Defending champion Hong Kong China squads off to the races after reveal at Sha Tin
The Hong Kong China Rugby (HKCR) men’s and women’s sevens squads selected for the Melrose Claymores competition at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2026 (17-19 April) were announced today in front of 1,200 spectators at the Parade Ring of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sha Tin Racecourse.
The Melrose Claymores are the latest silverware introduced to the Hong Kong Sevens in 2024. This year’s tournament features China, Japan and hosts HKCR in the men’s competition, while the women’s bracket welcomes its first non-Asian competitor in Denmark, who join Thailand and Hong Kong.
Twice defending Asian Games gold medallists, the HKCR men’s seven have won the Melrose on every staging but enter this year’s competition with a fresh-faced squad featuring four players making their Hong Kong Sevens debuts, as men’s coach Jevon Groves casts an eye towards the Asian Games in Japan this September.
An experienced HKCR Women’s sevens team return six players from last year’s Claymore winning group under captain Chloe Chan, who marks her 26th cap representing Hong Kong China Rugby. Nam Ka Man (48 caps), Chong Ka Yan (40), Melody Li Nim Yan (38), Maggie Au Yeung Sin Yi (34), Stephanie Chan Chor-ki (31) and Vivian Poon Hoi Yan (25) round out the team’s senior leadership group with Shanna Forrest (17), Julia Mibuy Mba Oyana (11) and Micayla Baltazar (8) amongst the programme’s emerging stars.
Au King To (2 caps) and Haruka Uematsu will make their Hong Kong Sevens debuts for the women’s squad, while Uematsu will mark her first ever appearance for Hong Kong beneath the bright lights of Kai Tak Stadium in front of an expected crowd of over 45,000 spectators per day.
With a defence of the gold medal at the Asian Games in Japan on the cards this Autumn for the men, coach Jevon Groves has opted to give a big stage moment to several emerging athletes in the elite rugby sevens programme at the Hong Kong Sports Institute. The four players set to make their Hong Kong Sevens debuts include Julien Bourron (5 caps), Mathew Rickard (4), Blake Elliott (4), and Johnny Esono Mba Oyana (3). Bourron and Rickard have already experienced a taste of the Kai Tak atmosphere after being involved in the HKCR National Games gold medal winning squad last November.
Groves spoke about the debutants saying: “They create an injection of energy and want to prove themselves. We’ve also got a wealth of experience in our forwards, so balancing our youth with that experience and that calmness will be important in getting the performance we want in Hong Kong.”
The men’s team will be led by co-captains Seb Brien (38 caps) and James Christie (25 caps), who co-chaired Hong Kong’s successful gold-medal run at the China National Games in November. The squad returns six players from last year’s campaign inside the stadium, including Christie and forward Mike Coverdale, who wins his 54th cap next weekend, extending his run as Hong Kong’s most capped current men’s sevens athlete. Liam Herbert (38 caps), Bryn Phillips (18) and Fong Kit Fung (18) will be called upon to lead a young group of backs. Matteo Avitabile and Rory Stewart Cox make their second Hong Kong Sevens appearances and earn their 6th and 3rd cap respectively.
“We’ve looked to balance the team in terms of having enough experience there and also having one eye on what this year means for us in terms of the Asian Games,” said Groves, who represented Wales at the Hong Kong Sevens prior to coming on board as Hong Kong men’s sevens coach.
“We’re trying to build that depth, and it’s a great opportunity for the boys. It’s a chance for them, obviously there is experience missing, but building that depth is particularly important for this year.
“The Melrose is a massive tournament for us, in terms of how we approach it as a platform to grow our game. We play our main rivals in China and Japan so there’s a performance element to it, but it’s also a great chance to grow the game and use the platform of the Hong Kong Sevens. The players really enjoy visiting schools and open training sessions this time of year and we’ve chatted this week about the players’ memories of Hong Kong. It’s really cool to see things coming full circle with some of the younger boys now playing alongside the players they’ve watched growing up. That’s a really special thing for us as a team, and for the rugby community in Hong Kong,” said Groves.
The 23-year old Johnny Esono Mba Oyana will join his 21-year old sibling and women’s sevens team mainstay, Julia, in forming the first siblings pairing selected for a Hong Kong Sevens since Rowan and Lindsay Varty.
Hong Kong China Women’s Head Coach Andy Vilk, who starred for England at the Hong Kong Sevens during their Cup winning run in the early 2000s, looked ahead to the competition saying, “We are hugely excited. It’s such a unique and just a brilliant time of year. To be able to play in your home tournament and then it happens to be the Hong Kong Sevens, that is pretty unique for the players, and everyone involved. And then to go and represent Hong Kong China in the stadium under the lights is just a fantastic opportunity.
“We’re really excited to see how some of those girls go. We’ve got Haruka on debut and then at the other end we’ve got girls towards the 40-50 cap mark, so we’ve got that blend and we want to just see everyone go out there and enjoy it and embrace the pressure,” added Vilk.
The Melrose Claymore competition in Hong Kong features trophies donated by Melrose Rugby Football Club in Scotland, hosts of the world’s oldest sevens competition, the Melrose Sevens, founded in 1883. In a reciprocal gesture, the Hong Kong Sevens trophy is on offer to winners of one of the competitions at Melrose.
Hong Kong China women play Denmark on Friday, 17 April, at 18.22 and meet Thailand on Saturday, 18 April, at 14.12, when the local crowds are expected to be at full volume. Denmark plays Thailand at 10.00 on Sunday morning with the Melrose Claymore women’s final on Sunday night at 15.47. The Hong Kong China men’s team play China at 19.38 on Friday evening, and Japan at 15.16 on Saturday. China and Japan play at 10.23 on Sunday with the men’s Melrose Claymore final held at 16.16 on Sunday.
The Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens is proud of being an “M” Mark event that helps enhance the image of Hong Kong as Asia’s sports event capital. The “M” Mark awarded by the Major Sports Events Committee, symbolises intense, spectacular and signature events in the territory’s sports calendar.
HONG KONG CHINA SEVENS WOMEN
PLAYERS
- Shanna FORREST
- Chloe CHAN ©
- AU YEUNG Sin Yi
- Julia Mibuy MBA OYANA
- NAM Ka Man
- Micayla BALTAZAR
- LI Nim Yan Melody Blessing
- AU King To
- Haruka UEMATSU
- CHAN Stephanie Chor Ki
- CHONG Ka Yan
- POON Hoi Yan Vivian
TEAM MANAGEMENT
Andy VILK – Head Coach
Robbie FERGUSSON – Assistant Coach
Callum CHIA – Physiotherapist
CHONG Shing Hin – S&C Coach
Mark KOMAR – Analyst
Paul JOHN – Team Manager
HONG KONG CHINA SEVENS MEN
PLAYERS
- Michael COVERDALE
- Rory STEWART COX
- Juan Esono MBA OYANA
- James CHRISTIE ©
- Matteo AVITABILE
- Matthew RICKARD
- Blake ELLIOT
- Liam HERBERT
- Bryn PHILLIPS
- Julien BOURRON
- Sebastian BRIEN ©
- FONG Kit Fung
TEAM MANAGEMENT
Jevon GROVES – Head Coach
Peter JERICEVICH – Assistant Coach
Stephen MUTCH – Head of Athletic Performance
Olivia WITHERS – Physiotherapist
WONG Tsz Kit – S&C Coach
Mark KOMAR – Analyst
Tomos HOWELLS – Team Manager