It is 1 October 2027. There are 61,000 fans inside Perth Stadium. There is a global TV audience in the millions as two teams go through their final warm-ups preparing to open the 2027 Rugby World Cup. For hosts Australia, twice world champions with a proud rugby history across the codes, it is familiar territory. For their opponents Hong Kong China, it is anything but. It will be their World Cup debut and for their players it will be biggest match of their lives. Among them, all being well, are Jack Combes and Alex Post. Two players more used to the lower semi-professional tiers of the English league system than the global spotlight.
"I think the whole run-up to the whole qualification process was already a dream in itself. To qualify for a men's first World Cup was huge," said Combes, a scrum-half. Hong Kong China have been drawn in Pool A at the World Cup, where not just the hosts await, but also Chile - and the All Blacks. "People might question whether we deserve to be there. But for me, if you asked anyone as a kid, if you could open up the World Cup in that first game in a year's time, it's genuinely amazing. A dream come true."
Despite having made his international debut a decade ago, until recently Post was hooking for Richmond in The Champ. "Unfortunately, I've never played at The Prem level. But The Champ definitely doesn't get the credit it deserves," said the 31-year-old. Post was a full-time rugby player with Hong Kong China, before the Covid pandemic brought that to an end and he began a Masters degree at the University of Oxford. "One of the unique selling points for Hong Kong is the players are contracted all year round and spend all their time together," said Post.
For Combes, 29, a former student and teacher at Hartpury College, it has been a circuitous route to professional sport. "I've done my career in reverse. I went from teaching after an ACL, to playing semi-professional rugby, to being a full-time athlete at the age of 25." Hong Kong has a proud tradition of rugby stretching back seven decades. They qualified for the World Cup by defeating Korea 70-22 in the final round of the Asia Rugby Championship last year.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing