Hong Kong China’s Jack Combes and Alex Post prepare for Australia World Cup opener

Hong Kong China players Jack Combes and Alex Post described on 1 October 2026 how they are preparing in Hong Kong for a possible place in their country’s first men’s Rugby World Cup match: the 2027 tournament opener against hosts Australia in Perth. Both have played below England’s top domestic division, making the move to full-time preparation a significant step before a match neither is guaranteed to play.

Combes, a 29-year-old scrum-half, told BBC Sport that qualifying for a first men’s World Cup had already felt like a dream. The draw has placed Hong Kong China alongside Australia, Chile and New Zealand in Pool A. He called the chance to open the competition against the hosts ‘a dream come true’, while acknowledging the scale of the opposition.

How Jack Combes reached full-time rugby

Combes told the BBC that an anterior cruciate ligament injury was followed by a move into teaching, then semi-professional rugby and, at 25, a full-time place in sevens. He said he had spent about three and a half years as a full-time sevens player. His route also included a spell at Birmingham Moseley in England’s third tier.

He described it as doing his career in reverse, but said he would not change the path. Full-time training time, resources and physical development matter, he said, given the opponents Hong Kong China will face. Combes was born in Hong Kong, has a half-Chinese mother and came through its minis rugby system. He told the BBC he hopes the World Cup appearance will inspire another generation of players there.

Why Alex Post returned to Hong Kong

He told the BBC that Hong Kong China’s players are contracted throughout the year and spend their time together. That expectation made it impractical for him to remain at Richmond, he said. Post recently moved his family to Hong Kong to pursue the opportunity. At Richmond, he said, the team trained twice a week and players fitted gym work around those sessions; his new arrangement allows him to do about twice as much training.

Post has already played a part in the team’s qualification. World Rugby reported that he scored two tries when Hong Kong China beat Korea 70-22 in the final round of the 2025 Asia Rugby Men’s Championship. The victory secured the country’s first place at a men’s Rugby World Cup after an unbeaten campaign in the regional competition.

Hong Kong China’s 2027 World Cup schedule

World Rugby lists Hong Kong China’s opening match against Australia for 1 October 2027 in Perth/Boorloo. Chile follows on 9 October in Townsville/Gurambilbarra, then New Zealand on 15 October in Melbourne/Narrm. World Rugby says Hong Kong China will be the only men’s World Cup debutant at the 2027 tournament, and that its first match will also be the tournament opener.

In a separate interview with The Guardian, Post said talking about the opening match gave him goosebumps. The prospect of facing New Zealand would also be special, he said, if selected. His conditional phrasing matters: the fixture list establishes whom Hong Kong China will face, but it does not establish which players will take the field in either match.

The matches before Australia

The Guardian reported that Hong Kong China Rugby had professionally contracted Post and other members of the squad. It also reported plans for Nations Cup matches in Europe against the United States and Canada in November, followed by a home fixture against Tonga. Those games offer scheduled preparation against teams with World Cup experience, though the report did not give precise November dates or venues.

Combes told BBC Sport the team’s approach should be ambitious and fearless. ‘Be memorable’ is the phrase he said coaches have used. Post described messages from family and friends reminding him that the opener is a year away and pressing him to make the team. He said Hong Kong China wants to be ‘everyone’s second team’ when the tournament begins.

The qualification result and published schedule establish the team’s place in the competition. For Combes and Post, the immediate question is whether their work in the full-time squad earns them selection for Perth. As Post told The Guardian, opening against Australia is the kind of occasion a player dreams about; for now, his place in that match remains to be decided.