Lucky Number Sevens: The link Between the Hong Kong Sevens and Chinese Rugby
Much has been made of Alibaba’s USD100 million-dollar pledge to invest in domestic Chinese rugby. If the investment comes to fruition, it will be a great first step towards popularizing a sport that is much like a ball carrier after a 10-man maul collapses; at the bottom of the heap.
Professionals and pundits in China realize they are amid a large and unprecedented spending bubble for sports. If the bubble pops, the savior of the game in the nation 300 times more populous than New Zealand will come from a strange place indeed: The Hong Kong Sevens.
Look for the Hong Kong Sevens in all its boozy, bacchanalian splendor to stoke the nationalistic fervor of the Chinese sports machine in the possible future absence of capital. The Hong Kong Sevens jumpstarted the commercialization of rugby a decade before the World Cup was a thing and kickstarted the development of the sport in Asia. The event has been a runaway smash hit for decades now and will be huge for years to come. The tournament has a very real chance to propel the sport into the limelight in China in the same manner it brought South Korea, Samoa, Japan and other Pacific and Asian nations into the international rugby fold.
China, like J.R.R. Tolkien’s eye of Sauron, perpetually has its gaze cast towards its pet administrative region, Hong Kong. With Rugby Sevens an official Olympic sport, the Chinese will be watching especially closely, as if Tolkien’s legendary ring was on the very precipice of Mt. Doom. The fact is the Chinese simply love taking home hardware from that quadrennial outpour of nationalistic fervor known as ‘The Olympic Games.’ More importantly, Chinese sport responds exceedingly well and develops quickly after even the most minute amounts of international exposure. Rong Guotuan becoming the first citizen of the then newly formed People’s Republic of China to become a world champion in any sport at the 1959 World Table Tennis Championships is the finest example.
Table Tennis and Rugby are as admittedly different as a burly prop and lithe winger. But don’t doubt the prowess of the state-sponsored sporting monolith to scour the mountains of Sichuan, the dystopian apartment blocks of Beijing and the plains of Tibet for the next Wilkinson, Joost or McCaw. The impetus behind this won’t be from venture capital doled out by an angel investor, either. It will come from high-quality events occurring on China’s doorstep, such as the Hong Kong Sevens or the 2019 World Cup in Japan. After all, the Chinese sports machine runs far more efficiently on ambition, nationalism and collective pride fueled by glory on the international stage than it does on paper money. Look for those types of events to spark a ‘why-not-me’ feeling in the echelons of Chinese sport and provide that spark to a nation that hasn’t yet come in sniffing distance of qualifying for a World Cup.
Currently, rugby played by Chinese exists chiefly only in two specialized areas; Marine detachments in the People’s Liberation Army and on social teams in a handful disparate, backwater third-tier cities in China’s western and central areas. Places like Changzhou, Hubei and Fuzhou have significant numbers of Chinese on their teams. Places like Changzhou, Hubei and Fuzhou also have average population sizes that exceed the population of New Zealand or Ireland, which is precisely why the development of the sport in China is so exciting.
Events like the Hong Kong Sevens will be key in providing high quality entertainment and simultaneously igniting the sporting dreams for the next generation of athletes in China. Bringing the game from fringe cities and the army and into the mainstream public school playgrounds that boast numbers no other rugby playing nation can match is an exciting potential development in World Rugby.
China may be lightyears away from being able to not be absolutely embarrassed by a Commonwealth Nation or other rugby power. It may never even develop a XV side capable of breaking in the IRB Top 10 rankings. But it is conceivable that continued exposure and glorification of the sport through the Hong Kong Sevens could put China on the path to a World Cup berth, competing with- and vanquishing on a regular basis- fellow Asian top-30 squads like South Korea or maybe even Hong Kong[1] itself.
Connor Frankhouser
[1] Note that China has beaten Hong Kong before in 2006 and previously drawn with HK, hence the use of the word ‘regularly’
Comments on RugbyPass
It couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
25 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
25 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
80 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
44 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to comments