Hong Kong China target historic WXV Challenger finish with home win over Samoa

Hong Kong China will host Samoa at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground in the final round of the WXV Global Series Challenger, with the home side on course for their best-ever finish in the tournament. The team has built momentum across two matches, including a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Brazil that fly-half Lara Schats sealed with a last-minute try.

Schats has been one of the standout performers of the Challenger, driving Hong Kong China’s attack and producing a tournament-defining 50:22 kick against Brazil. The utility back is measured about her own contributions, however, pointing to the collective as the foundation of her form.

“I’ve been pretty lucky with how the ball has come off the boot, but to be honest, I have to give all the credit to the team,” Schats said. “They give me enough time to settle my kicking game and go through my process. As a whole, our team’s performance has been progressively getting better, and I hope we can take it to a new level next Saturday.”

Schats also acknowledged the challenge ahead. “Going into the third game, we feel confident. We have definitely grown over these two Test matches. We put up a good fight against Fiji. We are getting better, but so is Samoa, so we have to make sure we bring our A-game, even if we have some sore bodies.”

No. 8 and team stalwart Pun Wai Yan echoed that confidence while identifying a key area for improvement — sustaining their level for a full 80 minutes. “Our team proved to be very resilient in the opening two rounds, and we want to show that again next Saturday. We need to push through the performance throughout the whole 80 minutes — that is one of our main goals for the game against Samoa.”

Pun Wai also highlighted the positive impact of new and younger players on the squad’s culture. “The whole team environment has been very positive. We have several new faces and players who have had a positive impact, like Lara and a few others. They are all very young, ambitious, and hardworking, and that’s great for us in the future.”

For Pun Wai, the narrow win over Brazil remains the defining moment of the campaign. “Our match against Brazil was incredible, with a lot of excitement surrounding it. We had the nerve to keep going in a tight, tense clash. We chased the result, and our effort was rewarded when we scored that winning try. Moment of the Series for me.”

With the final round set to be played in front of a home crowd, Hong Kong China will be looking to close out a tournament that has already demonstrated significant progress for the programme — and to give their supporters a result to remember.