A RUGBY star from West Fife has played a starring role in helping his team to win another continental crown.

Fly half Gregor McNeish, who was born in Dunfermline, helped Hong Kong to glory in the Asia Rugby Championship (ARC) for 2023 with victory over South Korea on Saturday.

It was a second successive win in the competition for the former Dunfermline Rugby Club player, having kicked the decisive points in last year's tournament, which was clinched against the same opposition.

McNeish, a three-time Scotland club XV cap, qualified to play for Hong Kong under residency rules, having previously gone there to work as a PE teacher.

Whilst he now plays for VPC Andorra, McNeish - who has previously captained Hong Kong - was one of three overseas players named in the squad for the competition, victory in which last year gave them a shot at qualification for this year's Rugby World Cup (RWC) in France.

After opening their campaign with an 88-9 win over Malaysia, in which the McKane Park youth produced scored one try in a personal 22-point haul, they faced a South Korea side in a winner-takes-all clash, after they too had defeated Malaysia.

McNeish's penalty in the final minute of last year's clash between the pair gave Hong Kong a 23-21 success, and he again added to his team's points tally with a penalty that opened the scoring.

Although he failed to successfully kick a conversion from any of the four tries Hong Kong scored - they were also awarded a penalty try - his excellent tactical kicking with the ball in hand played a significant role in their 30-10 success.

The seven conversions made by McNeish, however, against Malaysia was the highest number of any player in the tournament, whilst the 25 points he secured for his team was the joint-most alongside team-mates Alex Post, who scored a hat-trick of tries against South Korea, and Sebastian Brien.

It was a fourth ARC title in a row for Hong Kong who, last year, met Tonga in the Asia / Pacific play-off for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Although they lost, missing out on a place in Pool B alongside Scotland, current world champions South Africa, the globe's number one ranked side, Ireland, and Romania, they joined Portugal, the United States and Kenya in a round-robin 'final qualification' tournament, with the last place at the RWC at stake.

However, it was not to be for Hong Kong, ranked 24th in the world, and who have never qualified for the RWC, as Portugal advanced to take their place in France alongside Wales, Australia, Fiji and Georgia in Pool C.