Hong Kong’s women’s rugby team is preparing to challenge six-time champions Japan in a high-stakes Asia Rugby Women’s Championship decider this Sunday, following a strong 29-12 victory over Kazakhstan in Fukuoka.
In hot and humid conditions on Tuesday, Hong Kong built a 17-0 lead by halftime thanks to tries from Tanya Dhar, Kea Herewini, and Shanna Forrest. Forrest, who was named player of the match, praised the team’s execution. “Kazakhstan are a very physical team, but I think we executed well in certain areas and that helped us win the game,” she said.
Kazakhstan responded with two tries in the second half, scored by Oxana Shadrina and Svetlana Malezhina. But Hong Kong held firm, adding tries through Jess Eden and Grace Hood to seal the win.
Head coach Lewis Wilson credited the team’s defense. “It was a physical and well-organized effort. This performance is a testament to all the hard work we’ve done,” he said. Wilson also gave a late debut to 19-year-old lock Naomi Peeters, who came off the bench and made a big impact with several key tackles. “Her debut was well-deserved—she’ll probably earn more caps,” he added.
Now ranked No. 17 in the world, Hong Kong faces a major challenge against world No. 11 Japan, who dominated 18th-ranked Kazakhstan 90-0 in their tournament opener. Japan is using the championship as preparation for the Rugby World Cup in England later this year.
Wilson remains confident. “Tactically, not much will change for us. If we stick to what worked today, we can be successful—even against a team like Japan. We’ll focus on ourselves. There’s a lot of belief in this group.”
Captain Pun Wai-yan acknowledged the pressure after halftime but said the team stayed composed. “We did well to stay in the fight and finish strong. Japan will put a lot of pressure on us, so we need to stick to our game plan and play at our tempo.”
Hong Kong’s women’s programme lead, Royce Chan, praised the entire team effort. “Kazakhstan gave us a lot of challenges, but credit goes to our brilliant coaching group, management, and players.”
Chan also stressed the need for more international experience. “We want regular competition and more games against teams like Singapore and Malaysia. That will help grow women’s rugby in Asia.”
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