The captains of the six international unions competing in the World Rugby WXV Global Challenger Series Hong Kong 2026 gathered on the city's Victoria Harbour before their teams chart course for the Rugby World Cup 2029 over the coming month in the city.
Anticipation is building ahead of the opening round at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground on Sunday (Sept. 13) with hometown heroes Hong Kong China Rugby (HKCR) set to play their first home matches since 2024.
The second and third rounds are on Saturdays, Sept. 19 and Sept. 26.
The WXV Global Challenger Series brings together emerging rugby nations from four continents in a competition that provides a critical platform for development and progression towards future Rugby World Cup qualification.
HK is hosting the tournament for the first time, welcoming elite women's rugby to the city with nine international matches across three rounds of competition.
Fiji captain Kolora Lomani hopes her side, the highest-ranked in the competition at 13th in the world, will leave a similar impact.
"In Fiji, we're known for our sevens rugby, and I think it's similar in our fifteens where we try to bring that flair into our game. We're looking forward to being able to show that here in HK, but in fifteen-a-side. We have a thing we call Fijiana game, which is an offload game. We just have to set the platform to go forward and space will open up for us, and we will have opportunities to be able to show what we're capable of."
HKCR co-captain Jasmine Fung Hoi-ching said: "We are very excited to be playing in front of our home crowd for the first time in two years. It isn't too often we have big international competitions like this at home, especially against these big teams. This is a milestone for us. We want to show rugby fans in Hong Kong, especially the young girls, that HK's rugby is competitive on the global stage. We hope through watching us play and seeing our commitment, dedication, and hard work, that they will have their own dreams to play for HK like us one day.''
Team Hong Kong, China will open its campaign against Brazil at 3.30 p.m. on Sept. 13. It will then face Fiji at 3.30 p.m. on Sept. 19 before taking on Samoa at 3.30 p.m. on Sept. 26.
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