Women’s rugby: Hong Kong set for first matches in three years – with their first Chinese head coach
- Kazakhstan to visit the city for matches on December 10 and 17, which will be Hong Kong’s first action since the emergence of Covid-19
- Royce Chan will make history as the first ethnic Chinese head coach of a Hong Kong representative 15
Hong Kong’s women’s team are to play their first international matches since before the pandemic when they face Kazakhstan on consecutive weekends this month – and they will do so with the city’s first ethnic Chinese rugby head coach.
Their return to the field will be overseen for the first time by local stalwart Royce Chan Leong-sze, the first ever ethnic Chinese to take charge of a Hong Kong representative 15.
Chan, who previously captained the Hong Kong 15-a-side and sevens teams, has been involved in the coaching set-up for the 15s since 2018.
“As a coach I have a mission and a dream that goes past wins and losses,” she said of her rise to the top job. “I want to show as a role model how women can deal with different situations and conditions and positively contribute to how women are perceived in the traditionally male-dominated sports industry.
“My mission is not only for rugby but for women who are trying to achieve as leaders in the sports community and show that we can be confident and speak up for ourselves.
