Hong Kong’s Stiles Sees Narrowing Gap Between Challenger Series and HSBC SVNS
On the opening day of the HSBC Challenger Series in Munich, Hong Kong Sevens halfback Hugo Stiles expressed his satisfaction with his side’s perfect 3-from-3 results. Stiles, who was born in the UK, emphasized the importance of a game-by-game approach as they aim to finish ahead of fourth-placed Germany in the series.
“We’re starting to play the brand of rugby we know we’re about,” Stiles told RugbyPass. “We’ve got some really talented players who, ball in space, can look really dangerous. It’s my job to put those boys in space and then get on the end of it, which I managed to do a couple of times.”
Stiles believes the gap between the Challenger Series and the HSBC SVNS top flight is narrowing, stating:
“You look at the top four teams, and they’re pretty unstoppable forces, some of them. But the gap between that bottom four and top four [of the Challenger Series], you’ll probably see in Madrid. I’d like to think there will be a few teams in and out and switching, and that makes it even more interesting for World Rugby, whether or not it should be back up to more teams.”
The prospect of joining the SVNS circuit was described by Stiles as “huge,” and he remains optimistic about his team’s chances in the upcoming quarter-finals, saying, “We’ve just got to make it happen this weekend.”
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