THE Hong Kong women’s side is relishing their chance of participating in the Mana Whey Fiji Coral Coast 7s.
The side has been boosted with the services of Natasha Olson-Thorne and Christy Chi Ka Cheng both of whom represented Hong Kong at the Women’s Rugby World Cup last year.
Coach Kevin West said they were really excited heading into the tournament. West said they did not get many chances of playing in tournaments outside of Asia.
“It will be a big challenge for my players,” he said,
“We don’t get to play too many teams out of Asia, so to come here and play is something special. I saw the competition last year. To play in such a great quality competition will be a challenge. We have a number of girls who participated in the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
“Natasha and Christy are our co-captains.”
Olson-Thorne became the first ever Hong Kong player to score a try at the Women’s Rugby World Cup in the 39-15 loss to Wales in Dublin, last August.
West said the 7s rugby on offer at the Coral Coast tournament would be totally different.
“In Fiji 7s is a religion. They play a lot differently than elsewhere in the world. So it will be a completely different set up for us. “They have their off-loading game and the flair that they bring to the game. We turned to play a more structured game. That’s where it will be a great challenge for us.”
