Paul Dwyer to Captain Hong Kong Against Russia in Ustinov Cup

Hong Kong Rugby Football Union senior coach Andrew Hall has named lock forward Paul Dwyer as match captain for the second Ustinov Cup match versus Russia on Saturday at Hong Kong Football Club (18.00 kick off).

Dwyer will replace Nick Hewson who injured his ankle in the series opener, a 31-10 loss to Russia, last Saturday at Kings Park.

Hall commented on Hewson’s said, “Nick injured his ankle on Saturday and while we are fortunate that the injury is not overly serious, we felt there was no real need to push him to play in a one-off match. We are mindful that Nick plays a very important role for his club and that we are in the heart of the domestic season. He is also an important cog in Hong Kong’s Sevens campaigns and in the Asian championships (15s) which will begin in the new year. While Nick could go if we really need him on Saturday, we felt it wasn’t worth the risk that he could hurt the ankle more severely or setback his recovery so have given him a rest.”

Hall is confident that he has an able replacement in the quiet Dwyer for what is shaping up to be a massive second test versus Russia.

“I tend to look at forwards for captains, maybe because I was a forward myself,” said Hall, “But also primarily because the forwards’ on-pitch responsibilities means that they are always at the centre of the action. Paul has performed very well since making his debut for Hong Kong last year against Belgium. In analyzing the first match versus Russia it was apparent that he fully deserves this honour.”

Paul got through a lot of work against Russia in the first match and we feel that he is a player that can lead by example. He isn’t the loudest guy on the pitch but he is a ‘doer’ and a player with a very high work rate. We noticed as a coaching team that when Paul does say something it is invariably well thought out and accurately addresses the issue. This indicates to us that he is a thinker and a student of the game with a very good understanding of what we are trying to achieve. As Craig [forwards coach Craig Hammond] said to me after we analysed match one, he bloody deserves it off the back of a strong performance versus Russia. I couldn’t agree more and I think that Paul will be an effective replacement for Nick,” Hall added.

Hewson’s absence on Saturday will also give Hall a chance to look at some of the new players in the squad.

Josh Li is expected to start at No 8 after playing well as Hewson’s positional replacement after he came off early in the second half last Saturday.

Bill Brant will likely start at flanker. Brant was effective in helping to spur a second-half fight back for Hong Kong after coming into the back row as Hewson’s replacement.

Andrew Bridle will be a back-row reserve with Jack Capon another likely addition on the replacements bench for Saturday.

The full Hong Kong squad for next Saturday’s game against Russia will be announced on Friday.