Hong Kong Sevens at ‘pinnacle’ on 50th anniversary, pioneering coach Peter Duncan says

Hong Kong rugby has reached a “pinnacle” as the city celebrates the 50th anniversary of its annual Sevens tournament, the man who coached the local team at the first edition of the event in 1976 has said.Peter Duncan, who stepped down as president of Hong Kong China Rugby in March after a decade in the post, described the annual three-day tournament as an “iconic” sporting event that helped to cement the city’s status in the international community.“If you were sitting in the stadium in 1976 and you’d ask me, where is this going to go? You couldn’t have envisaged anything like this,” Duncan said in a media interview on the sidelines of the games on Saturday.“I think we’ve reached some sort of pinnacle as far as the game and facilities are concerned,” said Duncan, who will turn 80 in November.Originally from New Zealand, Duncan first moved to Hong Kong in 1973 and went on to coach the Hong Kong team at the city’s inaugural Sevens tournament three years later.Peter Duncan, former president of Hong Kong China Rugby, served as head coach for the Hong Kong team at the city’s inaugural Sevens tournament in 1976. Photo: Connor MycroftIn the decades that followed, he remained a pivotal figure in the governing body, including serving two stints as chairman – first for a year in 1988 and then for four years from 1997.