Why winning home qualifying tournament is Hong Kong rugby’s best Olympic hope
Teams battling in the world repêchage for final Games spot will almost certainly be too strong
The pieces are falling into place and when the jigsaw is complete it will paint a bleak picture for Hong Kong, who will have to win the Asian qualifier to make it to the Rio Olympics next year.
The American men are reigning Olympic champions, having won gold the last time the sport featured, at the 1924 Paris Games, albeit the 15-a-side version.
And fresh from their first cup victory in the World Series in London last month, the USA men looked the part as they beat Canada 21-5 to book their tickets to Rio.
Runners-up Canada have now been relegated to the 16-team world repêchage competition which offers one final Olympic berth.
We can most certainly kiss goodbye to any chances of our Olympic dreams if the So Kon Po campaign ends in failure
So if Hong Kong fail to win the Asian qualifying competition at Hong Kong Stadium in November, they face a harder task of defeating core World Series sides such as Canada in the hunt for that final place.
We can most certainly kiss goodbye to any chances of our Olympic dreams if the So Kon Po campaign ends in failure.
Like Canada, most of the other teams who fail to win the automatic spot awarded to each of the regional champions will be hardened and battle-tested on the World Rugby circuit.
Seven teams have booked their berth in the 12-team Olympic Sevens competition. They are hosts Brazil, the top four from the recently concluded 2014-15 Sevens World Series – namely, Fiji, South Africa, New Zealand and England (who will represent Great Britain) – Argentina (South American champions) and USA.
Europe will no doubt present formidable challengers for that final place. Wales and Scotland are regulars on the circuit, along with the likes of Spain, Portugal, Italy and Russia.
From Oceania you have Australia and Samoa, both core teams on the global circuit, and others like Tonga.
From Africa there are Kenya and Zimbabwe. So Hong Kong know the best route to the Olympics is to win the Asian qualifiers.
In the women’s competition it is even harder with Asia having three of the circuit's top sides in China, Japan and Kazakhstan.
The women’s competition is even harder with Asia featuring three of the circuit’s top sides in the shape of China, Japan and Kazakhstan
Like the men, seven Olympic berths have already been decided for the women – hosts Brazil, the top four from the Women’s World Series (New Zealand, Canada, Australia and Great Britain, England again the nominated team), Colombia (South America) and the USA (North America).
There are four more berths available for regional winners, plus the world repêchage spot. But unlike the men, the Hong Kong women will play in two qualifying legs, in Hong Kong and Japan, to decide who goes to Rio.
China will be the favourites to clinch Asia's direct berth, with Japan a close second.
The Hong Kong men’s and women’s teams leave for a training trip to Canada next week and they will have plenty to ponder – mainly how to rule the roost in Asia.
