Team captain Natasha Olson-Thorne was brimming with excitement over playing in front of the home crowd in Kai Tak Stadium, telling RTHK her team is keen to deliver.
The team wants to build on their success last year when they were runners-up in the Melrose Claymores competition, a tournament among Asian nations which runs alongside the showpiece Sevens event.
“You just got to take it in,” Olson-Thorne said during an open training session. “Take a deep breath and just enjoy the moment.
“Pressure is something that we should enjoy, because we don’t often get the chance to perform in front of our home crowd, friends, and family,” she added. “So taking that and knowing they’re behind us, that’s a really important feeling.”
Olson-Thorne, who made her international Sevens debut during the 2011 Hong Kong Women’s Sevens, also said intense training sessions ahead of this year’s competition has strengthened the bond between her teammates.
“We’ve been working on our physicality in the contact area, and also learning to trust ourselves and the team more,” she explained. “It’s brought us closer together and we’re excited to showcase what we’ve learnt come the Hong Kong Sevens.”
Chloe Chan, who late last year was selected as the new co-captain of the women’s side, said she hopes to encourage her teammates to play to their strengths on the field.
“The thing about our team is that we’re all so different,” said Chan. “We’ve got speed, we’ve got physical players, and bigger players who can help us build that foundation in our structure. That’s the one thing we know we’re good at – using each other’s strengths.
Chan added she will do what she can to lead her teammates on and off the pitch.
“I’m not a very vocal leader, so I don’t really like to talk that much. But I like to think I can lead by example, so I’m hoping I can do my job the right way and build each other to do the same thing.”
Head coach Andy Vilk, meanwhile, said he is looking forward to feeding off last year’s energy, and said this year’s Sevens will be a “unique experience” for his young squad.
“I think last year was a fantastic experience. It’s an important experience for the players and their growth and to be able to play with that kind of pressure. We need to understand how we’re going to embrace that pressure and use it to our advantage.”
Vilk – who took up coaching duties just weeks before the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou – said his side will be ready to take on powerhouses Thailand and Kazakhstan in the Melrose Claymores, when the highly-anticipated three-day sporting event kicks off on March 28.
