Reg Tayler has been named head coach of the world champion Australian women's rugby sevens team, succeeding Tim Walsh. Tayler will lead the squad in its two-year preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, aiming for a gold medal.
England secured a historic 125-run victory over India in a T20 match, bowling out the feared batting side for just 76 runs. Despite a challenging start, England posted 201, a target India failed to approach, collapsing under pressure with frequent dismissals.
A women's seven-a-side football tournament in London celebrated fun and flair, contrasting with the modern game's seriousness. Despite some criticism, the event boosted investment, fan engagement, and player enjoyment, with Chelsea winning.
Brighton & Hove Albion won their second HKFC Standard Chartered Soccer Sevens title in three years, defeating Yokohama F Marinos 2-0 in a dominant final. Goals from Tyler Silsby and Jesse Middleton secured the victory.
Former Leicester City winger Marc Albrighton believes Jack Grealish could reignite his Manchester City career following Pep Guardiola's departure, suggesting a new manager will offer a clean slate for the player.
West Ham's Josh Ajala, 19, scored four goals at the HKFC Standard Chartered Soccer Sevens, reaffirming his commitment to the club after signing a new two-year contract. Despite a yellow card and a tough quarter-final against Aston Villa, Ajala expressed confidence in West Ham's future plans for him.
Dominic Johns, after a two-year struggle with a severe leg injury and subsequent infection, will captain Football Club at the HKFC Standard Chartered Soccer Sevens. The injury, sustained in 2024, required multiple surgeries and a lengthy recovery, impacting him mentally.
The Ultimate Sevens Championship, a rugby union version inspired by The Hundred, launches in September with global sevens stars, abbreviated 10-minute games, and innovations to attract younger fans.
Kenyan rugby sevens star Kevin Wekesa founded Play Green, an organization linking sport with climate action, focusing on single-use plastic reduction, climate education in schools, and community tree planting to combat climate change impacts in Kenya.
As a “scrawny, skinny little Indian kid” Shiven Dukhande grew used to people telling him his goal of playing professional rugby was a pipe dream. To underline that opinion, Dukhande, who became obsessed with the sport from his first USRC Tigers training session, aged eight, would look at those forging rugby careers and see “no one who was the same colour as me”. Now the owner of two Hong Kong sevens caps, and with a goal of earning many more, Dukhande said he wanted to be the “role model I...
New Zealand rugby sevens star Ruby Tui has shared how her dinged and scratched 2016 Rio Olympic silver medal, which she let schoolchildren hold during victory tours, serves as a powerful reminder of resilience. After losing the final to Australia in Rio, Tui used the disappointment as fuel to win gold in Tokyo 2021, drawing inspiration from UFC star Ronda Rousey's quote about developing strength to win on her worst day.
The Hong Kong Sevens concluded successfully on 19 April at Kai Tak Stadium with South Africa winning the Men's Cup and Brazil taking the Women's Bowl. The Hong Kong Jockey Club served as Official Community Partner for the fifth consecutive year, enabling over 12,000 people to participate in community programmes including the Jockey Club Mini Rugby Showcase, Community Experience, and School Tour initiatives. Club Chairman Martin Liao presented the Women's Bowl to Brazil while joining HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee in presenting the Men's Cup to South Africa.
Hong Kong's rugby sevens team could compete in the flagship HSBC SVNS circuit within three years, according to World Rugby's sevens general manager Sam Pinder. Currently playing in the third-tier HSBC SVNS 3, Hong Kong's semi-final elimination in January left them without competitive matches until October's Asian Games, except for an exhibition tournament at last weekend's Hong Kong Sevens. Pinder emphasized that promotion depends purely on sporting meritocracy.
Two-time Asian Games gold medallist Salom Yiu Kam-shing, who retired after the 2024 Hong Kong Sevens, now leads the Dragons Programme under Hong Kong China Rugby to develop local talent. He hopes to broaden participation and produce the next generation of Hong Kong rugby sevens players, as the city team recently claimed a Melrose Claymores title with limited local players.
