Lifelong rugby memories concocted in the fizzing chaos of Hong Kong

Hong Kong has always felt like a mythical place to me. Hong Kong Island is a hodgepodge of buildings, nooks, crannies and corners into which are squeezed years of Hong Kong Sevens memories. 

This year, things are very different. The new Kai Tak Stadium will start building its own HSBC SVNS history now that the tournament has moved from the much-loved Hong Kong Stadium, its home for 30 years or more.

READ ALSO New HSBC SVNS venue – same magical Hong Kong weekend

My tournament memories all took place on that old turf. In my first outing I came off noticeably worse in a collision with former Samoa backrow Alafoti Fa’osiliva. Then there was the time we lost in the final to New Zealand, again … and I’ve never felt energy, or pressure, like warming up in the dead ball area in front of the notorious South Stand. 

We all know that scents are often nostalgia triggers – for me, the smell of bins will forever remind me of glorious Hong Kong career moments. 

The men’s changing rooms at the old stadium were near the bins – and the smell of both got riper as the weekend went on. Even today, that unmistakable aroma takes me back to the glittering floodlights and the damp grass of a Friday night opening pool match in one of the most iconic stadiums in the world.

Getting off the bus from the airport in 2012, I felt the punch of humidity from the city for the first time. I had been staring out the window at the famous port and the large cruise ship that sat in the harbour. Off the relative calm of the team bus and instantly into the noise – the first realisation of the scale of this sell-out event I was going to be a part of.

Shortly after our arrival that year, we dug our England team suits out of our suitcases. They weren’t made to measure and mine was oversized – and not in a cool way – but I was thrilled nonetheless. 

We didn't bother with suits for any other tournaments that year, but Hong Kong was special. We donned our finery and tied our red ties atop poorly ironed shirts and headed to the St George’s Lunch. 

This event was a regular fixture in the pre-tournament schedule for the English community in Hong Kong and we were invited as guests. While everyone else at the tables indulged in rich food, washed down with red wine, we were fed plain pasta, chicken breast and broccoli under the instruction of our strength and conditioning coach. 

One gent asked about our chances. I replied that we had a strong team – to which he responded: “You’d better bloody win or you won’t get invited back next year!”. I think he was joking.

The intensity of the city on Sevens’ Week is something to behold. I found the buzz a lot to manage and often sought out a pocket of quiet. 

There is room for a moment of peace on the ferry that makes its way from Hong Kong island to the mainland. We used to travel this short gap of water to training and back. It was a refreshing way to get about and a boat ride that felt like you were – momentarily – separate from the literal and metaphorical heat. 

It was all well and good except on one occasion: once we were rushing to catch the next boat as a group to make it across for our slot on the training pitch. In our haste to grab tokens to board the ferry, it became ‘every man for himself’. 

But, on reaching the other side and counting ourselves onto the bus for the final stretch of the journey, we discovered we were one player short. Who’s fault was it? That was sorted out in the bar after the tournament.

Feeling lost in Hong Kong is an easy experience for travellers. Its narrow streets and towering blocks can disorient you. 

Then there are the night markets of Mong Kok and Temple Street, full of local delicacies you shouldn’t eat before a tournament and souvenirs you definitely don’t need. 

In one of my early visits, Marcus Watson and I both returned from the market with a green-tea teapot and a pocket watch each. The teapot has been used once in 12 years. And that is one more than the pocket watch. 

These are all fond memories. Mostly that is what Hong Kong Sevens week leaves you with. Of course in some cases, people will be leaving with very little memory of anything that went on. Their choice! 

Because a mystical feverish hum pervades the city of Hong Kong this week as it becomes a melting pot of unforgettable moments. Sevens Week is where lifelong memories are concocted in the chaos.

Over to you, Kai Tak Stadium...