Dragons RFC legend Lewis Evans is still chasing the Rugby World Cup dream – as his Hong Kong side aim to secure the final qualifying place for France 2023.
Evans – the record appearance maker for Dragons with 236 games between 2006 and 2021 – hung up his boots after his time with the Men of Gwent came to an end.
The 35-year-old moved to Hong Kong to start his coaching career and now is now the man taskes with the bid to claim a final spot and join Chile as Rugby World Cup 2023 debutants in France next year.
It has been a remarkable start for Evans and a fairytale return for a Hong Kong side that had spent three years on the sidelines.
Prior to a recent win over South Korea, the last time they had played a Test was against Spain in November 2019 - and that was as a fully pro team.
In their time away from the field, the Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) was forced to go to a part-time model, resulting in several leading players and coaches moving on.
Participation in the Asia Rugby Championship was called off as a result but once the Asia Rugby Championship was reformatted and fixtures moved back, the HKRU decided to throw their hat back in the ring in May.
That left new Head Coach Evans with the task of bringing together a squad at short notice from all corners of the globe - while still battling quarantine and work-related issues.
A last-gasp 23-21 win over Korea in the Asia Rugby Championship 2022 final set up an Asia/Pacific 1 showdown with Tonga on Australia’s Sunshine Coast last Saturday.
The 44-22 defeat, however, against Tonga is not the end of the line for Hong Kong. World Rugby today (Monday) confirmed that the Final Qualification Tournament for Rugby World Cup 2023 will take place at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai from 6 to 18 November.
Dubai will welcome Hong Kong (Asia/Pacific 2), Kenya (Africa 2), Portugal (Europe 3) and USA (Americas 3) for the tournament that will determine the 20th and final qualifier.
The winners will take their place in Pool C alongside Wales, Australia, Fiji and Georgia.
And Hong Kong coach Lewis Evans will go with plenty of heart after the way his side competed against Tonga - a nation ranked No 16 in the world and with professionals from English and French clubs.
“We’ve got guys on tour who are traders, schoolteachers, PTs, doing work remotely on their laptops after training and we’re playing a World Cup-quality side,” said Evans.
“We performed really well. We were under the cosh a fair bit from the Tongan power and scrum, but hung tough when that was a good 15-point wind in the first half.
“No team is going to have a scrum that good in November.
“We made some clever decisions for two late tries. Get some more front foot ball to give guys more one-on-one situations and we’ll keep improving.
“The journey to the World Cup doesn’t end yet. It’s been a whirlwind so far and we can’t wait for more.”
The journey to the World Cup doesn’t end yet. It’s been a whirlwind so far and we can’t wait for more...
