Scottish Rugby and Hong Kong Rugby strengthen ties over Best of Scotland feast

Scottish Rugby and Hong Kong Rugby came together to share the taste of Scotland and celebrate their partnership on Wednesday ahead of the Hong Kong Sevens Tournament which takes place between Friday 7 and Sunday 9 April. Guests enjoyed a Best of Scotland dinner to commemorate the cultural and sporting ties between Scotland and Hong Kong, with the Scottish Borders’ town of Melrose renowned as the birth place of sevens and Hong Kong staging one of the most well known legs of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Circuit.  A total of 150 invited guests attended the evening from China’s business elite and beyond as part of Scottish Rugby’s strategy to promote their brand on a global scale, as well as in key markets such as the Pacific Asia region and across Scottish Rugby’s sponsor family ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. Toni Blackhurst, Head of Marketing and Sponsorship at Scottish Rugby, said: “The Hong Kong Sevens is an important fixture in the World Rugby Sevens Series and the players are always very well supported.We’re delighted to be part of this event which enables Scottish Rugby to further connect with business in Asia which is an important market for us as we grow the Scottish Rugby brand around the world.The dinner was supported by The Balmoral, who are a Scotland Business Club Member, with Executive Chef Jeff Bland serving up a whisky-paired menu which included Balmoral Scottish smoked salmon and Scotch beef. The invitation only event was also supported by Scottish Development International, Cathay Pacific and Balvenie.Scotland 7s Head Coach Calum McRae, Scotland 7s and GB Silver Medalist Mark Robertson, and fellow squad member Hugh Blake were welcomed to give the audience a flavour of the game ahead of this weekend’s tournament as well as a performance from the Hong Kong Police Pipes and Drums.  Scotland 7s fixtures in the seventh leg of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Series in Hong Kong, Friday 7 – Sunday 9 April (kick-off times in GMT)7 April11.44am – Argentina 7s v Scotland 7s8 April5.26am – USA 7s v Scotland 7s9.02am – Scotland 7s v Russia 7sTBC