This past weekend the Asia Rugby Emirates U20 Sevens tournament took place in Bihar, India from 9–10 August. In sweltering heat, U20 Hong Kong China men’s and women’s teams
Brought home gold and silver medals, showcasing the depth of talent coming through the ranks at HKFC.
Hong Kong China U20 Boys – From Setback to Sweet Revenge
Day one saw the men win two of their three pool matches, securing the coveted semi-final spot. They narrowly lost their opening game against Sri Lanka 19–24, but bounced back with dominant wins over UAE (27–0) and India (24–5).
On day two, the boys came out firing—defeating Malaysia 33–5 in the semi-final before delivering a statement performance in the Cup Final. In a remarkable turnaround, they thrashed that same Sri Lankan side 33–0, to take home gold!
Two of our very own HKFC talents, Tanner Holland and Luke Bannon, both now at university, played key roles in this victory, while continuing their commitment to the Hong Kong China Sevens programme.
Probably less relevant for us, Tomos is also a Tigers player!
Hong Kong China U20 Girls – Fighting to the Very End
The women’s side—featuring six HKFC players (half out of the 12-strong U20 Hong Kong China squad) stormed through day one undefeated, beating UAE (26–12), Kazakhstan (29–10) and long-time rivals India (31–7).
On day two, they overcame Uzbekistan 24–5 in the semi-final to book their place in the Cup Final against a tough China team.
In the Cup Final, the team was down 17–0 at halftime and they mounted a spirited fight to close the gap to just one try, but ultimately fell just short, losing 21-29 to claim a hard-fought silver medal against an established set up.
At only 17 years old, our player Sophie Aranha was the tournament’s top try scorer, scoring nine tries over two days—an exceptional achievement for a player who is technically still in the U18s category.
Elsie Hulme, U20s Hong Kong China Sevens Captain & HKFC Natixis Ice Player, reflected:
“After a spectacular weekend, I couldn’t be prouder of the girls beside me who fought for every try in the sweltering heat. China was a challenging team, and we showed real heart giving them a tough game in the Cup Final. Taking home silver was a well-deserved result and a testament to our hard work, dedication, and perseverance of this team. We can’t wait to take these learnings through to Youth Olympic Games Qualifiers in September ”.
Asia Rugby Emirates U20 Sevens Results
Men’s Day 1:
Hong Kong China U20 19 – 24 Sri Lanka (Pool Match)
Hong Kong China U20 27 – 0 UAE (Pool Match)
India 5 – 24 Hong Kong China (Pool Match)
Men’s Day 2:
Hong Kong China 33 – 5 Malaysia (Cup Semi-final)
Sri Lanka 0 – 33 Hong Kong China (Cup Final)
Women’s Day 1:
Hong Kong China 26 – 12 UAE (Pool Match)
Hong Kong China 29 – 10 Kazakhstan (Pool Match)
India 7 – 31 Hong Kong China (Pool Match)
Women’s Day 2:
Uzbekistan 5 – 24 Hong Kong China (Cup Semi-final)
China 29 – 21 Hong Kong China (Cup Final)
4th Asian School Rugby Sevens Championship (9–10 August 2025)
On the same weekend that the Asia Rugby U20 Sevens took place in India, Hong Kong also played host to an U18 rugby event – 4th Asian School Rugby Sevens Championship. Organised by the Hong Kong Schools Sports Federation (HKSSF) at King’s Park, this tournament brought together six talented school teams over two days of fast-paced action.
Representing HKFC were four promising young players: Justin Cheung, Jeremy Lu, Jamie Li and Tane Leung.,
Although the results didn’t always go their way, the competition proved to be a valuable learning experience—testing their skills against strong opposition and giving them a taste of competitive high-level school rugby.
This tournament was as much about development as it was about results, and our players came away with new lessons, improved confidence, and plenty of motivation for the season ahead.
Our Club’s Pathway
On a personal note, I am so glad to be part of a club that feeds quite heavily into the Hong Kong China teams. We had 12 HKFC players in total that represented the Hong Kong China across 2 tournaments—a testament to the club’s growing role in developing elite rugby talent. Over the past few years, we’ve made remarkable progress, and this weekend was another proud milestone.
From gold to silver, and every try in between, the Asia Rugby U20 Sevens was a weekend to remember.
Written by Illiana Bodnar-Horvath | Images courtesy of Hong Kong China Rugby