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English Premiership champions Saracens will make
their debut in Hong Kong this summer when they take on a
star-studded Asia Pacific Barbarians team in the Chartis Cup.
Saracens have pledged to bring their strongest available team to
face an APBs line-up that will include 2011 Rugby World Cup winner Mils Muliaina.
“We are very much looking forward to the
opportunity to play in Hong Kong,” said Saracens Chairman Nigel
Wray. “Saracens is a club based in north London since 1876, but we
are eager to take our squad, with their incredible work ethic, to
all corners of the rugby world.”
The club’s current playing
squad contains England stars Owen Farrell, Charlie Hodgson, David
Strettle, Matt Stevens, Brad Barritt, Steve Borthwick, Mouritz
Botha and Richard Wigglesworth, plus South Africa’s 2007 World
Cup-winning captain and hooker, John Smit.
Other internationals in the
Saracens squad include scrumhalf Neil De Kock (South Africa),
props Rhys Gill (Wales) and Carlos Nieto (Italy), hooker Schalk
Brits (South Africa), lock Hayden Smith (USA), back rower Kelly
Brown (Scotland) and backs Chris Wyles (USA), Michael Tagicakibau
and Kameli Ratuvou (both Fiji).
Saracens also have in their
ranks former England rugby league international Joel Tomkins, who
signed from Super League side Wigan last November and scored two
tries on his Saracens debut against Worcester recently.
Mark McCall, Saracens’ Director of Rugby,
said, “Hong Kong
represents something special in the rugby world, largely because
of the annual
Sevens tournament. It is a privilege for us
to have been invited to play a 15-man match against a strong Asia
Pacific Barbarians team and we are very much looking forward to
the occasion.”
The Chartis Cup, which is supported by the
Hong Kong Rugby Football Union, will be played on Saturday, 9 June
at Hong Kong Stadium.
Chartis and match organisers have
pledged that proceeds from the event will go towards the Royal
Project office in Thailand, under the Patronage of Her Royal
Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, to renovate schools hit
by flooding last year and help students from very poor families
with the expense of attending classes.
All Blacks legend
Muliaina, now playing in Japan after winning 100 caps for his
country, will be joined in the APBs line-up for the Chartis Cup by
flying Fijian Sireli Bobo and Samoan brothers Alesana and Henry
Tuilagi.
“We are thrilled that a club of the stature of
Saracens has agreed to travel to the Far East to play in the
Chartis Cup,” said match promoter and APBs chairman Jon Phelps. “Given that they are the English Premiership champions, we
will obviously be working hard with Chartis to put together an
APBs line-up that can meet the challenge. It promises to be a
fantastic game with proceeds going to a worthy cause. As
well as playing in the Chartis Cup, both teams are keen to reach
out to the Hong Kong community and we can promise fans they will
be given plenty of chance to meet and mix with these world class
players.”
The inaugural Chartis Cup was
staged last June at Hong Kong Football Club with ticket sales and
donations generating more than US$50,000 for children and families
affect by the Japan earthquake and tsunami. In a highly
entertaining game, a World XV captained by Serge Betsen edged out
the APBs 50-39.
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