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Connor Mycroft

Hong Kong rugby has reached a “pinnacle” as the city celebrates the 50th anniversary of its annual Sevens tournament, the man who coached the local team at the first edition of the event in 1976 has said.
Peter Duncan, who stepped down as president of Hong Kong China Rugby in March after a decade in the post, described the annual three-day tournament as an “iconic” sporting event that helped to cement the city’s status in the international community.
“If you were sitting in the stadium in 1976 and you’d ask me, where is this going to go? You couldn’t have envisaged anything like this,” Duncan said in an interview on the sidelines of the tournament on Saturday.
“I think we’ve reached some sort of pinnacle as far as the game and facilities are concerned,” Duncan, who turns 80 in November, added.
Originally from New Zealand, Duncan first moved to Hong Kong in 1973 and went on to coach the Hong Kong team at the city’s inaugural Sevens tournament three years later.

In the decades that followed, he remained a pivotal figure in the governing body, including serving two stints as chairman – first for a year in 1988 and then for four years from 1997.
Looking back at the Hong Kong Sevens in 1976, he described the original venue at the Hong Kong Football Club Stadium in Happy Valley as “very rudimentary” compared with the HK$30 billion (US$2.8 billion) Kai Tak Stadium where matches are played today.
“It was very unsophisticated, the whole tournament,” he said. “There couldn’t be a bigger contrast between what you see out there today, as far as the stadium is concerned.”
The Hong Kong Sevens had humble beginnings, with just 3,000 spectators coming to watch 12 teams compete in what at the time was a single-day event.
As the event grew in popularity, it would relocate first to Government Stadium – what is today Hong Kong Stadium after the site was redeveloped – before settling into its new home at Kai Tak Stadium last year.
This year’s tournament features 30 teams – both men’s and women’s – playing across a three-day event that has sold more than 140,000 tickets, with three-day passes selling out by Friday.
Despite the changes over the years, Duncan said what had remained consistent was the “spirit of the tournament”.
“Players make the tournament. Spectators make the tournament. And right from the start, we’ve had brilliant players and fantastic spectators.”

Asked what the Sevens’ biggest contribution was over the last 50 years, Duncan said: “I think it’s become one of the principal events in Hong Kong, not just for the local community, but also for the international community.”
He added: “From the point of view of people outside Hong Kong looking in, they see the event as an iconic sporting event. It’s helped cement Hong Kong’s place as a very, very respected member of the international community.”
During a special march past to commemorate the 50th anniversary on Saturday, Duncan walked around the pitch accompanied by Bob Lloyd, who was the Hong Kong team captain in the 1976 tournament, and Wally Lewis, the referee.
As soon as the cameras panned to the trio, broadcasting them on the jumbotrons holding a sign that read “Legends of 1976,” the crowd erupted in cheers.


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Hong Kong Sevens at ‘pinnacle’ on 50th anniversary, pioneering coach Peter Duncan says

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Peter Duncan, former president of Hong Kong China Rugby, served as head coach for the Hong Kong team at the city’s inaugural Sevens tournament in 1976. Photo: Connor Mycroft

Since its humble beginnings in 1976, the Hong Kong Sevens has become an iconic event in the city’s annual calendar, with a huge local and international following. Photo: Sam Tsang

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The Hong Kong Sevens got under way on Friday at Kai Tak Stadium.  Photo: Karma Lo

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Fans are in party mood on the first day of the Hong Kong Sevens.  Photo: Elson Li

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First tournament in 1976 drew 3,000, while this year’s event at Kai Tak Stadium has attracted more than 140,000, with three-day passes sold out


First tournament in 1976 drew 3,000, while this year’s event at Kai Tak Stadium has attracted more than 140,000, with three-day passes sold out.


China

Hong Kong China Rugby

Hong Kong Football Club

Hong Kong Sevens at ‘pinnacle’ on 50th anniversary, pioneering coach Peter Duncan says

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}First tournament in 1976 drew 3,000, while this year’s event at Kai Tak Stadium has attracted more than 140,000, with three-day passes sold out

First tournament in 1976 drew 3,000, while this year’s event at Kai Tak Stadium has attracted more than 140,000, with three-day passes sold out