The ambitious plan to turn the game wholly professional by offering full-time contracts to national squad players has been scrapped by the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union.
Four players were given full-time playing contracts last September - sevens stars Rowan Varty, Keith Robertson, Mark Wright and Alex Ng Wai-shing, a product of the rugby academy who was offered a junior contract.
Yet just one year after the scheme was announced, the union has decided to jettison the plan, saying that only a handful of players benefited and not the rugby community at large.
The union said that the decision had nothing to do with the economic downturn or cost-cutting measures.
A union statement said: 'It was felt the scheme was not achieving the development objectives that were set for the rugby community as a whole, particularly as it was benefiting a relatively small number of players.
'Going forward, it was decided that the HKRFU should invest more in widespread development schemes rather than just individual players.
None of the senior players were available for comment yesterday. Varty is out of town, Robertson is in hospital with a broken nose - incurred during last Saturday's opening round in league competition - and Wright also could not be contacted.