China will focus mainly on sevens in the short term - setting its sights on the 2016 Olympics - with its 15s programme taking a back seat, says former captain Johnny Zhang Zhiqiang.
Zhang (pictured), who will coach the mainland team at next weekend's Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, said the Chinese Rugby Union and central government had placed a priority on rugby sevens.
The other top goal was establishing a core team in the HSBC Sevens World Series. 'The realistic goal for China is to focus on developing sevens rather than 15s,' Zhang told the South China Morning Post in an exclusive interview. 'Rugby is still new in China and due to the lack of famous players to inspire the next generation, the China Rugby Union plans to first develop sevens and push for 15s later.'
Zhang is still the leading try scorer at the Hong Kong Sevens and is second-highest points-scorer. He played at 10 Hong Kong Sevens with his last appearance being in 2010.
In 15s, China will take part in Division Two in the HSBC Asian Five Nations this year alongside Malaysia, Thailand and Iran. They won promotion from Division Three last year. The inclusion of rugby sevens in the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 has sparked a big push by the central government and provincial governments to develop the game.
For the first time, a China Sevens Championships was held in Hefei, Anhui, last November with nine men's teams and eight women's teams participating.