HKCR Alex Post – “For For Us To Reach the Pinnacle of the Sport Can Only Mean Good Things for the Exposure and the Growth of the Game in Hong Kong”

Alex Post is the second-most capped player in the Hong Kong China wider squad for the Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship (AREMC) 2025, which is arguably the most important tournament they have played, with the Rugby World Cup pathways amended this year. He has been selected to start this weekend as they travel to Incheon to play South Korea, knowing a win would secure a first-ever RWC appearance for Hong Kong China.

Feature Photo Credit – HKCR – Alex Post

Born in Hong Kong, Alexander Post made his senior HKCR Men’s XV debut against Kenya a decade ago and is line to earn his 23rd cap in Incheon, which shows how scarce test rugby is for the regional champions for the last five years since Japan stopped playing the Asia Rugby Men’s Championship.

He has also been plying his trade with Richmond in the RFU, who earned promotion next season to the Championship. HKCR teammate Paul Altier will join him at Richmond next season, and in the HKCR training squad is another Richmond colleague, Max Murphy.

The seasoned pro has been very complimentary of the S&C and coaching team for this AREMC and knows that if they win against Korea, they will need all of the 40+ players who have been in camp over the recent months as they build to RWC 2027 in Australia

“We all know it’s not just the guys lucky enough to be selected in the 23. I will name-drop a Richmond Rugby teammate who is here training with us, Max Murphy. He has come in and has been training with the squad; he’s in his early twenties, he is six feet eight, and a young one for the future. He has been training the house down and helped push the other guys all the way. You need those 40+ players for the next two years.

There are lots of familiar faces in the setup and a lot of guys I have played with for a long time, even pre-pandemic, such as Josh Hrstich (captian), Luke Van Der Smit, and James Sawyer, and that’s just in the backrow.”

Photo Credit – HKCR – AREMC 2025

From Club Rugby To The International Stage and Embracing Fatherhood – Alex Post

Alex Post said that the changeup from the UK to the HKCR international season has been smooth. “The transition back in is really easy, and credit there must go to the coaches who make it so easy and help facilitate that.

The other boys in the team have been great too. I have recently become a new father, and lots of the guys here are fathers as well, so we have different things to talk about. They have been very supportive and great at checking in with me.”

Hong Kong China’s preparations started months ago with a camp in Australia at the Brumbies facilities and then in Japan before the opening two rounds, which the defending champions won against the UAE (43-10) and Sri Lanka (78-7).

“The weather in that first game; it was 36 degrees late at night, and I wasn’t used to that and felt it. But fair play to the Strength and Conditioning team as they have got the guys in great shape (Pete Nugent is in charge of the team’s S&C), and even in the time I have been here for the past two months, I feel athletically a lot better,” explained Post.

Photo Credit – HKCR Men XV Head Coach Andrew Douglas (bottom)

“I flew out here for a stint of seven weeks for our preparation, and my family stayed in the UK. This is why Dougie (Head Coach Andrew Douglas) is such a good coach and someone I like to play for.

I asked him if I could go back to see my family and my little girl, as I had been away for longer than the time I had spent with her. He was understanding and generous and told me to go back and see her. It has been tough being away from them, but it’s nice to know I come back with a job to do with this final game against Korea in Incheon.”

One Final Hurdle In Korea

The HKCR squad for the final weekend sees a lot of familiar faces from the previous two games, even though there is a much broader training pool who have all been helpful in getting the guys ready. The team has won two from two and knows what is at stake this weekend with the Rugby World Cup qualification looming large.

Korea at home are playing for the same stakes as Hong Kong China, and knows that if they win, it will be them who make history and qualify for the first-ever Rugby World Cup.

Alex Post said, “In terms of what Korea will bring, they have a fast pace and some serious athletes; their backline is seriously quick, so there are a lot of threats there. There are also some opportunities we have identified in some areas, and we will look to target those. 

Our focus has been on our own process, our own jobs, and our own roles. We know that if we can be at our best, then we should put ourselves in a good place.”

In the HKCR victories so far, Post admits they started nervously against the UAE, but the nerves had dissipated in the second half and by the time they demolished Sri Lanka. He doesn’t expect nerves for this final obstacle.

