MATCH REPORT – NETHERLANDS 33-3 HONG KONG CHINA

Hong Kong China Women finish WXV3 in 5th place
Defeat to the Netherlands means that Spain and Samoa take the top two spaces ahead of their final match
Head Coach Andrew Douglas and Captain Wai Yan Pun (PY) reflect on value of the experience for the team during a month in Dubai

[13 Oct 2024]

MATCH REPORT – HONG KONG CHINA WOMEN END WXV3 ON A LOSS TO END 2025 RUGBY WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION CHANCES

Hong Kong China Women were defeated 33-3 by a very good Dutch side in the final WXV3 2024 match at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai on Saturday night. The result means that Hong Kong China finished up in 5th place in their debut WXV appearance, with the result also ending their Rugby World Cup ambitions.

This was the fourth encounter between the Netherlands and Hong Kong China and the first outside of Holland. Try as Hong Kong China might, the Dutch proved too powerful in their win, with two yellow cards and a red card also putting the side in blue on the back foot.

Although there will be disappointment, Hong Kong China Head Coach Andrew Douglas knew coming into the tournament that, aside from Madagascar, his side had played the fewest internationals post-pandemic of all the teams competing in WXV, and there will be valuable lessons learned from the month spent in Dubai.

He said after the loss, “The Netherlands has played a lot of test matches, and Fiji has just come off a European tour, but it is what it is. If we can keep this group playing together and get more test matches, this WXV experience will make them a much better group.”

Hong Kong China captain Wai Yan Pun (PY) added, “We learned from every game in this campaign and we have special moments and memories to take away from this experience. We can be proud, and we now better know how to play some of the bigger-sized teams – so it's been really good exposure for us.”

Dutch Prove Too Strong

From the onset under the Saturday night lights, the Dutch played well and used their bigger frames to put the Hong Kong China side under pressure. They were camped within the Hong Kong China half for the opening twenty minutes in which they scored two tries.

Before the match, the Hong Kong China Head Coach had said they could only control and determine their own destiny, but as the commentary mentioned in the match, the Dutch seemed to be playing without the shackles of expectation as the result was less of a burden for them.

The Hong Kong China attack struggled to penetrate the Dutch defence, which was also being employed to rush up, and the pressure caused some enforced errors with the ball in hand.

Repeated pressure from the Dutch was compounded when a TMO review of Fion Got saw the player yellow-carded, which was upgraded to a red card under review.

Some of the Hong Kong China sevens stars provided impetus in attack, with Natasha Olson-Thorne, Gabriella Rivers and Ka Yan Chong all trying to get over the advantage line with busting breaks.

There were discipline issues for both sides, and the best chance in the opening half came to Zoe Smith who had an excellent solo effort that nearly saw her unlock the Dutch defence on the half-hour mark. In the 34th minute, Smith did get the first points for HKCR from her boot as they closed the lead to 3-10.

Ka Yan Chong’s quick taps and darting runs continued to cause problems, and Gabrielle Rivers was held up in attack over the try line to see out the half.

Hong Kong China needed a bonus point win to have a chance, but the second half saw the Dutch start with a couple of penalties to extend the lead before a referee change took place due to an injury.

A yellow card to Tsz Ching Chan was followed by a Dutch maul and a try. Another yellow later in the half saw the outnumbered Hong Kong China defence concede as the Netherlands added two more tries in the final ten minutes to win 33-3.

Future Talent Breaking Through for Hong Kong China Women

There was another debut cap as Morena Grierson came on in the second half, and during WXV three Hong Kong China players made their debuts for the representative side. PY said, “For me as a captain, we want to see more young players come through and see more young players come into the squad.”

Andrew Douglas added, “It was nice to give Morena the opportunity tonight, and she is a good young raw talent, and we have seen 18-year-olds get their debut in this WXV – there are not that many that make an international debut at 18, so that is exciting for Hong Kong China Rugby. It also gives the senior players excitement to see the talent coming through.

“We have got to keep the production line going and keep encouraging the players, as there is a pathway for them and opportunities if they keep working hard. Hopefully, over this next four-year cycle, we can really get a spine developing and see them come through.”

Information and photo source : Hong Kong China Rugby