A much-changed Hong Kong slipped to a 28-21 defeat against Mazda Hiroshima Skyactivs on Saturday, with head coach Andrew Douglas “pretty happy” with what he saw from a side including six debutants.
Wing Dylan McCann, young scrum-half Eric Chui Wai-lap and forward Max Murphy all made a strong impression in Fukuoka, as did veteran lock Kyle Sullivan, whom Douglas singled out for his “outstanding” performance.
Tied 21-all at half-time, the home side, who play their rugby in League One, got the decisive score with an hour gone, and despite plenty of possession, Hong Kong could find no way through.
“There are some areas to improve on, obviously,” Douglas said. “Our goal-line defence, our line-out and our scrum were inconsistent, things we haven’t worked on a lot in training to be fair, but there are enough positive signs there for us to say we are going to be OK.
“It was even in the second half. We created a lot of line breaks, [but] we just couldn’t finish them, which is unusual for us, it’s a combination thing and an understanding of how we are going to play. That will come with more time together.”
Wing Guy Spanton (with ball) in training with the Hong Kong squad. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Nine weeks of pre-season meant Hong Kong were far better conditioned than in the past, and a team that bore little resemblance to the one that won the Asia Rugby Championship in July was better suited to the fast pace at which Japanese sides like to play.