Hong Kong target major rugby 7s breakthrough after National Games triumph
City team mainstay Liam Herbert discloses World Championship ambition, hails ‘huge momentum’ for pivotal January Challenger Series
Liam Herbert said Hong Kong had set themselves the objective of returning to Kai Tak Stadium in the main Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens draw next year, after they claimed National Games gold at the 50,000-capacity venue on Friday.
In a topsy-turvy final against Shandong, the city team slipped from 12-0 up to 14-12 behind with four minutes left. They mustered a grandstand finale, crossing twice to win Hong Kong’s first team sport gold from a China Games.
Herbert said his side had placed a long-standing focus on how they respond in adversity.
“In a lot of tournaments, we’ve given up the game, or we’ve lost our heads during a nail-biter,” he said.
“We’ve been working on how we react when we go down. We have to stay calm, collected and together, and play how we can. If we do that, we know we’ll come out with a victory.”
Although they were planning a lusty post-match celebration, Hong Kong’s players have only a week to bask in their triumph before they return for another pre-season.