Paul John Reflects on Achievements and Challenges in Hong Kong’s Sevens Program
Paul John, recently recognized at the Hong Kong Coaching Awards, expressed that he still has goals to achieve as the head of the city’s sevens rugby program. Now in his tenth year in this role, John received the Best Team Coach award after the Hong Kong men’s team secured a gold medal at the National Games and triumphed in the Asia Rugby Sevens Series in 2025.
However, the year started on a difficult note when Hong Kong narrowly lost a semi-final against Canada in the HSBC SVNS 3 tournament. This defeat prevented the team from moving up to the second tier and dashed their hopes of qualifying for next season’s world series.
“The boys have bounced back well,” John said. “They were disappointed at the time, but we’ve taken time to reflect and are focusing on the areas that need improvement.”
Despite his achievements, the Welsh coach knows the frustration of near misses all too well. Hong Kong’s hopes of qualifying for the Olympics in both 2020 and 2024 fell short by just five and seven points respectively. Additionally, they were just one game away from securing core world series status in 2019.
As John looks ahead, he remains committed to steering the team toward future successes.
