World Rugby U20 Trophy: Hong Kong take on Holland in tournament warm-up, with familiar names in young squad
- Head coach Logan Asplin has named a 28-man squad for this month’s tournament in Kenya
- Hong Kong will take on the hosts, Samoa and Spain in Pool B, with likes of Joe Denmark and Adam Baber in his side
Hong Kong under-20s face Holland on Saturday in a warm-up game ahead of this month’s World Rugby U20 Trophy.
Head coach Logan Asplin has named a 28-man squad for the tournament in Kenya, where Hong Kong will take on Samoa, Spain and the hosts in Pool B.
The winners of the eight-team tournament, which also includes Scotland, Uruguay, the USA and Zimbabwe, will be promoted to the top tier u20 championship.
As part of the preparations, all 28 players will be involved in the encounter in Amsterdam, with some recognisable names getting a run out.
Joe Denmark will follow in the footsteps of famous older sibling Max, the Hong Kong Sevens star, while Adam Baber, son of former Hong Kong and Fiji Sevens coach Gareth Baber, is also included.
Asplin has some young premiership talent to call on too, with Blake Elliot, Camill Cheung and Marco Conti three of the nine members of the team that won the Asia Rugby U19s Championships making the step up.
Still, the exposure to a higher level of international rugby meant Asplin had to look near and far to find the right players for the challenge that awaits.
“We have a lot of platforms from which to identify our young guns,” the head coach said. “From local club rugby to the Asia Rugby Championship defence last year, through to the New Year’s Day Tournament, I’m really happy with our player base.
“We also have a lot of qualified talent living and training internationally, so it’s great to be engaged with those guys as well and to provide them the opportunity to represent Hong Kong on the world stage.”
Hong Kong U20 squad: Blake Elliot; Callum FitzHenry; Camill Cheung; Charles Warren; Glenn Hui Chun-yim; Ciaran Delaney; David Bennett; Dominic Hedley; Dylan McCann; Ethan Agren; Fritz Mahn; Izac Manu; Jamie Blair; Joe Denmark; Josh Bailey; Josh Eustace; Jude Harding; Julien Bourren; Justin Eden; Marco Conti; Max Threlkeld; Oliver Pyle; Sam Martin; Takuma Yamauchi; Theo Mag; Tyler McNutt; Billy Rigby; Adam Baber.
