Despite a narrow 12-9 advantage at the break, the SAR were dominant the rest of the contest as the visitors wilted under a 33-point second half onslaught from the hosts under humid conditions.
Hong Kong scrumhalf Brendon Nell put a dagger in the visitors hearts with a brilliant chip and chase try for a 19-9 lead, sending the crowd into raptures.
From there, the hosts never looked back, with Jack Bartlett bagging a brace after finishing two attacking plays in the same zone with tries in quick succession to blow Hong Kong’s lead out to 31-9 on 50 minutes.
Sunia Fameitau, Charles Higson-Smith, Dean Rossouw and Murray Brechin were also on the scoresheet in the seven-try romp for the SAR, whose title defence came in stark contrast to their narrow 15-14 win over Sri Lanka in Colombo last month.
“We had to work really hard in the first half to wear them down,” said Nigel Hotham, head coach of Hong Kong’s squad for the Asia Rugby Championship.
“We had territory, but we had little errors that let them kick goals that kept them in the game,” he added.
With the World Cup set for next year in Australia, Hotham says players currently not in the Rugby World Cup squad are keen for their next chance.
“In the team talk this morning I said, everyone’s got a reason to bring their A game today,” Hotham said.
“You know, some of these guys, it’s just to say hey, look at me I’m a club player, but I’ve stood up to a test match; other guys are looking to see if they can get a seat maybe on a plane to the Rugby World Cup in Australia. So they’ve all got their reasons to play really well.”