Coach’s Corner | A hop, skip and numerous jumps ahead of biggest game in HK history

Five weeks of conditioning already in the bag, six more gruelling sessions to come, followed by a “short” hop across to the other side of the world, and we’ll be into the biggest game in Hong Kong 15s rugby history.

The August 2 Rugby World Cup repêchage game in Uruguay is, without question, a huge challenge. It is truly a “test” match, and as we look ahead to arguably our toughest international examination yet, we facing a number of challenges before we even get to Montevideo.

Let’s first take a look at the biggest hurdle … our opposition.

A team who have qualified for two previous Rugby World Cups, Los Teros have in recent months drawn against the United States and beaten Russia – two teams with significant RWC pedigrees.

Much like their Argentinian big brothers Uruguay’s massive pack and set piece threat would make any team take note, and in front of an 11,000-strong partisan crowd we can expect a warm, if not heated, reception.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Before our feet come close to touching South American soil we have a number of small but equally significant challenges to overcome.

Our short hop to Montevideo, for example, consists of a 40-hour journey on three separate flights across as many continents with a two-day turn around until game day. You don’t need to be a professor of sports science to appreciate this is not ideal preparation for the biggest game in our history.