Chinese Women’s Teams Dominate And RKS Shogun RFC Men Clinch A Nailbiter At 2024 Tradition HKFC 10s

The Women’s final of the Tradition HKFC 10s 2024 was an all-Chinese affair as China Five Stars beat Shandong Rugby Club to lift the title in front of a good crowd at the Hong Kong Football Club grounds before RKS Shogun RFC nailed a comeback win against a very strong PAC team to win the Burgess – Wootten Cup at the 36th edition of the event.

The finals drew a curtain on what was another fantastic two-day tournament and further cemented the claim that the tournament was the best Tens competition in the world. For both women and men, it was the first time those teams had lifted the silverware at the HKFC 10s.

Paul Christopher, Tradition HKFC 10s Chairman summed up the tournament by saying; “Special congratulations to both the men’s and women’s champions, Shogun RFC and China Five Stars, for showcasing the true essence of the game.

The resurgence of the Tradition HKFC 10s in Hong Kong has been met with overwhelming enthusiasm, and we owe a debt of gratitude to our sponsor Tradition, our supporting sponsors, for all their support that has made this event possible.”

2024 Tradition HKFC 10s Women

Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix women, who were placed second in 2023, didn’t quite have the squad to reach the Cup Finals, but were worthy winners of the Bowl Final, dispatching the PNG team 36-7. It was a strong turnaround for a team that had nearly lost to the same opposition in pool play the day earlier but salvaged a draw after the hooter in that match (21-all).

Hasting Leiataua, a former Sankyu Tokyo Phoenix and current Valley RFC player, was part of the Phoenix squad alongside fellow Valley player Bella Millo. Leiataua is a very talented player who has also represented Auckland, and the Reds in Brisbane in the Super W, as well as Samoa in 2023-

Her friends call her ‘Sting’ and just after winning the Bowl with the Japanese side, who have strong ambitions to join the Super W competition in Australia and have built links with Hong Kong China rugby clubs, Leiataua said of the weekend; ” With the Tokyo Phoenix, it has been a while since I played with them but its been good to be surrounded by people in Hong Kong, many who I have just met and be so welcomed. Being with Phoenix and winning the Bowl has been awesome and given me time to reminisce about my time with them and being in Tokyo.”

On the level of the tournament & the teams progress over the two days, Leiataua added: “A majority of the girls I knew have retired so I actually didn’t know I would be playing with a lot of newbies in the team but they have been a great bunch and I’ve seen so much improvement. We had a lot of discussions after our games and just gave a little reminder that although we all came from different places, we are all here for the love of rugby and we went back to our basics and had fun.”

I have been speechless with the tournament and it’s been a lot to take in so I’ve been really happy to be part of it,” she added.

Photo Credit: Tradition HKFC 10s – Women’s Cup Champions China Fiva Stars

The China Five Stars was coached by the China national women’s 7s coach and it’s believed most of the team will be playing the Melrose Claymores this weekend too.

China Five Stars Performance Coach, the legendary Sir Gordon Tietjens, said: “You’re meeting different styles, different types of players from all different countries. So, it’s quite an experience in itself. And I found that they adapted really well, the semi-final was really tough – it was a really close semi.

The exact goal is to get to the World Series and also to get into the Olympics. And that was the real idea of bringing this team here, to bring all these young girls here to build some depth, and we’re doing that which was awesome. And I think fitness played a big part of it and I’ve always said that defence wins tournaments and I thought we defended really, really well today,” added Sir Gordon Tietjens.

2024 Tradition HKFC 10s Men

Photo Credit- HKFC 10s – 2024 Tradition HKFC 10s Men Champions RKS Shogun RFC

Lolagi Visinia and Jed Melvin, co-captains, of Shogun RFC said: “We’re all from different provinces in New Zealand but have formed a real close bond throughout the tour. For us as a club, it’s the first time winning this so it means a lot to everyone who’s put on the jersey – past and present, and all our sponsors, and everyone who’s supported us throughout all these years. So, it’s really special.”

The Pig Athletic Club BaaBaas (PAC) team should be really proud to have reached the final on their first attempt, and the coach told us before the final loss, “The quality of the tournament has been good and it’s such a longstanding tournament. After the pandemic, you can see the level is building back up. I played here last year and the difference in one year is plain to see. I have always believed that the teams that have done well and win competitions are the ones that gel well on and off the field and we are doing that really well.”

James (Jimmy) Maher, was part of a formidable coaching and player contingent for the RKS Shogun squads, whose women lost in the Cup semifinal and ended up 4th overall. The coach was a very very decent player and represented Counties Manukau, Chiefs A and the All Blacks Sevens team before spending a decade in Japan.

Maher told Rugby Asia 247 after the team won the semifinal with the last kick and came back from 0-12 down to beat PAC, “We fought really hard and got the results in the end and we had to adjust well and dig in for the defence. We have played some physical games and the sharp end of the tournament is always tough in Hong Kong – and as we know with astroturf the bounce of the ball doesn’t always go your way.”

On how the team gelled to win in such a short time, he said, “It’s been really good, everyone got on well and we didn’t have a lot of coaching time, so it was about getting the culture right and the boys did the business.”

As a player, Maher first came to play the HKFC 10s in 2005 and won it four times, and ended off by saying; “Under the Hong Kong lights, it is the best place in the world – you can’t beat it!”

Andy Yuen from the HKCR was assisting the team with video analysis.

Bright Saena of Shogun RFC won the best and fairest accolade, while James McGregor of Pig Athletic Club BaaBaas (PAC) was the top try scorer across the two days of play.

Photo Credit- HKFC 10s – 2024 Tradition HKFC 10s Men Champions RKS Shogun RFC

Final Results 2024 Tradition HKFC 10s

Women’s

• Bowl Final –  Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix 36-7 PNG
• Plate Final – RKS Shogun RFC 5-17 Hayward Tropics
• Cup Final – China Five Stars 24-0 Shandong Rugby Club

Men’s

• Bowl Final – Preseli Baba’s 14-12 Mourant Apache
• Plate Final – A-Trade Overseas Old Boys 7-10 Taikoo Place Scottish Exiles
• Cup Final – RKS Shogun RFC 14-12 PAC

All of the results can be seen here.

HKFC 10s 2024 News

• Tradition HKFC 10s 2024 Wraps Day 1 – All To Play For On Finals Day.
• Tradition HKFC 10s Set For A Star-Studded 36th Edition In 2024.
• Tradition HKFC 10s 2024 – All Teams Confirmed.
• Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2024 Week – Ultimate Fan Guide.