The Hong Kong China men’s and women’s sevens squads selected for the Melrose Claymores competition at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2025 (28-30 March) were announced today.
The Melrose Claymores are the latest silverware introduced to the Hong Kong Sevens in 2024 as a competition featuring invitational teams from Asia in tribute to the Hong Kong Sevens’ role in supporting the development of Asian rugby from its inception in 1976.
Today’s squad announcements were also marked by a special honours ceremony for those players to have represented Hong Kong China in an international sevens tournament, earning a rugby ‘cap’ in recognition of their sporting achievement.
China Women and Hong Kong China Men won the inaugural competition, which 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.
After claiming the title in the final Hong Kong Sevens in Causeway Bay last April, the Hong Kong China men’s team will be out to defend the Claymore at the new Kai Tak Stadium in 2025. They play Japan and China. The women, who were runners-up to China women last year, will play Thailand and Kazakhstan in their competition.
The Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens comes amidst an intense period of competition for the Hong Kong China Sevens squads and is their third tournament this month after the two-leg HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger 2025 series tournaments in South Africa earlier.
Now Hong Kong China’s sevens experts will take to the pitch of the main stadium at Kai Tak when the world’s greatest sevens extravaganza serves as the opening ticketed event of the 50,000-seat stadium.
The women’s squad selected for the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2025 are co-captains Natasha Olson-Thorne (55 tournaments) and Chloe Chan (21), Au Yeung Sin Yi (29), Jamie Bourk (2), Stephanie Chan Chor Ki (26), Chong Ka-yan (35), Jess Eden (10), Shanna Forrest (12), Jessica Ho Wai On (25), Sabay Lynam (8), Nam Ka Man (43), Pun Wai Yan (2) and Rosanna Wright (6).
The men’s team will be led by captain James Christie (20 caps) and includes senior players Cado Lee Ka To (61), Michael Coverdale (52), Max Denmark (36), Liam Herbert (33), Alessandro Nardoni (24), Harry Sayers (20) and Bryn Phillips (13).
Youngsters Jack Combes (5), Matteo Avitabile (2) and Shiven Dukhande (1) join debutants Rory Stewart Cox and James Kee as some of the squad’s emerging players who have been given a chance to press their claims at Kai Tak.
Hong Kong China Men play China on Friday, 28 March, at 19.07 and meet Japan on Saturday, 29 March, at 15.06, when the local crowds are expected to be at full volume. Japan then play China on Sunday morning at 10.23 with the final on Sunday night at 16.16.
The Hong Kong China women’s team will look to go one better than their runners-up place of 2024 this year when they face Asian rivals Kazakhstan at 18.22 on Friday evening, and Thailand at 14.06 on Saturday. Kazakhstan and Thailand will play at 10.00 on Sunday with the women’s Melrose final held at 15.47 on Sunday.
Hong Kong China Women’s Head Coach Andy Vilk looked ahead to the competition saying, “It’s nice to be able to rekindle the Asian rivalries inside the new stadium. We play these two in the Asian Series regularly and they are two strong and skilful teams. We know it will be very competitive.
“Last year was an incredible buzz in the stadium. We beat China on Friday night and it still sends tingles down my spine. The crowd is a help, it can also be intimidating with 50,000 people. That excitement around the stadium will help focus our mindset coming into this; it’s an honour to be able to go into the new stadium as a player or coach of the Hong Kong China women’s sevens team,” said Vilk.
Selection was difficult and competitive said Jevon Groves, Hong Kong China Men’s Head Coach.
“We are picking the 13 very best players. There was really good competition for all of the places. Whether a senior or a younger player, everyone had the opportunity to make the final squad. It is a huge motivating factor for the boys to represent Hong Kong China in Hong Kong, in front of their friends and families, and there is expectation with that as well. That expectation drives us,” said Groves.
With Japan in the mix, the competition will be tight as ever: “Japan are quick, and when they come out against us, they come out firing. China are really improving and will be very physical, so we have to get how we want to play right and put in those individual performances we owe ourselves for the months of preparation,” Groves added.
Fifty players were capped today, starting with Hong Kong China sevens stalwart Michael Coverdale who has represented the city in 52 tournaments dating back to his debut at the Asian Sevens Series in 2014.
He joins women’s sevens co-captain Natasha Olson-Thorne (55 tournaments) as the two Hong Kong China stars with over 50 appearances who were recognised today.
