"Celebrating 30 Years of the Hong Kong Sevens"

Hong Kong Team Announced for Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens 2006

[Hong Kong, 8 March 2006]: The Hong Kong Sevens team for the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens 2006 was announced today. The Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens 2006 will take place at the Hong Kong Stadium from Friday 31 March to Sunday 2 April, 2006.

In addition to the seven veteran players named in the side, including Andy Chambers, Ricky Cheuk, Nigel D'Acre and Alex Gibbs, this year's team is one of the most homegrown Hong Kong Sevens squads in HKRFU history, with a record eight of the 12-man squad Asian Games eligible. The squad also includes five Chinese players.

From last year's team at the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2005, six players from this year's side are making their Hong Kong Sevens debut: Andy Yuen, Jeff Wong, Mark Wright, Tsang Hing Hong, Kwok Ka Chun and Kenzo Pannell.

These six promising young players will make up a balanced squad alongside six players with experience in the cauldron of the Hong Kong Sevens, including Andy Chambers, Ricky Cheuk, Alex Gibbs, Nigel D'Acre, Paul Morehu and Justin Gregory. These players have a combined 13 appearances in the Hong Kong Sevens or Rugby World Cup Sevens.

As testament to the success of the HKRFU's elite player development initiatives, three of this year's squad members are graduates of the HKRFU Rugby Academy. The youngest member of this year's team is prop Kwok Ka Chun who is just 20, followed by three players aged 21: Mark Wright, Jeff Wong and Kenzo Pannell.

Eight of the squad members for the Hong Kong Sevens 2006 are Asian Games qualified players, (Alex Gibbs, Mark Wright, Ricky Cheuk, Andy Yuen, Kenzo Pannell, Kwok Ka Chung, Tsang, Hing Hung and Jeff Wong), having been selected from the HKRFU squad that secured the last spot at the Asian Games Sevens in Doha this December by winning the qualifying tournament held in Hong Kong in January.

Hong Kong has been handed a challenge ahead of the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens 2006, being drawn against England, Canada and the United States in Pool B. Hong Kong's pool match schedule for the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens 2006 is as follows:

The Hong Kong Sevens Cup, Plate and Bowl competitions will begin with the first Bowl Quarter-Final on Sunday 2 April at 0945.

The Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens 2006 marks the 30th year of sevens rugby in Hong Kong and will be played from March 31 to April 2, 2006 at the 40,000-seat Hong Kong Stadium.

For more information on the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens 2006 please visit the HKRFU's official Sevens website at http://www.hksevens.com

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