Kong will open the tournament against the host nation’s Wallabies at Perth Stadium on October 1, 2027, and Chile in Queensland on October 9, before facing New Zealand in Melbourne on October 15.
“Watching that draw made the whole qualification feel real,” says Hrstich. “To play against two global powerhouses like the Wallabies and the All Blacks, alongside a Chile side we have immense respect for, is unreal. The challenge is enormous; but for me, this is the experience of a lifetime.”
As someone who played the game professionally, I understand the significance of that draw. Every rugby player dreams of a World Cup opener against the host nation. And to stand across from the All Blacks and face the haka is perhaps the most iconic experience any non-Kiwi player can imagine. Most professionals go a whole career without either. Hong Kong’s squad gets both, inside a fortnight.
This city has spent decades being known internationally for a Sevens weekend which, if we’re honest, has always been more about having a good time than serious rugby. I lived that reputation. But it has always sat slightly apart from what the national XV has been patiently building underneath it.
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Above Hong Kong China Rugby continues to strengthen its standing on the world stage through sheer grit and global ambition. (Photo: courtesy of Hong Kong China Rugby)
Hong Kong China Rugby continues to strengthen its standing on the world stage through sheer grit and global ambition. (Photo: courtesy of Hong Kong China Rugby)
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The World Rugby Nations Cup, a new competition for men’s second-tier national squads that debuted in July 2026, was a reality check as much as anything, and a useful one. Hong Kong lost 66-19 to Samoa, then went down 38-17 to Chile. But it was what happened next that mattered. Facing Uruguay, five-time World Cup qualifiers, Hong Kong trailed 26-13 at half-time, but went on to win 42-40, sealed by a last-gasp penalty.
“Half-time was all about clinical problem-solving,” Hrstich says. “We needed to make some repairs defensively, but we felt confident we could hurt them in attack. The changing room was calm—there was a real, shared belief that if we sorted out a few key details, we had a massive chance. And we did.”
Six lead changes, a red card against them, and still they found a way. That is not the profile of a team making up the numbers.
There’s a bigger prize beyond October 2027. Hong Kong China’s set-up is professional in every sense that matters—full-time coaching, proper conditioning, a structure built to compete. But what it hasn’t had, until now, is a stage. A World Cup is a shop window like nothing else in the sport, and scouts, agents and coaches from bigger leagues will be watching. For players who’ve built careers out of the international spotlight, that exposure could be the difference between a good career and a genuinely global one.
Above Hong Kong China Rugby mounts a dramatic second-half comeback against Uruguay to secure a thrilling 42-40 victory at the World Rugby Nations Cup 2026 in July. (Photo: courtesy of Hong Kong China Rugby)
Hong Kong China Rugby mounts a dramatic second-half comeback against Uruguay to secure a thrilling 42-40 victory at the World Rugby Nations Cup 2026 in July. (Photo: courtesy of Hong Kong China Rugby)
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For Hrstich, the privilege of captaining this team at the championship is highly personal. “It would be an absolute dream come true,” he says. “Leading these boys out of the tunnel is already one of the greatest honours of my life. To do it on the world stage would be next level.”
“Realistically, we’ll be targeting that Chile game—I’m sure they’re targeting us too,” Hrstich says. “But privately, it’s about a bigger platform. For so long, Hong Kong has been recognised for hosting the greatest Sevens party in the world. Success to me means showing we also have a world-class 15s team that can earn respect on the global stage. If this inspires the next generation to pick up a ball, we’ve truly won.”
Perth is a little over a year away. Hong Kong now know exactly how far they still have to go—Chile made that plain in July; but they also know they can beat a side that’s stood on this stage five times before. That’s not a participation trophy; that’s a team that’s earned its seat, and is about to find out exactly what its limits are.
Pete Laverick is a sports and lifestyle journalist for Tatler Hong Kong. A former professional rugby player, he brings an athlete’s perspective to his coverage of the city’s sports and fitness scene. A committed fitness enthusiast, Pete is always testing something new—from Hyrox to marathons and triathlons—writing with the first-hand insight of someone who has lived at the top level of sport. He also has a standing invitation from Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeannie Buss to watch the Lakers at the Crypto.com Arena if he makes it to California.
