1
SOUTH CHINA TIGERS
January 31, 2020
The South China Tigers are based in Hong Kong with their squad drawn from the Hong Kong ERP programme, National 15s & 7s teams, domestic league and the Greater Bay Area.
The Tigers have a tough start with five games on the road, starting against Manuma Samoa in Perth on March 14. They will finish the campaign with five home matches during April and May.
Home ground
Hong Kong National Stadium Internationally renowned as the venue for the annual Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens tournament, the stadium is the main sports venue in Hong Kong. The venue has seating capacity of 40,000.
Playing Jersey
Home: Orange jersey, shorts and socks with white trim.
Away: White jersey, shorts and socks with orange trim.
What CEO, Robbie McRobbie has to say about Global Rapid Rugby
“Global Rapid Rugby is raising the bar for sports entertainment in the Asia Pacific region, and the South China Tigers are excited to be part of this literally game-changing competition.
“The Tigers bring together the best talent from the Hong Kong domestic league and across the greater Bay area, lining up alongside our national 15s and 7s players. Hong Kong is the reigning Asian Games 7s Gold Medallists and Asia Rugby Champions at 15s. We look forward to taking on the rest of the best from the Asia Pacific region.
“Our Tigers are ready to roar!”
Coach: Craig Hammond
Craig Hammond is originally from Wellington, New Zealand where he represented his country at Under-19 level. He spent a lot of his playing career in the United Kingdom, earning more than 300 caps of Nottingham in the English Championship. He moved to Hong Kong in 2012 and has been involved in coaching with the Hong Kong national team since then, initially starting as a player/coach.
What can we expect to see from the Tigers according to coach Craig Hammond
“We will be aiming to play a fast, physical, smart and enjoyable brand of rugby!” “It is great having 6 teams involved this season which will make Global Rapid Rugby very competitive. The laws make you really think more about the tactics on both sides of the ball (attacking and defending). The new kicking laws will make the game even more tactical. Rapid Rugby is a very fast and exciting game to play, coach and watch so I can’t wait to get into it come round one!”
“We are expecting a tough physical encounter against the Manuma Samoa team in our season opener. We had a taste of Rapid Rugby last year so we’re trying to prepare our players for that first 70 minutes of fast rugby! Our first game is very important to make sure we get off to a good start in this competition”.
Players to watch
Glyn Hughes – flyhalf Glyn is a talented number 10 who relocated to Hong Kong in 2017 after a successful career in the English championship with London Welsh, Northampton Saints, Wasps, and Moseley.
Ruan Du Plooy – scrumhalf Ruan is a big scrumhalf with great skills. He was born in South Africa and schooled at Gisbourne Boys High School in New Zealand and has a strong rugby pedigree.
Sam Tsoi – loose forward Sam is a former Hong Kong Under-20 Captain, who has made great strides in the game since switching from shot put and discus! He is a strong ball carrier, with a good turn of speed.
Tom Bristow – front row Tom is a mobile loosehead prop who made his test debut for Hong Kong against Belgium in 2019. He has previously played in the English Championship for Wasps, Northampton Saints, and Sale.
Ben Axten-Burrett – centre Ben is a talented centre who has represented Hong Kong at test level and previously played for Harlequins Academy and Plymouth Albion in the UK.
Draw
March 14 vs Manuma Samoa in Perth
March 21 vs Fijian Latui in Fiji
March 28 vs China Lions in Taupo, NZ
April 11 vs Western Force in Perth
April 19 vs Malaysia Valke in Kuala Lumpur
April 26 vs Fijian Latui in Hong Kong
May 1 vs Manuma Samoa in Hong Kong
May 9 vs China Lions in Hong Kong
May 17 vs Western Force in Hong Kong
May 23 vs Malaysia Valke in Hong Kong
https://www.rapid.rugby/south-china-tigers/