Opinion | Learn a lesson from the Lions
Lumping a bunch of English, Irish, Welsh and Scots players together in the same team should be disastrous - but it isn't
Rugby has long been a festive occasion around here thanks to the Sevens. It's an annual Mardi Gras of pageantry and debauchery that has now grown into an international event, which is bursting at the seams. Tickets for the Hong Kong Sevens are cherished ducats with agencies all over the globe flogging packages for the event and legions of dubious touts flying in to cash in.
All of this would lead one to believe Hong Kong is truly a rugby town. Well, it certainly is a party town, arguably the binge drinking capital of the world. But as far as the rugby part goes only time will tell. The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) has done yeoman's work in its attempt to develop a local rugby culture. There are thousands of children playing in youth programmes around the city and, considering the lack of proper pitches and green spaces, that is no small feat. You can play soccer and basketball on a concrete flat top but you most certainly cannot play rugby on it.
So any gains the HKFRU has made have been hard earned. However, this week will be a litmus test for the growth of rugby in Hong Kong.
When the British and Irish Lions take on the Barbarians at Hong Kong Stadium in a historic match on Saturday night, it behooves the rugby community to pull out all the stops to ensure a full house. In a town starved of world-class sporting events, this is certainly a reasonable facsimile. But it's not enough to just roll out the best players in the world.
Manchester United are also coming to town in July. That's a name that sells itself not only around here but globally as well.
When it comes to the Lions, though, we need to educate the uninitiated. People like me need a history lesson. The significance of this event needs to be hammered home. We need to know the Lions only tour every four years and they feature elite players from four pretty fierce rivals in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
When the Lions land at Chek Lap Kok on Tuesday, the Irish players should be easy to recognise. They will be the only ones not carrying UK passports and I know it sounds simple but for many of us simpletons the notion of the Irish and the English teaming up to play anything together is completely alien.