Hong Kong women’s rugby sevens player Sabay Lynam is eager to take on South Africa this Saturday in Cape Town, calling it a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to play in front of the home crowd.
Lynam and her team are set to compete in the opening leg of the 2025 Challenger Series, facing South Africa and the Czech Republic in the pool stages. The tournament, which features 12 teams, will see only the top four pool winners advance to the semi-finals on Sunday.
After two months of rigorous preparation and a practice match against Belgium earlier this week, Lynam described her team as “nervous but ready” for the challenges ahead.
The results of this tournament will determine the top eight teams that will qualify for the second leg in Cape Town next week. The best teams from both legs will then move on to the final leg in Krakow, where they will battle for four spots in the World Series play-offs.
Lynam emphasized that the team’s practice match against Belgium helped release pent-up energy and provided invaluable preparation for the Czech team. The Czech side finished just above Hong Kong in last season’s Challenger Series standings, so the match promises to be a tough contest.
South Africa, who were relegated from the HSBC SVNS Series last season, will be playing in their home stadium, adding extra intensity to the match. Despite the challenge, Lynam sees the encounter as a major opportunity.
“Playing South Africa in their own stadium will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she said. “They’re a very strong team with some really big players. We need to stick to our strengths and use our evasive skills to get around their powerful players.”
As part of their preparations, head coach Andy Vilk took the squad to Beihai, China, for a series of intense training matches against Shandong. Lynam noted that the training exposed areas of improvement, particularly in defensive techniques. “We had to be more connected in defense, especially in one-on-one tackles, because bigger teams can be physically overwhelming,” she explained.
At just 21 years old, Lynam has already emerged as a key player for Hong Kong’s sevens and 15s teams. Balancing her athletic career and education, Lynam switched to part-time study at the University of Queensland to focus more on rugby. “This is such a big opportunity, and I didn’t want to miss it,” she said, referencing her decision to forgo full-time studies in favor of rugby commitments, including last year’s Asia Rugby Sevens Series and the current Challenger Series.
As Hong Kong’s opening match approaches, Lynam and her teammates are more focused than ever on maximizing their potential and making a strong statement in Cape Town.
Related topics: