Toby Booth Rejoins Hong Kong China Men’s XV Coaching Setup Along with S&C Coach Allan Ryan

Hong Kong China Rugby (HKCR) have announced that Toby Booth, former Head Coach of the Welsh Ospreys and more recently at Harlequins in the Gallagher Prem, will return to their Men’s XV setup. Strength & Conditioning (S&C) Coach Allan Ryan also joins from Toulouse in France on a consultancy basis.

As part of the changes in the coaching setup, Logan Asplin shifts to Attack Coach and HKCR Head of Technical Rugby Andrew Douglas returns to the Head Coach position.

Hong Kong China Rugby has been seeking to boost its Men’s XVs coaching & performance staff support ahead of their debut at the Rugby World Cup in 2027, but Booth rejoining might be seen as a surprise. There have been several changes at HKCR recently, but they also have a track record of staff rejoining for a second stint.

One of those is Simon Amor, current Executive Director, Performance Rugby at HKCR, who commented:

“We welcome the return of Toby to the set-up as we prepare for our one-year push to one of the biggest moments in the history of rugby in Asia. His previous time with the squad has continued to resonate with the playing and coaching staff, and we are delighted to have him back.”

Toby Booth was with the Men’s XV in a High-Performance Strategic and Technical Consultant role from February to September 2025 and left to take up the role at Harlequins in a season-long consultancy role which concluded at the end of the 2025/26 campaign.

HKCR said that as part of the “enhanced coaching support being afforded to the team ahead of the one-year countdown to Rugby World Cup 2027 on 1 October 2026”, Booth has returned.

In addition, they confirmed that Strength & Conditioning Coach Allan Ryan will also join the management team from Toulouse in France on a consultancy basis.

Amor said of Ryan, “We are also delighted to welcome one of the premier Strength & Conditioning coaches in World Rugby to the programme in Allan Ryan. Allan’s experience working with the very best players in the world will be invaluable as we look to continue to make the critical gains in our players’ athletic development.”

The HKCR Men lost to Samoa (19-66) and Chile (17-38) in the Nations Cup 2026 July fixtures, before winning their final Test against Uruguay 42-40.

HKCR Men’s XV Remaining Tests 2026

The upcoming Tests include a one-off match against Belgium, before the second half of the Nations Cup – with all games expected to be played in Europe.

• Belgium vs HKCR – 31st October 2026 – Venue TBC
• Nations Cup 2026 – HKCR is scheduled to face Canada, the USA, and Tonga during the November Test window, with specific dates, times, and venues to be confirmed.

HKCR News 2026

• Asian International Rugby Tournaments 2026.
• Hong Kong China Rugby CEO James Farndon Leaves Role.
• Robbie Fergusson Leaves Hong Kong China 7s Programme.
• Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. Extends Support to 2026 WXV Global Series – Fixtures Confirmed.