Boots and all | Olympic gamble no guarantee of passport to success for dream-chasing trio

Try putting yourself in the shoes of sevens veterans Nick Hewson, Lee Jones and Ben Rimene, and then consider what decision you would take on giving up your birthright to chase a dream.

This is the vexing issue facing three longstanding servants who in a few weeks’ time will be eligible for a permanent Hong Kong ID card having lived here for seven years. This paves the way for them to apply for an SAR passport, a necessity if they were to represent Hong Kong at the Rio Olympics next year.

But it is not a straightforward issue. Do they give up their New Zealand passports to acquire the local document knowing that, firstly, Hong Kong isn’t guaranteed an Olympic berth, and secondly, their places in the squad are not signed, sealed and delivered.

To reach Rio Hong Kong will face a huge challenge from Japan, South Korea and perhaps Sri Lanka among others, in the men’s Olympics qualifying competition in November at Hong Kong Stadium. With only one automatic spot available for the entire region, there are no guarantees the sacrifice will pay off.

Even to play in this qualifying competition they will need an SAR passport as it will be under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and not World Rugby.

IOC rules state that athletes must have the passport of the country they wish to represent. World Rugby laws are more lax – a three-year residency is sufficient if you don’t have a parent or grandparent from the country you want to play for.

So Hewson, Jones and Rimene face a massive decision. It might be easier if they were all youngsters in their early 20s and with much to look forward to, but they are past 30 and at the tail end of their playing days.