“With recent fixtures like in South America and against Germany, there was nothing really on the line, but with that opener in Dubai, the potential to qualify for the RWC was looming. I think the boys started nervously for the first 5-10 minutes, but once we got our second wind, things started to click, and I think you could see that in the game against Sri Lanka last time out, and in the second half against the UAE.

The boys have been raring to go and I think have done the talking on the pitch so far, and hopefully we can do the same on Saturday against Korea.”

Photo Credit – HKCR – AREMC 2025 – Alex Post at the back of the driving maul

Playing at hooker, he has been part of a pack that have dominated their opposition, functioned really well at lineouts and scrum time and they have been scoring tries while establishing the platform to release their dangerous backs.

Asked how much he has been enjoying playing with the guys around him, he said, “In the past, sometimes there was a drop off from the starting XV to the bench to the guys outside the matchday 23 and Dougie and the team have established really good talented depth and I think we could see that this Championship, and the guys who have come off the bench. Even on our preparation tours to Australia and Japan, we had some serious depth. That was something I really noticed being away for a year and coming back in.

I wouldn’t want to be the coaches having to select guys for these matches, even if you look at the backrow there is some great talent, and the pack has some real depth to it. Playing with that pack has been really fun.” 

Of his position he expained, “Playing hooker, my role is more of a facilitator and try and help set up the boys in the scrum and try and get the boys at the lineouts to go through their process and get accurate balls thrown in so we can run good lines. We know if the pack is going well and going forward, then our backs can strike. 

Dougie has given us the license to try and be upfront and I love it. As a hooker I like to have that license every week, so its been great to have him on the front row’s side this week.”

You can read more in our match preview collaboration with HKCR, with quotes from key players here.

What Would Rugby World Cup Qualification Mean?

The management and team have taken a game-by-game approach to all AREMC 2025. Post said, “The elephant in the room has been about qualifying for a Rugby World Cup, but I dont think we have even really mentioned that in camp until this week.

The boys know there is a job we have to do. There are also good, calm heads and leaders in the group, and we are blessed with having a lot of them. Our captain, Josh Hrstich, is a great captain, and I would run through a wall for him. He leads by example, and when he makes some of his dominant shots, it’s exciting for the rest of us, and it’s great to watch, and it’s great to be next to him.

Photo Credit – HKCR – Men’s XV Captain Josh Hrstich

There are loads of other leaders too; PJ (Patrick Jenkinson) at lineout time, James Sawyer in defence and Tommy Hill in attack, Nate (de Thierry) in the attack shape, and Matt Worley in the backfield, there are loads of them.

On that elephant in the room, what would it mean for him, this team and HKCR to qualify for RWC 2027?

“For me, I would like to say it is about time, as we have failed the previous two times, so getting it done on the third try would be nice. It is something I have worked towards for a long time.

I am only 29, but I dont feel like a spring chicken, and I dont know how many other opportunities I would get, and it’s something I have always wanted to do. To play in the Rugby World Cup is the biggest stage for rugby in 15s, and it’s the pinnacle of the sport. I dont know many people who would not want to play at the very top like that.”

Photo Credit – HKCR – Alex Post with the coaches at the jersey presentation

He continued, “For the group, they have worked so hard; the conditioning, the detail we go into, the number of guys who are not full-time players. Patrick Jenkinson comes here from work, finishes training, and then is up at 6 AM for work the next day. The work all of the guys put in astounds me, and it’s a real privilege to play with them, and if we did it, it would be a proud moment.

For Hong Kong China Rugby, for us to reach the pinnacle of the sport can only mean good things for the exposure and the growth of the game in Hong Kong, which can be really important for the future. We can maybe get more players here as part of that full-time programme, and young kids can see Hong Kong China play at the highest stage against the very best players in the world.”

AREMC 2025 Rugby News

• Ultimate Guide to 2025 Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship – RWC 2027 Qualification.
• Hong Kong China vs Sri Lanka Preview – Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship 2025.
• UAE vs Hong Kong China Preview – Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship 2025.
• Sri Lanka vs Korea Preview – Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship 2025.