Singapore vs Hong Kong? Let that debate rage on everything – except rugby sevens events

Singapore’s sevens event ranks higher than Hong Kong’s, according to World Rugby
Hong Kong’s event is usually a sell-out; Singapore’s National Stadium is a superb venue

Tim Noonan

Published: 8:00am, 15 Mar 2019

Why you can trust SCMP

I really dig Singapore, it’s so fantastically radiant. Walk the four-kilometre stretch from stylish Orchard Road to the Marina Bay Sands and you won’t find a blade of grass out of place in this immaculately sculpted testament to the vision and resolve of its founding father Lee Kuan Yew.

What Mr Lee built, basically from scratch, in 1965 is unprecedented. Equal parts nation-builder and Walt Disney, Singapore, like Disneyland, is spectacular, safe, family-friendly and contrived – very contrived. But the one thing you cannot build overnight is a legacy. Irrespective of official designations, that takes time.

The Hong Kong Rugby Sevens has a rich legacy, the Singapore Sevens does not. However, according to an internal World Rugby report, that somehow became external, Singapore’s event was ranked number two in 2018 behind Vancouver while Hong Kong was fifth out of 10. The ranking was based on a poll of players and coaches using a wide-ranging criteria and was cause for crowing down in Singapore.

“For us to go one up on Hong Kong is a great achievement, and we were very close to becoming No 1,” said Singapore Rugby Union president Terence Khoo.

Singapore’s National Stadium is a stunning facility, but it isn’t full for the sevens tournament. Photo: Sam Agars

The difference between people in Hong Kong and Singapore is people in Hong Kong don’t really talk about Singapore. Personally, I like both and find both sevens events perfectly encapsulate their home.

Hong Kong’s is a rip-roaring nod to its colonial legacy that is desperately in need of finding its way into the new millennium, while Singapore’s event is state-of-the-art modern and largely soulless. Being the only two Asian stops they should complement and inspire each other. Still, it’s purely delusional for any sporting official in Singapore to say they are one up on Hong Kong and close to becoming the number one event. But don’t take my word for it, listen to an impartial and seasoned observer.

Singapore is an incredible setting for a sevens stop, but it’s a stretch to call it the second best on the calendar. Photo: SPH

US Rugby Sevens coach Mike Friday knows the history of the game as well as anyone. Not only is he bringing a red hot, top of the table team into the Hong Kong event, he was the captain of the seminal England squad that won four championships here from 2002-2006.

“That ranking by World Rugby is not just stadium day, it’s based on the overall experience – logistics, travel time, hotels, food at the hotels as well as amenities for the teams, and in that regard Singapore is great,” Friday said. “But every rugby player wants to play in Hong Kong – that’s not a myth. Even in the old days, the rugby 15 players wanted to play here. The passion and the emotion of Hong Kong breathes in all the players. You see it typified clearly by the Fijians but it’s the same for every nation.

“It is the blue riband event, the king of Sevens. It always has been and always will be because it has such history and legacy of the players who have graced the pitch over the years. Everybody wants to say they played there.”

There is also one large litmus test for any self-respecting sporting event: attendance.

The vast majority of the 120,000 tickets over three days is sold in Hong Kong. Ticket touts from all over the world show up looking to cash in, as do global rugby tour groups. Attendance in Singapore is spotty at best and nowhere near the two-day total of 55,000 organisers announced. All you have to do is look at cavernous Singapore stadium, where the checker board colouring conveniently camouflages the vast swathe of empty seats, to see if there is a buzz to the event.

Hong Kong’s sevens event is often a sell-out. Photo: Sam Tsang

A buzz is organic. It has to be created not designated. Singapore’s event does not have a buzz, but it’s early days. They can eventually build one.

The challenge in Hong Kong is not finding a buzz, it’s keeping it. All the reasons for Hong Kong scoring low on the amenities scale are well known facts of life to anyone around here. It is expensive and so are the hotels. Bucolic, scenic and quaint as it might be, Hong Kong stadium is falling apart and the food is largely inedible, regardless of how much you drink. Apparently, a new stadium at Kai Tak will change much of that, but they haven’t even broken ground on that yet.

When, and if, the event makes the move across the harbour it will take the history and the legacy with it, but not necessarily the festive vibe. That will have to be developed to suit the new venue as well. But for now, forget the rankings and make your own choice. You can pay up and cram into the boozy circus up here or unwind and enjoy the best seats in the house down in Disneyland. Both work.

The Hong Kong Stadium is a tatty but iconic rugby venue. Photo: May James

Post