Hong Kong China Men’s 7s Feel Much Improved Heading Into HSBC SVNS 3 2026

The Hong Kong China Rugby (HKCR) Men’s 7s team heads to HSBC SVNS 3 in Dubai, with the tournament taking place from 17-18 January, knowing only the top two teams that reach the cup final will be promoted to compete in the three legs which make up SVNS 2.

Feature Photo Credit- HKCR

HKCR Men’s 7s Head Coach Jevon Groves was visibly frustrated and disappointed in Cape Town for the 2025 Challenger back-to-back legs, in which the men finished 11th of 12 teams; this after finishing 4th in 2023 and 5th in 2024.

Since then, the team has had some tough internal talks, focused on improved fitness and cohesion – they went through the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series 2025 undefeated, and won the Chinese 15th National Games.

Photo Credit – HKCR

HKCR Men Looking to Redeem 2025 Challenger Performances

Groves said, “It’s a pretty tough route to get to that end goal, but for us, there is a tiny element of wanting a bit of redemption from last year. We were disappointed in our results and performances, so that’s the main focus coming in; we’ve spoken as a group about improving on our performance from last year, and I think that’s going to be a little bit of added motivation.

It was probably an outlier how we played last year, because for the most part, when we’ve entered these competitions, we’ve been competitive.

Previously, we reached the final and were probably only a point or two away from qualifying, so, that’s in the back of our minds. This is a spot where we want to be competitive and challenge teams in this tier. If we get a result, it’s also a chance to unlock three more quality tournaments, which is something we’re striving for in terms of our development and preparation for the Asian Games at the end of the year. So, this is an important tournament.”

Co-captain James Christie said, “It’s a super right knight group, and the competition among the guys has improved, which makes us better as a whole. Last year, we had a few strong words with each other after the Challenger in South Africa, which led to the dynamics changing. Instead of having a go at each other, we give better constructive criticism, and we take that into account, and that has made us better as a team and as individuals.”

Photo Credit – HKCR – Men’s 7s Co-captains Seb Brien (left) and James Christie (right)

“We spoke with the squad about how we felt we have grown in the last 12 months as a group, and lots of it was related to the level of work capacity we’ve put into our training, the level of cohesion amongst the players on and off the field is better, and I think that, coupled with executing the game plan that we want to play, will hopefully lead to a good performance and a result against Tonga,” added Groves.

Team Selections As Tough As Ever

There are some younger players in the mix, and the team has talked openly about the change in conditioning and focus on fitness preseason, which has thus far paid off.

Groved explained, “We prepped well post National Games and trained hard. It was like a mini preseason before Christmas, working hard on our conditioning and our skills, trying to increase our work capacity. We got eyes on the boys yesterday after the break, and they look good. They had some self-directed training, which they did over the holiday, so, there is a high level of trust in them. This week, we’re going to put the final preparations into focusing on that first game against Tonga.”

He also spoke of the depth they have built and added that that is healthy from a competition point of view.

“Selection conversations with the coaches are interesting because we’ve got lots of players that we feel could and should deserve a chance. A few injuries have also healed over the break, so we’ve got a big and relatively healthy squad to pick from.”

One of the younger players who has looked to cement his role over the past year and has impressed is Julian Bourron, and he said, “Selection now is much harder for the SVNS 3, and playing on that big stage for me personally would be a really big step up compared to what I have previously done and will be the hardest challenge yet. I am extremely excited.”

Photo Credit – HKCR -Fong Kit Fung

Tough Pool Competition in Dubai

The Head Coach explained, “Our focus is to try and generate some momentum by getting a performance in that first game against Tonga. We’ve played them a lot over the last few years. We know their style of play and what to expect.”

They are very similar to Samoa, actually, so we are under no illusions that it’s going to be tough and it’s going to be physical. They’re going to get after us around the contact and the collision. We’re also trying to prep for Colombia, who are maybe a little bit more of an unknown, but had a great result in their qualifier against Chile. To beat them in the final is no mean feat, because they’ve been a consistent team in that challenger for a number of years, so it’ll be a tough group.”

Co-captain Seb Brien added of reaching the next stage, “It would mean so much for this group, as it will unlock the rest of the season. All eyes are on SVNS 3 at the moment, but it’s the reason we all do this – to travel the world and go to these amazing places.”

You can read more in our colab piece with Hong Kong China here.

HKCR SVNS 3 Pool A Match Schedule

Saturday 17 January

Hong Kong China are in Pool A with regular HSBC SVNS side Samoa,  Tonga (who they faced in the 2025 Challenger), and Colombia, who defeated Chile in their regional qualifier.

Pool B includes Canada, Madagascar (which had the better of both Japan and HKCR last year), Belgium, and Italy.

• HKCR vs Tonga (16:12 Hong Kong time)
• HKCR vs Samoa (19.50 Hong Kong time)
• HKCR vs Colombia (22.44 Hong Kong time)

You can see the full schedule and results here.

If successful, the men will join one other from SVNS 3 and Kenya, USA, Germany, & Uruguay for the three legs of the SVNS 2:

• Leg 1 Nairobi, Kenya – 14-15 February 2026
• Leg 2 Montevideo, Uruguay – March 21/22 2026
• Leg 3 São Paulo, Brazil – March 28/29 2026

Hong Kong China Rugby Men’s 7s selection – HSBC SVNS 3 2026

Seb BRIEN (co-captain); James CHRISTIE (co-captain); Julian BOURRON; Jack COMBES; Max DENMARK; FONG Kit Fung; Liam HERBERT; Callum McCULLOUGH; Alessandro NARDONI; Bryn PHILLIPS; Matt RICKARD; Harry SAYERS.

The players who were involved in the Chinese National Games gold-winning run and are unlucky to miss out are Cado Lee and Michael Coverdale.

How to Watch The HSBC SVNS 3 2026

All games will be free to attend, and check with your local broadcaster and on RugbyPassTV for streaming coverage.

Rugby 7s News

• HSBC SVNS 3 Dubai 2026 Pools.
• Thailand Women’s Rugby 7s Are Aiming For the Global Stage.
• HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026 Pools Confirmed.
• The Vengaboys Confirmed To Perform at 50th Anniversary Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2026.