Rugby fans gather at Lan Kwai Fong Thursday to celebrate the Hong Kong Rubgy Sevens to be held in the city over the weekend. The game is an internationally recognized event that attracts teams from the world's top 24 rugby countries and regions. EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY

Hong Kong is zeroing in on one of its big annual events, the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens. The rugby action will roll out over the weekend.

The Hong Kong Sevens pioneered the rugby sevens game and since 1976 have developed it into an internationally recognized sport that attracts teams from the world's top 24 rugby countries and regions, that come to compete for glory.

This year, Samoa will take on Argentina and two European teams, Russia and Italy in the A Pool. Led by its veteran coach Gordon Tietjens, New Zealand will be fighting for its 10th Hong Kong championship. The Kiwis are pitted against Scotland, France and Chinese Taipei in Pool B.

Fiji, the 2009 Hong Kong Sevens champion, will face the US, Portugal and Thailand in Pool C. Spectators are anticipating a hard-fought match between long-time rivals England and Wales who are in Pool E, together with Japan and Hong Kong. Other participating teams include Australia, Canada, Tonga, China, Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the Republic of Korea.

The Hong Kong players are undeterred as they prepare to go nose-to-nose against the tough UK teams. "We expect to be competitive in our pool and maybe upset one or two of the teams ranked above us. The team's goal is to reach one of the finals on day 3," said Dai Rees, Hong Kong Men's Sevens coach.

Rees says Japan is Hong Kong's biggest rival in Asia, following a narrow defeat in the East Asian Games Gold Medal play-off.

Hong Kong has a few shortcomings when it's compared with some other teams. "Because we are part-time rugby players, the great obstacle would be the power and strength of the professional full-time players from the lead nations," Rees commented.

The 12 participating teams for the Hong Kong Women's Rugby Sevens 2010 include eight national representative sides from Asia, led by the reigning IRB Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 Bowl Champions, China. The mainland squad 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 this year in London. Other Asian teams include the Arabian Gulf, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, along with the host Hong Kong team.

After intensive training in Qingyuan in Guangdong province, the Chinese women's team is geared up for the competition. The captain of the Chinese women's team, Gao Yan, told China Daily it is difficult to say whether the team expects to win because players have yet to test their mettle against the other teams. "I cannot say we are 100 percent confident but we will do our best," she said. "Australia and New Zealand teams are our strongest competitors."

The Hong Kong Sevens attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world to join this unofficial festival of beer and burgers. Those you may encounter on the street dressed as Superman, stuffy barristers and nuns may simply be enthusiastic rugby fans gone wild, indulging in a weekend of off-the-hook drinking and off-the-record debauchery.

Bars owners are rubbing their hands and tallying up potential profits for the weekend event. Jeffrey Lee, owner of an English-style bar on Lockhart Road in Wan Chai, expects to see his shop packed with tourists. "According to the past experience, the turnover will rise 30 percent because of the event," he said. "March is normally the low season in Hong Kong. Therefore, we all look forward to it every year, it does not just boost our business but also creates a joyous atmosphere in town."

The Hong Kong Sevens opens today and continues until Sunday at the Hong Kong Stadium.

(HK Edition 03/26/2010 page1)