Hong Kong China Men’s XV vs Waikato XV Match Preview

The Hong Kong China Men’s XV take on Waikato XV on Wednesday, June 24th at Albert Park, Te Awamutu, with a local kick-off time of 6 pm. 

The HKCR Men’s XV tour opens with the 25-player hit-out match, and Hong Kong China Rugby head coach Logan Asplin said before they departed Hong Kong on June 20th:

“I am happy with the level of content we have around our game. We have performance objectives and KPIs; we have set eight benchmarks that we know are expected to play the game at this level. There are measurable expressions of how hard it will be, but it is achievable. It is also realistic that we are probably not going to achieve all of those in every single game, but the team is coming through, and we are ready. Growing through exposure like this is critical.”

Experienced players such as captain Josh Hrstich and Tommy Hill are rested, but all three potential Test debutants for South America (Lachlan DOHENY, James RIVERS, and Isaac CAMPBELL-WU) do get a run-out.

The HKCR men’s XV won and lost a game against the Japan XV, while the capped Test team also claimed its 7th straight Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship, fielding several newly-capped players. Following this tour game, the HKCR Men head to South America to play three games in the new World Rugby Nations Cup in South America.

Waikato Rugby announced their squad the day before the friendly game and added, “The squad has been selected from club rugby across the Waikato; this group has earned their opportunity through strong performances and commitment throughout the season.”

The Waikato team’s Head Coach Leon Holden added, “This team selected to play Hong Kong China has worked hard in our High-Performance environment during the club season.

This fixture is a good checkpoint to see where they are at midway through the year. All the players have committed themselves to additional training on Monday nights since the start of March and deserve to be congratulated for their efforts. It is great to host the game at Te Awamutu, and we acknowledge their work in making this game happen too.’

Result Update: HKCR 24-22 Waikato XV

Waikato XV Squad vs HKCR – June 24th 2026

Hong Kong China Men’s XV Squad vs Waikato XV

The Men’s team for the match was announced, and the 25-man squad was chosen from the squad on tour (updated as the squad was announced after we published).

Forwards: Sunia FAMEITAU; Rory CINNAMOND; Alexander POST; Harry BARON; Zacc CINNAMOND; Keelan CHAPMAN; Max MURPHY; Lachlan DOHENY; James RIVERS; Kyle SULLIVAN; Tyler MCNUTT; Dana FOURIE; Pierce MACKINLAY-WEST; James SAWYER.

Backs: Jack COMBES; CHUI Wai Lap, Eric; Joseph BARKER; Matteo AVITABILE; Isaac CAMPBELL-WU; Marcus RAMAGE; Max THRELKELD; Seb BRIEN; Paul ALTIER; Matt WORLEY.

How To Watch HKCR Men’s XV vs Waikato XV

There is free entry for fans to attend the game.

Stream update: 

Waikato Rugby did say online, “A livestream will be available for those unable to attend from 5.50 pm. Please note that with the weather conditions, we can’t guarantee stream quality throughout the match.”

Asian Rugby News 2026

• HKCR Men’s XV Squad Flies Off To Nations Cup 2026.
• Brave Blossoms Training Camp Squad Announced As 2026 Nations Championship Preparations Ramp Up.
• Māori All Blacks For Japan XV 2026 Match Announced.
• Japan Sakura Fifteen Tests Against Ireland for WXV Global Series 2026 Announced.