California rugby junior Max Threlkeld has been selected to the starting lineup for Team Hong Kong's test match versus Brazil on Saturday at the Hong Kong Football Club in Happy Valley. Threlkeld – a dual citizen in Hong Kong and the United States – is slated to start at outside center. This will be the Golden Bear's debut as a rugby international.
 
Saturday's match will be the first of two fixtures between Team Hong Kong and Team Brazil in the Autumn International series. The two teams will face off for their second contest on Nov. 16 at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Park in Hong Kong. Both matches kick off at 4 p.m. local time.
 
Threlkeld has made 18 starts in 15-a-side action for Cal over his first two spring seasons in Berkeley, including the 2023 National Collegiate Championships versus Navy as a freshman and all of the Bears' postseason appearances in 2024. He has scored 13 tries in XVs play and, most recently, contributed three tries at the West Coast Collegiate 7s in Claremont on Oct. 12. At the end of the 2024 spring season, Threlkeld was tabbed a D1A Third Team All American.
 
Threlkeld has previously been a part of developmental sides of both the U.S. International Team and Team Hong Kong. This past summer, he was one of five Bears to represent Team USA at the World Rugby U20 Trophy tournament in Edinburgh, Scotland. He played for Team Hong Kong at the same tournament located in Kenya the summer prior.
 
Threlkeld is the second current Cal player to make his international rugby debut this fall, after fellow junior Rand Santos was capped by Team USA in the Pacific Nations Cup matchup with Fiji on Sept. 14.
 
World Rugby's traditional international November window will also see the U.S. representative side back in action, with the Eagles set to play a series of matches beginning Saturday against Portugal in Coimbra. Cal alum Jack Iscaro (2019), who has been capped 10 times by the Eagles, will start at the No. 1 prop position in the first match. Team USA will then take on Team Tonga in Chambery, France, on Nov. 16 followed by Team Spain in Madrid on Nov. 23.
 
"We are all proud of Max. He's a big part of our team and leadership," Cal head coach Jack Clark said. "We are likewise proud of Jack Iscaro for marching on in his international career."
 
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