And this in Sevens week nogal!

The China Daily yesterday reported on the effects of a sandstorm in Northern China that is affecting air quality as far south as Hong Kong.  

Hong Kong’s air pollution index shot to its highest mark ever on Monday, as the southern metropolis tasted the scourge of northern sandstorms.

The Air Pollution Index (API) in the city, shrouded in a yellow-tinted smog, started to climb early in the morning. By 6 pm, an air pollution index of 500 was recorded in five areas – residential, commercial and rural – across the territories.

Hong Kong’s API ranges from 0 to 500 and the air pollution is considered “severe” when the figure exceeds 200.

No improvement is expected until later this afternoon, when the easterly air stream affecting Hong Kong will weaken and a southeast wind will start to reign, said Hilda Lam, assistant director of the Hong Kong Observatory.

Meanwhile, while the Hong Observatory is forecasting some light rain for Thursday, Sevens weekend, unlike last year, should be a dry but party cloudy affair.

Let’s play, Boys!

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) has one last chance for readers to score a couple of Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens tickets:

A challenge awaits

If there was ever a challenge set for a brand-new skipper of a Springbok team, the recent call to duty for Kyle Brown is it. His side already decimated due to injury and SuperRugby call-up, the new Springbok Sevens Skipper will be leading what will be a Sevens team made up of primarily young, inexperienced players.

To add to the challenge, coach Paul Treu did not travel with his charges to Australia, choosing instead to remain behind to be by his sick mother’s bedside in hospital.

The senior players, guided by the rest of the BlitzBokke management team will be called upon to lead the preparations for Adelaide with the full knowledge that South Africa is the defending champions in Adelaide while woefully trailing the rest of the top teams on the IRB Sevens World Series log.

Thankfully, the young University of Cape Town player will have in his side one remaining former Bok skipper in Mpho Mbiyozo, ably supported by the other senior players in Frankie Horne, Rayno Benjamin, Chase Minnaar and Cecil Afrika.

Thanks to Treu’s mission of preparing all of his players to be leaders, Brown’s baptism as skipper of the 2008/2009 Series Champions will be less of a baptism of fire. Instead it will be but the next step in his development as a well-rounded international Sevens player.

We wish him and the Boys well in Adelaide and Hong Kong.

Bokke Bo!

(“Kaptein” is an Afrikaans song sung by popular Afrikaans artist Kurt Darren. “Kaptein, span die seile” translated into English means: “Captain, set the sails” While the song is primarily about a bloke and his girl, we chose to use it in this clip because it’s just such a lekker song about a captain getting ready for a challenge!)

With all due respect to the fact that Hong Kong successfully staged the 2008 Olympic Games Equestrian events as well as the East-Asian Games, but the 1 week countdown to Hong Kong’s BIGGEST sporting week starts in a couple of days!

Here is what the week looks like so far:

Wednesday March 24, 2010  Kowloon Rugby Fest 2010

Venue: Kings Park Sports Ground, Wylie Road, Kowloon

Wednesday & Thursday March 24-25, 2010 GHF HKFC Tens

Venue: HK Football Club, Happy Valley

Friday March 26, 2010 Cable & Wireless Worldwide HK Women’s Rugby Sevens

Venue: HK Football Club/HK Stadium (Cup Final)

Friday – Sunday, March 26-28, 2010 Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens

Venue: HK Stadium, So Kon Po

Other rugby-related events:

SAAHK Sevens Dinner

The Southern African Association in Hong Kong’s annual Sevens Dinner takes place at the HKFC on Wednesday  March 24.  This year’s guest speaker is the popular TV commentator Hugh Bladen, also known as the voice of SA rugby.  The Springbok Sevens Team will of course also be in attendance.

Hugh will probably also have several other speaking engagements around the city and we’ll bring you news about that as it becomes available.

Tens Dinner

The Ten’s Dinner will this year be open to the public.  It takes place at the HKFC on Thursday evening (March 25)  Fee: HK$300

More information about these and other events will be updates as they become available.

