The Hong Kong men’s rugby team made a spectacular start to their National Games campaign on Wednesday, delighting the home crowd at Kai Tak Stadium with two decisive victories in their pool matches.

The day began with a statement win as the SAR team toppled three-time champions Shandong 24-12.

Hong Kong seized control early, with Bryn Phillips breaking through the defensive line to score the opening try.

The home side maintained relentless pressure, keeping Shandong pinned in their own half.

Further tries from Seb Brien and Callum McCullough, complemented by two conversions from Phillips, extended Hong Kong’s lead to 19-0.

Shandong managed a converted try just before halftime to narrow the gap, and added another five points after the break.

However, any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Hong Kong’s Fong Kit-fung scored a final try, sealing the dominant 24-12 victory.

The team’s momentum continued into their evening match against Tianjin, where they stormed to a 24-0 lead by halftime.

Even after rotating their squad in the second half, Hong Kong's attacking prowess did not waver.

They ran in another four tries and landed three conversions, adding 26 unanswered points to complete a resounding 50-0 shutout.

The team’s performance electrified the local fans, a fact not lost on the players.

"The feeling is great because more people came to watch than expected," said Hong Kong's Cado Lee.

"As we were running out, I was so happy to see everyone come to support our Hong Kong team. I hope even more people will come to support us."

The Hong Kong men's team will face Inner Mongolia in their final pool match on Thursday at 4pm.

Meanwhile, the SAR women’s team faced a challenging start, suffering defeats in both of their pool matches.

In their opener against Shandong, the teams were locked at 7-7 at halftime after a try from Julia Oyana and a converted penalty from Stephanie Chan cancelled out an early Shandong lead.

However, Shandong dominated the second half, scoring four tries and two penalties to pull away for a 31-12 win.

The women’s team then mounted a strong second-half comeback against Sichuan after trailing by 19 points at the break, but ultimately fell just short, losing 12-19.

Despite the results, the team is maintaining a positive outlook.

Co-captain Chloe Chan said the squad would analyse their performances as they prepare for their final pool match against Shanghai on Thursday.