Rugby: Highlanders' HK plans could go west

Roger Clark.
Roger Clark.
The Highlanders' game in Hong Kong remains in the balance although, if the Super rugby champions do go, they may face a familiar foe.

The pre-season game was scheduled for February 6 in Hong Kong and the Super champion was was to have played European club champion Toulon.

But Toulon will not be fronting after contractual obligations put paid to any hope of the French powerhouse heading south for a match-up.

Highlanders chief executive Roger Clark could not be contacted yesterday.

But it is believed negotiations are continuing to get the Highlanders to Hong Kong for the first of its three pre-season games.

The game was being organised by SL Events, a French company, which was still working its way through arrangements to get a fixture organised.

With Toulon out of the equation, it is thought French club Racing Metro is now the side which may venture to Hong Kong for the match.

Star All Black first five-eighth Dan Carter has signed for the club and arrived in France this weekto begin his career there.

Other familiar names at the Paris-based club are former All Blacks winger Joe Rokocoko, and Chris Masoe and giant Chiefs prop Ben Tameifuna.

The game is scheduled for the opening weekend of the Six Nations tournament so no European internationals will be available, but such is the number of foreign players in French rugby, any French club side would still be able to provide a competitive team minus its French test players.

Carter is on a three-year deal with Racing Metro and big things are expected of him.

The Highlanders had wanted to take their entire playing squad and coaching team to Hong Kong for a week, taking up to 50 personnel.

The team traditionally heads for a period in Central Otago in early February for a team camp but had scheduled to head to Hong Kong instead.

The Highlanders want confirmation of travel and accommodation arrangements before committing to the fixture.

If the fixture does fall over it will be the latest overseas match involving Super rugby sides which has failed to fly.

The Chiefs twice tried to arrange games against Toulon when it was the Super rugby champion but both times fell over due to travel demands.

The Crusaders were set to play a match in the United States this year but after concerns over accreditation by national bodies it never went ahead.

The Highlanders did play a pre-season game in Fiji in 2010 but this was on a smaller scale than the Hong Kong proposal.

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