Organisers of the GFI Hong Kong Football Club Tens 2010 announced the line-up for this year’s tournment.
Sixteen teams comprising of former and future stars will come from every corner of the globe to celebrate 25 years of the Tens alongside the best that local rugby can offer. Started in 1986 to celebrate the centenary of one of Asia’s iconic rugby venues, the Hong Kong Football Club, the tournament has earned a reputation as the world’s premier ten-aside competition and the unofficial kick off of rugby week in Hong Kong.
Sevens fans will be excited to know that rugby legend Waisale Serevi will be returning to Hong Kong as a Tens player, lining up with the Hong Kong Barbarians. Serevi should be a useful addition to the Barbarians, a team drawn from players that play locally in the domestic league but who fall outside of the various eligibility requirements required to represent Hong Kong.
Speaking about his “new” team from Papua New Guinea where he is coaching the Men’s Sevens side, Serevi said “I am excited to try my hand at Tens, especially back in Hong Kong. I understand that the Baa baas won the Plate in 2008 and I want to go one better in 2010.”
Defending Cup champions Aliens, runners-up Alternative New Zealand Legends and Plate champions Penguin International RFC are all returning for another tilt at the Tens title in Hong Kong.
Samurais International, Scatterlings of Africa, Borneo Eagles, Australian Country Invitational, Germany’s Wild Titans and the KIR Club Pyrenees are just a few of the international complement appearing at the Hong Kong Football Club at the end of the month.
Befitting their status as returning champions, the Aliens are the tournament top seeds and head Pool Awhere they will be joined by last year’s debut side and eventual Bowl winners, Scatterlings of Africa, which will again be led by former Springbok flanker Bob Skinstad. Australian Country Invitational and mainland side China Agricultural University, China’s first established rugby club and a nursery for Team China, round out the pool.
Scatterlings of Africa at HKI HKFC Tens 2009 (Pic: Mike Jansen)
Pool B sees 2009 Cup runners-up Alternative New Zealand Legends in the top slot alongside the Wild Titans from Germany, the Hill & Associates Hong Kong Barbarians and British Forces side Flying Kukris.
Pool C is headed by the world-famous Penguin International RFC under ex-Scotland coach Frank Hadden and Steve Hill. The Penguins will be out for revenge after reaching the final in 2007 and 2008 and being the ranked as the tournament’s top seed in 2009 only to bow out in the Cup quarter final against Aliens. Last year’s Plate win will not be enough to satisfy this brood of hungry Penguins.
Another UK-based team features in Pool C, Samurai International, who have announced that this year they will be dedicating their performance in memory of their former manager Colin Hillman, who was also the former Technical Coach for the Wales Sevens team before passing away last summer. 2009 Shield Champions Cardiff University and hosts Hong Kong Football Club complete the Pool.
Pool D is topped by tournament fourth seeds Borneo Eagles. Also in Pool D is the KIF French Pyrenees team featuring towering forward Patrick Tabacco who was capped 25 times for France including at Rugby World Cup 2003. The Irish Vikings and Old Boys complete Pool D.
GFI HKFC Tens Pools
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
| Aliens (1) | NZ Legends (2) | Penguins (3) | Borneo Eagles (4) |
| Scatterlings | Wild Titans | Samurai | KIR Club Pyrenees |
| NSW Barbarians | HK Barbarians | Cardiff University | Irish Vikings |
| China Agricultural University | Flying Kukris | HKFC | Old Boys |
(the number in brackets denotes seeding)