After overcoming a debilitating injury, the Ireland captain is relishing the prospect of a grudge match against FranceTwelve months ago Erin King was not only told she may never play rugby again but faced the possibility of being unable to even run. Fast forward to now and the 22-year-old is ready to lead Ireland in their revenge mission against France this Saturday after their rivals knocked them out of last year’s Rugby World Cup in King’s absence.King, who transitioned from sevens rugby after the 2024 Olympics, had sustained a serious knee injury against England at the 2025 Six Nations which ruled her out of the global showpiece. It was a blow for Ireland’s campaign with the back row going from strength-to-strength in the 15s game. In 2024 she had been named the World Rugby breakthrough player of the year after standout performances that included scoring two tries in the team’s historic win over New Zealand at the WXV tournament.This is an extract from our weekly rugby union email, the Breakdown. To subscribe just visit this page and follow the instructions. Continue reading...
Hong Kong's rugby sevens team could compete in the flagship HSBC SVNS circuit within three years, but their current exclusion stems from semi-final elimination in January's third-tier SVNS 3 tournament. World Rugby sevens general manager Sam Pinder emphasized that progression depends on performance, with the current eight-core-team model locked until the 2028 Olympics.
Hong Kong's rugby sevens team could compete in the flagship HSBC SVNS within three years, but their semi-final elimination from the third-tier SVNS 3 in January has left them without competitive matches until October's Asian Games. World Rugby's sevens general manager Sam Pinder said promotion depends on performance, emphasizing the merit-based pathway through the Asian series and Asian Games development opportunities.
Hong Kong women's rugby sevens head coach Andy Vilk says his team are benefiting from their rivalry with Thailand ahead of this year's Asian Games. The team failed to win at their home Sevens tournament for the first time in three years, drawing with eventual champions Denmark and losing to Thailand, but Vilk emphasized the importance of the rivalry that saw Hong Kong beat Thailand 7-5 to win bronze at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou.
We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Lesson for China? Iran’s low-cost 358 missile takes out million-dollar US assets 2. Hong Kong Sevens: Blitzboks win first title, Black Ferns go unbeaten again 3. The rupture: how Europe fell out of love with America 4. Closed? Open? Closed? Why is Iran changing course on the Strait of...
Ryan Santos, a 26-year-old USA rugby back, fulfilled his lifelong dream by playing in this week's Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. Santos lived in Hong Kong from 2006-2010 and played mini-rugby for Valley Fort during that time. His uncle Rob Santos also represented the city team in the 1996 edition, making it a family affair spanning three decades.
Ryan Santos, a 26-year-old USA rugby back and Harvard/Cambridge graduate involved in US space policy, fulfilled his lifelong dream by playing in this week's Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. His uncle Rob Santos played for the city team in the 1996 edition, making it a family affair spanning three decades.
South Africa defeated Argentina 35-7 at Kai Tak Stadium on Sunday to win their first Hong Kong Sevens title, ending 29 years of hurt since first competing in the tournament in 1997. The Blitzboks led from the ninth minute when Ryan Oosthuizen scored and added 16 points in the final five minutes to complete a dominant victory and secure a fourth straight tournament success.
Hong Kong’s men’s team lived up to their own vow to exact revenge over Japan at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens with a 19-15 win over their arch-rivals at Kai Tak Stadium on Sunday. The thrilling win, just one day after their seven-point loss in the round-robin stage on Saturday, handed the city’s men their third Melrose Claymores trophy in as many years. And after doing so despite being shown a yellow card in each half, co-captain James Christie heaped praise on the team effort. “We gave them...
There was no stopping the New Zealand women’s team at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens as they dominated and beat Australia to keep their record in Hong Kong intact on Sunday. A 19-14 win at Kai Tak Stadium handed the Black Ferns their fourth Sevens title in the city in as many years, with star player Jorja Miller an integral part of that record. “It’s an amazing accomplishment by our team. To come out here and do it four years in a row is pretty amazing,” she said. “We love playing in an...
