The Hong Kong, China men’s rugby team on Wednesday said they are looking forward to feed off the energy from the home crowd when the Rugby Sevens are held for the first time later this month at Kai Tak Sports Park.

The men’s squad is looking to defend their title in the Melrose Claymores competition – a tournament featuring Asian teams that runs alongside the Sevens.

Head coach Peter Jericevich says he is confident his players can use last year’s success as fuel to deliver on the SAR's biggest sporting stage.

Still, he warned his squad not to let their guard down ahead of their opening match against team China on March 28.

"It was great to achieve that last year," Jericevich said. "The key thing now is that first game. That's all we're really thinking about right now.

"We can't look too far ahead. Right now, it's about making sure we prepare well this week and how we can ensure we're accurate in the key areas of our game."

He added home support will provide a major boost to his side's mentality.

"What I really like about the new stadium is that it feels really close to the pitch. There's a lot of energy that we can definitely use. Sevens is a tough game since you're under fatigue very quickly when you're out there, so the home crowd behind us will hopefully drive us to perform well."

James Christie, the captain of the team, said he will draw on the personal experience from the past two editions of the Sevens to lead the young up-and-coming players on the squad.

"I can tell them how [the Sevens] was before and how it felt," Christie said after an open training session.

"We all help each other out and talk to each other," he added. "If any of the new guys need anything, we'll be there for them. On the field we hope to just play the way we want to play, and the rest of the team will follow."

Christie, who was appointed captain in September, also noted the team will be looking to feed off the home crowd’s energy at the new venue.

"Last year we couldn't hear anything because the crowd was super loud," recalled Christie.

“You just got to embrace it and enjoy, because it only comes around once a year."