This story originally appeared on BlitzBokke.com

I just caught the Cathay Pacific television advertisement for the 2010 Hong Kong Sevens on local English-language TV channel Pearl TV. Cathay Pacific is, of course the national airline/carrier of Hong Kong and co-sponsor together with Credit Suisse of the BIGGEST Sevens on the IRB Sevens World Circuit.

The tag-line for their 2010 advert is “The Fun Is Back”  but with the Adelaide Sevens looming (in the way) a week before, at this stage of the season we should amend that to “The Fun Is (Almost) Back. For now.”

Be that as it may, for any serious Hong Kong Sevens fan now is the time to start preparing for Hong Kong’s un-official rugby week.

If you haven’t yet done so, put in that saved leave-days at the office to make sure you have a least 4-5 consecutive days come March 26-28, 2010.

“But the Sevens is only three days long” I hear you protest.

Hey, trust me… you’ll need 4-5 days.

Three days for the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens, one (or two) days before to get into the spirit by catching the GFI HKFC Tens over at the Football Club, maybe even the Cable & Wireless Worldwide HK Women’s Rugby Sevens (same venue) on the Friday and, most importantly… a day (again, or two) after March 28 to recuperate (aka sleep-it-off).

On the home-front Boys, now is the time to bank some extra time in the ‘good-house.’ You do not want to be sleeping on the sofa after HK Sevens. Once more, trust me… you’ll need that good-house-time more. The boss can be worked with paperwork, but the Missus…neva!

Now is the time to be doing all those chores you’ve been putting off till ‘tomorrow.’ Arrive home with take-outs or a nice bunch of flowers (yes, you know by now: or two) or give her a totally un-expected, un-begged-for full body rub (or more) until you’re dead on your knees or back (or whatever rocks her world).

You’ll thank me after March 29.

Whether you take my advice or you have your own, do it now because, in the words of Cathay Pacific:

                                                             The Fun Is Back!

                              See you on March 26-28 at the Hong Kong Stadium.

Cathay Pacific is running a competition where you can enter a video to win some fan-tastic prizes like flights, event tickets and many more. Simply go to their FaceBook page and enter your Sevens video.

(Fan-pic by: rugbydump.blogspot.com)

The official draw for the Cable & Wireless Worldwide Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens took place at King’s Park this evening where twelve women’s teams were drawn into four Pools.

The participating teams are:

Arabian Gulf, Aussie Amazons, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia (debut), NZ Aotearoa Maori, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Thailand, SA Tuks (South Africa debut).

Pool A: Aussie Amazons, Arabian Gulf, Singapore

Pool B: China, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea

Pool C: Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong

Pool D: NZ Aotearoa Maori, Kazakhstan, Tuks (SA)

Members of the Hong Kong Women’s Sevens Team at today’s Official Draw at King’s Park.

The Cable & Wireless Worldwide Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens takes place during Hong Kong’s rugby-week on Friday, 26th March 2010

Time: 7.30am-6.20pm

Venue: Hong Kong Football Club, 3 Sports Road, Happy Valley

The Cup Final will take place at the Hong Kong Stadium on Friday, 26th March 2010

Time: 7:04pm

Venue: Hong Kong Stadium, So Kon Po

Organizers of the Cable & Wireless Worldwide Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens 2010 (HKWRS) last week announced the 12 participating teams to compete in this year’s event.

Due to the IRB Women’s Rugby World Cup being held in England in September, this year’s tournament field will play host to a mixed roster of highly competitive national teams from around Asia Pacific and some of the women’s rugby world’s most prestigious club and invitational sides.

The 12 participating teams include eight national representative sides from Asia, led by the reigning IRB Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 Bowl Champions China, who recently beat the United States Eagles in a major upset at the Las Vegas Sevens, and Kazakhstan, Asia’s sole direct entry to the IRB Women’s Rugby World Cup (15s) this year in London. Other Asian teams include the Arabian Gulf, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and hosts Hong Kong.

