Tradition HKFC 10s Women’s Teams Finalised

The inaugural Tradition HKFC 10s Women’s tournament in 2023 will see a touch of class added as several former Red Roses players have joined the Hong Kong tournament in the leadup to the 2023 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. Five women’s teams will join the 12 confirmed men’s teams from 29- 30 March 2023.

As previously announced for the Tradition HKFC 10s, this is the 35th edition of the high-calibre tens rugby tournament and it will be the first time the Women’s competition takes place. The Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens this year is also historic for having the women’s and men’s Series be played together.

HKFC Chairman, Neil Jensen, said: “As a club, we are delighted to see that Hong Kong Football Club can still attract the biggest names in sport. We are really looking forward to seeing the return of the Tradition HKFC 10s to the Club and to once again present this exciting precursor to the Sevens which started over three decades ago.”

Tradition HKFC 10s Women’s Teams

The five confirmed teams are:

• HKFC Natixis Ice (Hong Kong)
• Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix (Japan)
• RKS Legal Samurai Warriors
• Ashbury Tropics (UK)
• FindRugbyNow (England)

HKFC Chairman added, “We’re particularly pleased to see the introduction of a Women’s Competition which is an important milestone for the tournament and something we have been working towards for a number of years. Thank you to the teams that are making the journey to Hong Kong and we look forward to seeing a new dimension to the World’s Best 10s out on pitch.”

The RKS Legal Samurai Warriors have announced they will bring some of the biggest names in women’s rugby to Hong Kong as Rochelle ‘Rocky’ Clark with 137 national appearances is one the most capped English players of all time will coach the side, while 115-cap team-mate, Tamara Taylor will captain the team – both are Rugby World Cup and Six Nations winners with England. Samurai has also added Abi Burton – the GB Sevens Olympian who suffered a serious illness in 2022 is making her first return to action.

Rocky Clark, who also takes on the role of Official Tournament Ambassador, said: “I am massively grateful to Samurai for inviting me to coach the team. After the opportunities they gave me as a player back in the day when I started my playing journey, to now coaching the team, it is a massive honour and where better to do it than the world’s best tens.”

Fellow World Cup winner and legendary open-side flanker, Heather Fisher, will join the Ashbury Tropics team as part of the coaching team. Fisher is a former Sevens and 15s player, having represented England and Great Britain in the 2014 World Cup and the Rio Olympic Games respectively.

Tradition HKFC 10s Women’s Format

The Women’s Competition will see the five teams compete in a four-round-robin format and after which the top four teams will progress to the knock-out phase of the competition, with the winners of two semi-finals progressing to the Cup final and the losers to a Plate final at the Tradition HKFC 10s 2023.

Matches are 10 minutes each way and scheduled back-to-back throughout the day.

Tradition signed a three-year title sponsor agreement starting for the 2023 tournament, while other sponsors include Natixis (Gold Sponsor), AIA, Allied World, Samurai, Taikoo Place and Mourant (Silver Sponsors).

Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2023 News

• Full Guide To All 2023 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens Events.
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• 2023 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens Pools & Schedule.
• Hong Kong Sevens Men Targets in 2023.