There’s more to Asian 7s than China

Anna and her team celebrate the 2015 Hong Kong Sevens

As well as being inducted into the Rugby Hall of Fame, Anna was also talking about sports psychology and we started by asking about how she had turned around the fortunes of her team at a key tournament played just a few weeks before.

“It was the first round of the Asian Sevens in Hong Kong.  We had a terrible first day, and after that we talked about the need to be consistent, we know what we are doing, we know what we want to do, and you guys know how to do it. So don’t over complicate it. It’s a very simple game and this is what we want to do.

“I also broke down the basics and showed them how much they had improved since they became professional in September 2013. Look at what you defence looked at then, and look at it now – you actually look like you have a defensive line now. And they were amazed – it was kind of cool!

“And then we beat Japan for the first time [the next day]. And they were amazed when they one, you should have seen how happy they were. But there is often a cricket score when we play China. Yet China are not far ahead of Japan – the games are always close. I think it’s something in their heads, they look up to China really up there – the big brother. It’s a bit of mind games. We need to forget the history. Don’t think about the result or the outcome, think about what is in front of you. The scrum, or the lineout. You know what to do there.”

What can you tell us about Hong Kong?

“I have a bit of speed in one of my girls, Aggie Poon, and a quality outside half Rose Fong, who has played in England, then there is Natasha Olson-Thorne and a number of up and coming young girls who are showing great promise. They just need the self-belief to know that they are good players.

“Overall I have 20 in my squad but the pool of players I can bring into the squad is very limited. I have a talent ID day early next year and the HKRFU has a very good underage programme, so there are players coming through. But the big problem is that when girls finish school they often go overseas to university, so I lose them for four years. Others that may stay still go on a gap year. So although the HKRFU invest a lot in U14, U16 and U18 rugby it’s still a challenge holding onto that talent.

“In Hong Kong there is a 15 and 10-a-side programme. Hong Kong people are not huge, but rugby is a game for all.

“There is an issue with passports [as you increasingly have to hold a passport of the country you are representing to play in tournaments], as many of the players come from the ex-pat community. All of my players bar one qualify for a Hong Kong passport – which is not easy to get. You have to be born in Hong Kong or have lived there for eight years. But as well as that you have to renounce your existing citizienship. It’s a big decision and I have left it up to individuals to come to a decision without putting pressure on that

What can you tell us about your neighbours, China?

“China are putting a lot of money into the women’s game, even taking money from the men’s game as they see that they have a better chance of success with the women. And if you look at their players they are great athletes – tall, strong, hard working.China has so many full-time players it's nuts.There are seven to ten provinces with full-time programmes with the strongest being Shandong Province where they are particularly tall. I hear that they alone have 100 girls full-time, They’ve got huge potential,But they're fallible.

“Prior to last year the powerbase was Beijing, but it’s now switched resulting in the big turnover of players that we saw in 2013. Success in the All-China Games is very important - last year Hong Kong finished third and as a result my players have been awarded sports scholarships, which has been important to their success."

Can Hong Kong get to the Olympics?

“Getting into the Olympics will be tough. Hong Kong has yet to play in a World Series – we’d love to play, but the fact that we are third in Asia means that getting an invite is very difficult especially since the loss of the Guangzhou leg of the World Series. We need to keep working hard, I need to uncover more talent, so I’m not sure that it will happen this time.  We have girls ranging in age from 18-35 so not all of them will still be available until 2020, and even for the younger players being full time is not making them money, it’s not making them rich. They can get by, but how long do they want to do that?

I think players should be able to switch between the two – they should be mentally attuned to be able to play both forms. All of my girls play 7s and 15s – and I have been telling the Chinese that they need to do the same as they need to get better in contact."

How can women’s rugby get stronger?

“We need a second tier tournament for 15s teams – and 7s teams.The HKRFU is very supportive of 15s and we are getting close to Kazakhstan, but it’s tough as there are not many teams to play in Asia, and Asia is not keeping up with the rest of the world. We need tournaments were we can compete with stronger teams. It is the same with the World Sevens Series. If you are not in it it is hard as there are very few strong, competitive tournaments you can enter. And we really need an U20 world cup like the men have so that we can encourage and develop out younger talent."

​In the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Women's Rugby Sevens this week (26/27th March), Pool A features Canada, Argentina, Samoa and Mexico; Pool B is all-Asian affair, bringing together China, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan and Singapore; while in Pool C are Japan, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea and Tunisia.