Hong Kong China Rugby will open their account against Fiji in WXV3 on Saturday 28 September 2024 at the Emirates Stadium in Dubai with two new potential debutantes and a record breaker confirmed.
Feature Photo (L-R) Sarindra Sahondramalala of Madagascar, Linde van der Velden of The Netherlands, Pun Wai Yan of Hong Kong China, Sui Pauaraisa of Samoa, Karalaini Naisewa of Fiji and Laura Delgado of Spain pose for a photo during the Captain’s photocall ahead of WXV 3 2024 on September 24, 2024 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Christopher Pike – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
WXV 3 kicks off at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai on the night before (Friday), with Spain facing Madagascar with all games being played at the same grounds which also hosts the Emirates Dubai Sevens annually. Madagascar, the Netherlands, and HKCR are all newcomers to WXV in 2024.
HKCR have faced Fiji twice and won both encounters, in 2016 they beat them to qualify for the Rugby World Cup 2017 – the only time they have appeared at the biggest event in the Women’s XV game, and in 2019 in Fiji. But this is a very different Fiji side.
Fiji Targetting WXV3 2024 Title
Fiji are the Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship 2024 champions and drew a series with Japan earlier this year (including their first-ever win over the Sakura). In the leadup to WXV, they played the Netherlands losing 10-12 and losing to Scotland 15-59 and their tally for the year is 4 wins and 4 losses.
Fijiana Head Coach Mosese Rauluni was disappointed by the results but also had not fielded arguably his strongest side – although the Drua coach is missing some key players due to injuries and has given debut caps to players in the leadup to WXV3 2024.
As Rauluni reminded in his pre-match media call, seeding going into the RWC 2025 draw following WXV will be important and they want to win WXV3 to claim promotion.
He said he was cautious of the threats the Hong Kong China sides would pose, citing the dangerous outside backs and loose forwards who will contest at the breakdown. He added his team would need to show a lot of improvement in getting off the deck which he pinpointed as an area of concern in the loss to the Dutch, as well as the general work rate. The Fijians though are here to win, not just the match, but WXV3.
Hong Kong China – Ready And Excited for The WXV3 2024 Challenge
Photo Credit: HKCR
HKCR have only competed in the Asia Rugby Women’s Championship (ARWC) in 2024, where they lost to Japan and beat Kazakhstan to qualify for WXV (they have played as many matches post-pandemic as Fiji has thus far this calendar year).
The squad have had camps in Australia where they played the Brumbies, in Japan, and have been based in Dubai for nearly two weeks as they are vying for Rugby World Cup 2025 Qualification 2025, whereas Fiji have already qualified.
Pun Wai Yan will captain the HKCR in WXV3 2024 and is one of the squad that was a junior at the 2017 RWC, and she said of leading the side “I think it’s a very special honour. In 2017 I was a junior player, and now I’m a leader and I’m working with a new group but I have experience here with me. I like the combination and I can’t wait to see how this new group can bring a different energy and different chemistry to Hong Kong China Women’s rugby.”
All of the sides in Dubai will need to contend with the heat (it is very humid and warm) but Head Coach Andrew Douglas said, “They’ve worked really hard. That hard work started months before we got here. Hong Kong’s not exactly cold, so we’ve worked in humidity and temperatures but it’s certainly testing conditions. The girls have put in a lot of time in the gym and on the field, so we’re confident in our preparation. The girls have done everything we’ve asked of them.”
HKCR front-row forward Lee Ka Shun (who played at RWC 2017) could become the most capped player for her side if she gets a run on, while Head Coach Andrew Douglas has picked two potential debutants on the squad to face Fiji – Lucia Bolton and Haruka Uematsu.
Lee Ka Shun said of breaking the cap record, “It’s really special to me, and I don’t know how many games I can play in the future, but at this moment, I have to enjoy myself, and enjoy with my team and play the best rugby with my teammates.. I hope I can bring my experience and knowledge to our younger players – they give me new energy as well, so I am really excited to play in WXV.”
Finally, Gabriella Rivers (who plays in the centres for HKCR) was optimistic about playing the Fijians and how they can shut them down defensively. “We have really good centre partnerships and we have a really good defence. We know, and will we expect, that Fiji will try to play the offload game, but looking at our backline, we have so much speed and power that I think, like we’ll not only be able to keep up, but I think it just won’t be a problem for us.”
Tyler Miller (Australia) is the match referee.
For the matches in Dubai, the UAE Rugby Federation, in collaboration with World Rugby and the Ministry of Education, is organising rugby festivals for girls to coincide with the WXV3 Women’s Rugby Championship.
Match Permutations – HKCR vs Fiji WXV 3 (September 2024)
- Fiji are ranked 15th and Hong Kong China is ranked 17th
- Fiji will regain 14th place if they beat Hong Kong China and could reach a new high of 13th if they win and Spain is beaten by Madagascar.
- If HKCR loses, they will remain in 17th, but if they beat Fiji they could equal their highest-ever ranking of 15th, depending on what happens in the Netherlands v Samoa match.
HKCR Squad vs Fiji– WXV3 2024
Fiji Squad vs Hong Kong China – WXV3 2024
How To Watch WXV 2024
The WXV3 2024 will be available to watch on RugbyPass TV or your local broadcaster which be found on the fixtures page of the WXV website. For fans in Dubai, the matches are free to attend.
WXV Rugby News 2024
- Japan Sakura XV vs South Africa WXV2 2024 Preview.
- Hong Kong China Confirm WXV3 2024 Squad.
- Pools & Schedule Confirmed For WXV 2024.
- WXV 2024 Details Confirmed – WXV 3 Heads Back To Dubai.
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