Hong Kong China Men’s XV Reach First Ever Rugby World Cup & Retain Asia Rugby Men’s Championship
rugbyasia247
Posted On July 6, 2025
The Hong Kong China Men’s XV completed their mission, which started some time ago, as they defeated Korea in Incheon 70-22 (the most points they have scored against them) to claim a first Rugby World Cup qualification and retain the AREMC title for a 6th consecutive year.
There was high emotion and moments of drama at the Namdong Asiad Rugby Stadium in sweltering conditions, which still brought out a large crowd who were vocal in supporting their respective teams, but it was HKCR who could not be denied as they ran in ten converted tries in a dominant display. They follow the HKCR women’s team, who reached RWC 2017, and have now confirmed their qualification for the Men’s RWC in Australia, which takes place in two years’ time.
Last year was a record win over Korea with a 67-7 scoreline for the Hong Kong China Men’s XV, and they surpassed the points scored but did not exceed the points differential. Despite the historic win, Hong Kong China could not equal their own high in the World Rugby rankings of 21st this weekend.
Player of the Match, flyhalf Nate De Thierry slotted 9/9 conversions and pulled the strings while his boot was flawless in the game.
Photo Credit – HKCR – Head Coach Andrew Douglas embraces one of his players after making history in Incheon
The fly-half left the end of the match with a suspected pectoral injury but said after the whistle, at which point what the side had achieved was plain to see as the emotions poured out:
“We had a good preparation week and the coaches had put a good plan in place and we trusted the process. I have been here for a while now, and after the disappointment of the last qualifiers, that put fuel in my belly, and this meant a lot,” said POTM De Thierry.
Men’s XV Head Coach Andrew Douglas said of the game, “We didn’t want to change too much coming into this and try and squeeze them, and we started well. We had to adjust to the red card and the injuries at the end, as we finished with 14 players. We tried to slow it down and play in the right parts of the game, and not do anything silly, and we managed parts of that well.”
There were three cards in the match, two yellows for Korea and a straight red for HKCR Ben Axten-Burrett in the 37th minute (which seemed harsh considering the mitigations) under the 20-minute red card rule, and with De Thierry leaving the field injured and with no reserves left at the time, the HKCR side played at least 3o minutes of the match with 14 men. It was in those periods of time in the second half when the Koreans looked most lively, and they did score three good tries.
Left-wing Yongheung Chang was electric all day (but also a recipient of one of the two Korean yellow cards) and scored twice, while reserve hooker Inbum Hwang scored the other, but it was too little too late as the visitors had racked up six tries in the opening half to lead 42-4 lead at the break.
Photo Credit – HKCR – Captain Josh Hrstich was excellent and scored twice against Korea
The tries scored were from Matt Worley, Alex Post (x2), Josh Hrstich, Paul Altier and James Sawyer, and Hong Kong China surpassed 1,000 total points scored against Korea.
The HKCR forward pack was again in fine form and they disrupted plenty of Korean set-piece play while also having dominance in the scrum and loose play. Patrick Jenkinson was excellent at reading the Korean lineouts.
It was more of the same in the second half, except for that brief purple patch for the Koreans, Harry Sayers, Josh Hrstich with his second, Max Denmark and Luke Van Der Smith added four more tries for the 70-22 win.
Winning captain, and with two meat pies, Josh Hrstich said, “It is pretty overwhelming, and I am super proud of our group, our management and coaches and everyone involved. I want to thank the families and fans and everyone who supported us in the past, and present, and we will need that support for the upcoming years”.
Tommy Hill, who was a powerful presence across the championship at centre, said, “I have had to work hard. I am 35 years old, and I have had to work really hard for this. I am really proud of the fact that I could stick with it. That game was tough, it was hot out there, and it was physical. But I am really proud of what we have done.”
Photo Credit – Asia Rugby
So the HKCR Men have qualified for the Rugby World Cup 2027 and secured the Asia Rugby Men’s Championship for the 6th year running, scoring close to 200 points and only conceding 5 tries.
World Rugby said, “By claiming the Asia Rugby Championship title, Hong Kong China not only earned regional honours but also made history as only the second Asian nation, after Japan, to qualify for the Men’s Rugby World Cup. The achievement represents a significant milestone for the development of the sport in Hong Kong and across the wider Asian region.”
You can read more in our HKCR Collaboration Match Review Here.
Final Results – Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship 2025
- Friday 13 June: Sri Lanka 34-38 Korea (Colombo, Sri Lanka)
- Saturday 14 June: United Arab Emirates 10-43 Hong Kong China (Dubai, UAE)
- Saturday 21 June: Korea 36-38 UAE (Incheon, Korea)
- Sunday 22 June: Hong Kong China 78-07 Sri Lanka (Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground, Hong Kong)
- Friday 4 July: Sri Lanka 21-29 UAE (Colombo, Sri Lanka)
- Saturday 5 July: Korea 22-70 Hong Kong China (Incheon, Korea)
Final Standings
- Hong Kong China (15 points) Qualify for RWC 2027
- UAE (10 points) Move to the next phase of RWC 2027 Qualification
- Korea (7 points)
- Sri Lanka (2 points)
Asian Rugby News 2025
- 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.”
- Korea vs Hong Kong China Preview – Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship 2025.
- Ultimate Guide to 2025 Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship – RWC 2027 Qualification.