The national team of Papua New Guinea rounds out the full representative squads at this year’s tournament. Three of the world’s premier women’s club sides are also taking part including five-time Cup champions Aotearoa Maori from New Zealand. The Aussie Amazons from Australia and Pretoria University’s Tuks from South Africa complete the competitive field.

The Tuks Rugby Club is attached to South Africa’s University of Pretoria and has been in existence for more than a century. It is one of the biggest rugby club in the country with around 55 teams and more than 100 coaches and team managers running the Tuks rugby machine.

The Cable & Wireless Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens will be played from 07.30am – 06.00pm on Friday, 26 March 2010 at the Hong Kong Football Club. The Cup final will be held at 19.04 during the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens at the Hong Kong Stadium.

Now entering its thirteenth year, the Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens has grown into one of the top annual fixtures in the women’s rugby world. The tournament is fully supported by the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union, the Asian Rugby Football Union and the International Rugby Board. For the fifth consecutive year, the Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens is being title sponsored by Cable & Wireless Worldwide.

2009 Cable & Wireless HK Women’s Rugby Sevens Cup Finalists Australia (24) vs. China (7)

A personal breakthorugh for a Capetonian – with the use of her whistle.

Roslyn Fortuin (38), a referee hailing from (the Western Cape Town of) Worcester will be officiating in her first international rugby game at the (Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse) Hong Kong Sevens Tournament for women. The tournament happens in the same week as the mens’ tournament from 26-28 March 2010.

Roslyn will be the first female South African to take up the whistle at this event. She is also the number one ranked women’s referee on the South African Rugby Union’s order of merit.

According to Fortuin this is an opportunity that she has waited for a long time. “I am still overwhelmed by this opportunity and have to pinch myself often to make sure I’m not dreaming,” she gushes. “I believe in God and His plan for me. One tends to say I WANT but God determines your path in life.”

(Continue below)

Fortuin, who is a teacher at the Eden Training Centre, a school for mentally challenged kids, ascribes much of her success to Mr Ivan Pekeur, the Boland Rugby Union’s referees development officer as well as SARU’s manager of referees Mr Andre Watson.

While waiting for her international debut, Roslyn Fortuin will make sure that she is at her fittest and that she knows all her rugby rules.

Twelve womens team will take part in the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens and Fortuin thinks that she will probably officiate in about four games per day. Every game lasts for 14 minutes.

“I am very excited at the prospect of officiating on the international stage and to see how I measure up to the other international referees.” Fortuin says. “Every referee has to be rather tough. There is no place for cry-babies in sport.”

She continues: “I don’t differenciate between men’s and women’s referees. The most important aspect is to have a feel for the game.”

He mentor Ivan Pekeur says he too is excited over Fortuin’s achievement. “This time last year Roslyn had quite a setback. She was injured and subsequently lost her position on SARU order of merit. One day she told me that she wanted to stop refereeing because there were to many thing that counted against her.”

He then promised her that if she works hard, she WILL become the number-one ranked referee in South Africa. “She clung to that wish,” Pekeur added and continues: “Roslyn is a hardworker and gives only her best on the pitch. “Our next aim is to make her the best women’s referee in the world. Roslyn has all the qualities to become just that.”

“When she makes her international appearance in Hong Kong, she will eventually become number one.”

(This story was translated from an article by Carryn-Anne Nel that appeared in Afrikaans in Kaap-Rapport.  Picture by: Lizane Louw.)

Last night, Howzit-HongKong.com attended the official draw for the 2010 Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens.  HKRFU officials and players were there en-masse in their snazzy blazers, joined by sponsors’ representative and, as this is Hong Kong… the media.

One could almost feel the throngs of media folk chomping at the bit for the official part of the evening to end so they could envelop Acting Chief Secretary for the HK Government Stephen Lam about other (more important?) local/ political issues.

