Hong Kong national rugby union team
 |
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| Nickname(s) | Dragons |
|---|---|
| Emblem | Chinese dragon |
| Union | Hong Kong Rugby Union |
| Head coach | Leigh Jones |
| Captain | Nick Hewson |
| Most caps | David Lewis (55) |
| Top scorer | Rowan Varty (120) |
| Top try scorer | Rowan Varty (24) |
| Home stadium | Hong Kong Football Club Stadium |
| World Rugby ranking | |
| Current | 27 (as of 7th Feb 2017) |
| Highest | 22 (2016) |
| Lowest | 34 (2010) |
| First international | |
|
Hong Kong 11–5 Australian Universities (1934) |
|
| Biggest win | |
|
Hong Kong 164–13 Singapore (27 October 1994) |
|
| Biggest defeat | |
|
Japan 94–5 Hong Kong (22 May 2010) |
|
| World Cup | |
| Appearances | 0 |
| Website | www.hkrugby.com |
The Hong Kong national rugby union team, nicknamed the Dragons, represent Hong Kong in international rugby union. Hong Kong is one of the better rugby sides in Asia outside of Japan, and has consistently made the repechages of the Rugby World Cup qualifying. Rugby union in Hong Kong is administered by the Hong Kong Rugby Union since 1952, and competes annually in the Asia Rugby Championship.
Hong Kong has one of the oldest rugby traditions in Asia, having been played there since the 19th century, when British colonists arrived in Hong Kong and brought the sport with them. For a long time, rugby union in Hong Kong was traditionally associated with Hong Kong's British-descended, English-speaking class, but since the 1990s there has been extensive efforts to integrate the game to the Cantonese-speaking community, with a degree of success; the first of these players being "Rambo" Leung Yeung Kit. Hong Kong have improved in form recently, having finished in second place in the ARC in 2011, 2014, and 2015, and made it to the repechage of the 2015 Rugby World Cup qualifying, though lost to Uruguay 24 to 3.
According to old newspapers, rugby union in Hong Kong dates back to the late 1870s, which would establish Hong Kong as perhaps the oldest rugby playing nation in Asia. The players during this era were all British sailors and army/navy men, as well as police and merchant men. The first secretary of rugby in Hong Kong was Jock McGregor.
The first fixtures which predate the creation of the modern Hong Kong Rugby Union in 1952 took place from 1924 to 1949. An unofficial interport team from Hong Kong played Shanghai on various dates from 1924 to 1949, both teams being composed entirely of British expatriates living in said port cities; these fixtures ceased after the establishment of Communist rule in mainland China. In 1934, a Hong Kong team played against an Australia Universities team, running out victors 11 to 5.
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