"As HSBC marks its 160th anniversary in Hong Kong, it is with great excitement that we enter a new chapter of our long-term relationship with the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, a foundational event for the community we are proud to support. As the event moves to a new home at the Kai Tak Sports Park, a world-class venue of which we are Premier Founding Partner, we look forward to embracing the opportunity that comes with the change, for the talented athletes of Hong Kong China Rugby who we are celebrating today, but also for the sport, and the region, as a whole." – Andrea de Vincentiis, Global Head of Brand Partnerships & Regional Head of Brand at HSBC.
Record breaking ticket sales continue for Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2025
Record breaking ticket sales continue for the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2025, the first international sporting event to be held in Kai Tak Stadium.
8,000 tickets have been sold in the past week to bring the cumulative 3-day total ticket packages issued to nearly 43,000 for an anticipated 138,000 spectators over the tournament weekend. With a seated capacity of 47,000 after tournament seating and box configurations this represents over 90% of total tickets sold ahead of next weekend’s start.
This is the highest number of tickets ever sold for a Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens.
Hong Kong China Rugby is also delighted to announce that all of its corporate hospitality suites and corporate boxes for the tournament have been sold.
“For more than 40 years, Cathay has proudly sponsored the Hong Kong Sevens – an incredible spectacle that has helped put our home city on the world stage like no other, attracting thousands of people from around the world every year. As Hong Kong’s home carrier for more than 78 years, Cathay is excited to play an important role in supporting our home-grown athletes as a proud sponsor of the Hong Kong China Rugby teams,” said Edward Bell, General Manager, Brand, Insights and Marketing Communications of Cathay.
“What makes this year’s event even more meaningful to Cathay is that we are staging it at the brand-new Kai Tak Stadium, where we began our journey at the old Kai Tak Airport many decades ago. And starting this weekend, the West Bridge – an extension of where we used to land at the old Kai Tak runway – will feature special displays telling the history of Cathay and the Hong Kong International aviation hub. Stay tuned for the surprise we have prepared for spectators to this fantastic sporting event, as well as enjoy the exhilarating games and giveaways in store at the Stadium and the Fan Village. As you know, Nobody Does Rugby Like Hong Kong and Nothing Beats Being Here!,” added Mr Bell.
Cathay A350 Fly Past
To celebrate the Hong Kong Sevens’ debut at Kai Tak Stadium, tournament co-title sponsor Cathay is planning something special for spectators and the public this year – a fly-past of a Cathay Pacific A350 aircraft over Victoria Harbour and nearby Kai Tak Stadium. The planned moment is weather dependent, with final details to be announced.
Due to scheduling constraints, there will also now be no live music inside the main stadium on the Friday evening of the event and, as a result, RubberBand will not be appearing at the Sevens in 2025. Live music will instead be featured in the all-new Sevens Fan Village on Friday, where 18 bands, 6 DJs and 6 Dance Crews will entertain the fans throughout the weekend.
In stadium, Gala will perform on Saturday at 14.26 after the Mini and Youth Rugby March Past; DJ Pete Tong will perform preceded by an epic laser show at 18.36 on Saturday before Kaiser Chiefs bring the new house down on Sunday at 16.43.
To minimise disruption in the area, closure times for the Hong Kong Sevens Fan Village and Champions Bar are set at:
· Fan Village:
o 10:30pm Friday, 28 March
o 10:30pm Saturday, 29 March
o 7:00pm Sunday, 30 March
· Champion Bar inside Kai Tak Stadium:
o 11:00pm Friday, 28 March
o 11:00pm Saturday, 29 March
o 8:30pm Sunday, 30 March
Stadium Prohibited Items List Reminder:
Patrons are reminded that the following items and activities are not allowed inside Kai Tak:
1. No smoking or lighting of cigar, pipe, cigarette, naked flame, or e-cigarettes except in designated smoking areas.
2. No outside food and beverage, except baby food, medication, and food and beverage from outlets operated or authorized by Kai Tak Sports Park Limited is allowed.
3. The following items are prohibited from being brought into the venue*:
· Plastic, glass, metal containers, cans and bottles (except baby food, medication)
· Laser pens or pointers
· Inflated lighter-than-air objects (e.g. helium balloons)
· Any balls
· Drones, remote-controlled flying devices or kites
· Bags larger than 35cm x 20cm x 30cm (too large to fit under your seat).
· Umbrellas and selfie sticks longer than 35cm in length.
· No air horns, whistles, cowbells, or other noise-making devices.
· Items prohibited by the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China
*Partial list
Audiences are required to go through security checking before entering the event venue.
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.