When Howzit-HongKong.com arrived home, we checked the late-night news to check on coverage, but there was nothing mentioned about the Sevens draw, save for the Stephen Lam interview at the same venue, after the draw.

So, other than a mention in the local papers today (un-checked by us), coupled with a couple of seconds on local TV… this is Hong Kong.  Invite Government officials to comment on issues of the day or local schlebs to your event en siedaar: you have coverage! Or at least a promise of coverage.

We saw it at the Invictus premiere where the throngs of cameras were enticed by the prospects of local schlebs with the carefully applied Invictus stickers.  Invited Springbok rugby player Marius Hurter played second fiddle to some girl with an Invictus sticker stuck on her shoulder.  As soon as the player finished his gig, the cameras flashed madly when a girl in a tight back number was put on stage (without saying a single word nogal).  In their defence, the schlebs did stay until the end of the movie.

After Hong Kong’s upset soccer win at the East Asian Games, local scribes went crazy trying to highlight the positive benefits of the win and enticing the government to spend more money on promoting sport.  However, when the local media sees more benefit in issues other that what they were invited to, sport in Hong Kong will never get the positive exposure that it deserves.  With the perceived ‘drunkenness and debauchery’ that Hong Kongers equate the Sevens with, we need much more positive reporting in the run-up to the biggest sporting event on our calendar.

 But enough bitching.  Be that as it may, we were there for the RUGBY so here are some images from last night:

The draw for the event we’re all waiting for, the 2010 Cathay Pacific Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens took place in Central earlier this evening.

Howzit-HongKong.com donned our rugby-hats to bring you all the latest courtesy of our sister-site BlitzBokke.com

Officials from the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union, sponsors, players and as well as the Acting Chief Secretary of the HK Govt. Mr Stephen Lam met in Central tonight to conduct the official draw for the 2010 Cathay Pacific / Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens.

Officiating tonight’s draw were:

Mr. Stephen Lam, SBS, JP, the Acting Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government;

T Brian Stevenson, SBS, JP, President of the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU);

John Slosar, Chief Operating Officer of co-title sponsor Cathay Pacific Airways;

Alister Moss, Managing Director of co-title sponsor Credit Suisse;

HKRFU Chairman Trevor Gregory and…

Hong Kong Sevens Tournament Operations Director Rod Mason.

This year’s IRB Sevens World Series is among the most evenly contested ever with the four tournaments played to date having been won by three different teams: New Zealand, Fiji and Samoa.

As the only 24-team event on the circuit, the results of tonight’s draw – and the 30 series points that go to the Cup champions in Hong Kong – could be the crucial factor in determining the Series champions in 2010.

Prior to tonight’s draw, 12 teams were placed in Pools A-F based on their performance in the previous 2 tournaments (Wellington and Las Vegas) as well as their position on the IRB Sevens World Series log.

The remaining participating teams have been seeded or placed in the draw based on performances in IRB Sevens World Series and other IRB regional tournaments. All seedings have been ratified by the IRB.

The first group of 6 nations were then drawn as the 3rd team in each Pool. These were: France, Japan, Portugal, Russia, Tonga and Zimbabwe.

The last 6 nations were then drawn as the 4th team to conclude the 4-team Pools. they were: China, Chinese Taipei/Taiwan, Italy, Hong Kong, Korea and Thailand.

Mr. Stephen Lam of the HK Govt at the draw in Central

The final Pools for the 2010 Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse HK Sevens:

Pool A

1.Samoa  2.Argentina  3.Russia  4.Italy

Pool B

1.New Zealand  2.Scotland  3.France  4.Chinese Taipei

Pool C

1.Fiji  2.USA  3.Portugal  4.Thailand

Members of the HK Sevens Team at the draw in Central

Pool D

1.Australia  2.Canada  3.Tonga  4.China

Pool E

1.England  2.Wales  3.Japan  4.Hong Kong

Pool F

1.Kenya  2.South Africa  3.Zimbabwe  4.Korea