2027 Rugby World Cup draw: Hong Kong welcome clashes with Australia, New Zealand
‘Everybody loves an underdog, and giant-killers,’ captain Josh Hrstich says after debutants are drawn in Pool A with two rugby superpowers
Hong Kong have been handed the toughest possible draw for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, after being placed in Pool A alongside Australia, the hosts, and New Zealand.
It was also the one the squad had been dreaming about, and which centre Tom Hill, an Australian by birth, apparently predicted the night before they watched by video link on Wednesday as the six pools of four teams apiece were drawn in Sydney.
A group of players and coaches with more than a passing connection to the All Blacks cheered loudly when they were placed alongside the Australians, twice World Cup winners but this time consigned to the second-tier bracket of teams.
There were further cheers when the country where several of them were born was added to the mix from the top band of six rugby heavyweights.
Hong Kong, drawn from the lowest echelon, will also take on Chile, almost the perfect foil to the testing times that await. The South Americans will be the city’s most important opponents of the tournament, providing an opportunity for Hong Kong’s players to record a win on their debuts on the game’s biggest stage.