Red Roses set to bloom at Hong Kong 10s

England rugby legends Rochelle Clark, Tamara Taylor and Heather Fisher are set to bring star appeal to the inaugural Women’s Competition at the Tradition HKFC 10s

HONG KONG, 14 March 2023 - The inaugural Tradition HKFC 10s Women’s Competition will kick off with some serious star power when the two-day tens festival gets underway, with RKS Legal Samurai Warriors bringing two of the biggest names in women’s rugby to Hong Kong.

The team will be coached by two titans of England Rugby (a.k.a. the Red Roses) in Rochelle ‘Rocky’ Clark, who with 137 national appearances is one the most capped English players of all time, and 115-cap team-mate, Tamara Taylor.

Going head-to-head with the pair is fellow World Cup winner and legendary open-side flanker, Heather Fisher, who joins as part of the coaching team for the Ashbury Tropics team. Fisher is a veteran of both the Sevens and 15s format of the game, having represented England and Great Britain in the 2014 World Cup and the Rio Olympic Games respectively.

Rocky Clark, who also takes on the role of Official Tournament Ambassador, said:

“I am massively grateful to Samurai for inviting me to coach the team. After the opportunities they gave me as a player back in the day when I started my playing journey, to now coaching the team, it is a massive honour and where better to do it than the world’s best tens.”

The Red Roses’ involvement in the tournament reflects the calibre of the new Women’s Competition, which also includes Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix and FindRugbyNow as well as hosts and Hong Kong Premier League champions, HKFC Natixis Ice.

The Women’s Competition will see the five teams compete in a four-robin format after-which the top four teams will progress to the knock-out phase of the competition, with the winners of two semi-finals progressing to the Cup final and the losers to a Plate final.

HKFC Chairman, Neil Jensen, said:

“As a club, we are delighted to see that Hong Kong Football Club can still attract the biggest names in sport. We are really looking forward to seeing the return of the Tradition HKFC 10s to the Club and to once again present this exciting precursor to the Sevens which started over three decades ago,” said HKFC Chairman, Neil Jensen.

“We’re particularly pleased to see the introduction of a Women’s Competition which is an important milestone for the tournament and something we have been working towards for a number of years. Thank you to the teams that are making the journey to Hong Kong and we look forward to seeing a new dimension to the World’s Best 10s out on pitch.”

The 2023 Tradition HKFC 10s marks the 35th edition of Hong Kong Football Club’s flagship rugby event, considered by many to be the world’s leading invitational rugby tens tournament.

Tradition HKFC 10s is a two-day, fast-running rugby festival taking place at Hong Kong Football Club from 29th to 30th March. Matches are 10 minutes each way and scheduled back-to-back throughout the day. Gates open at 8.30am. Tickets cost $120 per day and are available to buy on the gate, at www.hkfc10s.com and www.zicket.co

Tradition, a world leader in professional brokerage activities, has signed a three-year title sponsor agreement starting for the 2023 tournament, while other sponsors include Natixis (Gold Sponsor), AIA, Allied World, Samurai, Taikoo Place and Mourant (Silver Sponsors).

For more information, visit:

Website: www.hkfc10s.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/hkfc10s

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HKFC10s

Twitter: www.twitter.com/HKFC10s

Instagram: www.instagram.com/hkfc10s

Hashtag: #HKFC10s #worldsbest10s

Teams confirmed to participate in the 2023 Tradition HKFC 10s are:

Men’s Competition

1. HKFC Natixis Club

2. Tradition YCAC

3. Shanghai Rugby Football Club