Hong Kong rugby team keep reins on ACT Brumbies, before second-half stampede
While scoreline reflects another heavy loss, there are more positives to take from the performance than in Japan defeat a week ago
For 40 minutes on Saturday, Hong Kong went toe to toe with the ACT Brumbies, matching their Australian rivals at every step. Then the wheels fell off.
Tied 21-21 at half-time at Football Club, Hong Kong conceded 28 unanswered points after the break and eventually lost 63-31 to their Super Rugby opponents.
But while the scoreline reflects another heavy loss, there were far more positives to take from the performance than in the 59-14 defeat to Japan a week ago.
The pack, with a new front row and Jack Bartlett getting a long run out at No 8, looked more solid, and Marcus Ramage, who scored a hat-trick, showed why he was given the nod in the centres alongside Ben Axten-Burrett.
Gregor McNeish, too, put two hands firmly on the No 10 shirt, and his clever kicking added another dimension to Hong Kong’s attack.
“You know, we’re in that for 40 minutes,” Ramage said. “So, it’s definitely growth, something we can take some positives from. I think turnovers in that second half are probably what cost us, and you end up losing the territory battle straight off the bat and trying to scramble to fix it from there.”