Hong Kong China players prepare for Rugby World Cup debut against Australia and New Zealand

Hong Kong China’s players are preparing for their first men’s Rugby World Cup with Australia and New Zealand among their pool opponents. In interviews published by the Guardian on 29 September, full-back Paul Altier and hooker Alexander Post described the scale of the step up and the chance to test themselves against teams they have usually watched as fans.

The debut follows Hong Kong China’s qualification last year and comes as the team seeks more matches against World Cup opposition. Squad members have been given professional contracts by Hong Kong China Rugby, according to the Guardian, although the report does not specify their terms or duration. For players such as Post, who works as a financial analyst, the preparation brings a new level of commitment ahead of the 2027 tournament in Australia.

A daunting first assignment

Hong Kong China are due to open the World Cup against hosts Australia on 1 October 2027 and also face New Zealand in Pool A, the Guardian reported. Those fixtures place a debutant team alongside two established rugby powers. The Guardian described Hong Kong China as 24th in the world rankings in its report; the eventual results and margins remain unknown.

Altier recalled watching New Zealand and South Africa play on television and joking that he should be taking notes on the All Blacks. His point was that the players are more familiar with such teams as spectators. He told the Guardian: ‘We know it’s going to be a big step up to play the All Blacks and Australia but we’re happy to take that challenge on.’

The gap in experience does not mean Hong Kong China have lacked competitive tests. The Guardian reported that Altier kicked a last-minute penalty to secure a 42-40 win over Uruguay in Montevideo in July. Altier has played club rugby for Richmond in England’s Championship and for Chambéry in France. He judged Hong Kong China’s current level to be closer to a leading Championship side, while acknowledging that Australia and New Zealand pose a much larger challenge.

How Hong Kong China reached the tournament

Hong Kong China earned its place by winning the 2025 Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship. Asia Rugby said the side beat Korea 70-22 in the final round, sealing its first qualification for the men’s World Cup. The regional body described Hong Kong China as only the second Asian nation after Japan to qualify for the tournament.

The result also ended a sequence of near misses: Asia Rugby said Hong Kong China had appeared in final qualification tournaments for the 2019 and 2023 World Cups without reaching the main event. The 2027 competition in Australia will expand to 24 teams, giving the Asian champion its first opportunity to compete on that stage.

The challenge now is to turn qualification into preparation against a broader range of opponents. Post told the Guardian that playing stronger teams could help Hong Kong China improve. He contrasted those opportunities with regional matches in which his side had sometimes won by 70 or 90 points, saying such one-sided results were less useful for development.

Matches and coaching before 2027

Hong Kong China have already played three matches in the inaugural World Rugby Nations Cup, according to standings retrieved on 29 September. The table recorded one win, two losses, 78 points scored and 144 conceded. Those figures are a snapshot of a competition still in progress, rather than a final measure of where the side will stand at the World Cup.

World Rugby says the Nations Cup brings together 12 unions that have qualified for the 2027 World Cup. Each is scheduled to play six matches across July and November windows, with the results forming a final standings table. For Hong Kong China, that format provides further fixtures against other World Cup teams before the tournament in Australia.

The Guardian reported that Hong Kong China were due to play the United States and Canada in Europe in November before hosting Tonga. It also described a planned tour of Australia in February, with possible matches against Super Rugby reserve teams and Australia’s under-20 side. Those arrangements were reported as future preparation, and the possible February opponents were not presented as confirmed fixtures.

Coaching has also changed as the team prepares. Toby Booth has returned as lineout and defence coach alongside head coach Andrew Douglas, according to the Guardian. Altier credited Booth with raising standards. The work ahead is clear in the players’ accounts: they welcome the chance to face Australia and New Zealand, while recognising that neither their qualifying win nor their current Nations Cup record predicts what will happen in Pool A.