Girls make up between 7 and 10 per cent of any year group from age five to 11 in mini rugby, and it's a growing field. At last month's Te Aka Aorere tournament, a mixed event, the girls were no less competitive than the boys.
But as a member of the Hong Kong women's team points out, it's a struggle to keep girls in the sport as they grow into their teens.
Fiona Foxon, 27, has been on the Hong Kong women's national team for the past four years. She began playing rugby at Discovery Bay International School before continuing in Taipei and at the University of Virginia. She says there's been a huge buy-in from parents and coaches to girls playing mini rugby in recent years. But there are certain ages when girls drop out, and the union is trying to reverse this.
'Some parents are worried about the girls doing contact rugby with boys [from the age of eight],' she says. 'They fear it will be too rough. At that stage they can join girls-only teams if they prefer. But they can learn so much from rugby. They build leadership skills, team playing, and the game gives them confidence and they learn how to stand up for themselves. It's certainly made me more resilient.'
Chloe Baltazar, 11, certainly enjoyed the difficulties that the sport presented. A pupil at King George V School, she was inspired to take up mini rugby after attending Hong Kong Sevens matches, and played for 'Wales' during the Te Aka Aorere tournament last month.
'I find the game challenging and difficult,' says Chloe, who plays for the DeA Tigers and prefers a second-row position in the scrum.