Hong Kong’s team spirit remains strong despite shock loss on journey to Rugby World Cup

Nick, “we’ve been on the ground in Marseille preparing for the tournament against Germany, Kenya and Canada in hopes of securing the final place at Rugby World Cup and there couldn’t be a better place to do it.

The rugby supporting city has provided a great base for us to prepare for the crucial games and has offered us the chance to experience the French culture and interact with the local community.  Marseille’s scenic waterfront is bustling with many cultures, the city is filled with nice restaurants and its history can be felt throughout the streets. We’ve also had the opportunity to explore other parts of Southern France. We visited nearby Cassis which is a petite town just 30 minutes away with a casual and welcoming feel. 

Coming off our warm-up tour in Wales, the team build-up to our opening game against Germany was focused and we felt in a really good space. Unfortunately an injury placed me on the bench for our first game and I had to watch the intense encounter from the sidelines. We were feeling confident with the game tied at 9-9 late in the second half but the opportunities we missed earlier in the game came back to haunt us and Germany finished with a 26-9 win.

With so much effort and so much at stake this was a disappointing result for the team but we failed to capitalize on the pressure we created.  After some deep analysis and reflection the team spirit is once again strong and the mood positive. With nothing to lose and everything to play for we are going to give everything we have in our next match against Kenya who is also coming off a first-round loss.

The mathematical equation for us to have a chance of making Rugby World Cup Japan means we have to win our next two games with bonus points and hope some other results go our way. I firmly believe in this group and that we can work together to overcome this hurdle to keep our Rugby World Cup journey alive. We look forward to showing our force on Saturday 17th against Kenya.”

Join the journey with Societe Generale and get behind Hong Kong as they look to redeem themselves against Kenya this Saturday 17th and Canada on 23rd November to qualify for Rugby World Cup 2019.