Qualifying for their maiden World Cup, Hong Kong China is set for a baptism by fire, drawing the All Blacks and hosts Australia in Pool A for the 2027 event.
Head coach Logan Asplin labelled the draw “a dream come true”, and while many pundits expect the side to come into the tournament as significant underdogs, several young ACT Brumbies players back the side to be a surprise package.
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The Brumbies faced Hong Kong in a friendly back in November, the fixture marking the first time recent squad additions Jarrah McLeod and Kadin Pritchard had travelled overseas with the Canberra side.
While the Brumbies eventually broke through in the second half to win 63-31 thanks to a second-half hat-trick to Shane Wilcox, the young centres know the scoreline didn’t reflect how close the contest was.
The 2025 Asia Rugby Championship winners took the lead on multiple occasions, the 21-all scoreline at halftime reflecting a side asking plenty of questions of a top-four Super Rugby outfit.
The improvement had been noted between this fixture and a corresponding fixture that saw Hong Kong lose to the Brumby Runners 55-14 in May this year, with Pritchard believing that with more time, the side will be able to produce a complete 80-minute performance quickly.
“In terms of the game, they fronted up really well that first 20 minutes,” the young back said to Rugby.com.au. “They almost shocked us.
“They were the ones scoring the points, fronting up defensively. It was only towards the end of the game that our fitness kicked in, and then we took the game over. In the first 20 minutes, those guys were all over us.
“If they can do that on the international stage at the World Cup, I think they can go a decent way, a long way.”
“You can't just go out and be like, ‘oh, it's Hong Kong,’ you know?” echoed McLeod.
“They'll come at you hard in the first half. You've got to be switched on 100 per cent from the get-go.
“You know they're going to be into it. They're a good side; they've got some big boys on their team. It's going to be quite exciting seeing them in the pool versus the Wallabies.”
Hong Kong does have its work cut out to deliver a competitive performance, having gone down 59-14 to Japan the week before facing the Brumbies.
However, the ACT side got to see first-hand what potential the Asian champions have, and with their focus now firmly on a maiden World Cup, Asplin believes his side can more than rise to the occasion.
"To play the host nation, to play the nation, for a few of us, of our birth, it's pretty important and pretty special,” the head coach said.
"Everybody loves an underdog and giant killers,” added Captain Joshua Hrstich. “You know, history always remembers them.
"So just a huge, huge occasion for us to promote the city, but also help grow the game here in Hong Kong."
