It's touch and go for emerging game
The first look was one of exhaustion. Three participants in the Hong Kong Inter-Cities Touch Rugby tournament were sleeping on picnic table benches, their backs on the wooden slats and their feet either placed on the cement or propped up on an empty cardboard box. They were recharging for another game in yesterday's tournament at King's Park.
The second look was one across the field, where players were sitting and chatting. Some teams were finished for the day and others, like the Hong Kong Dragons, who won the men's division, were gearing up for their final match. It was a mix of sport and fun at this second annual tournament, where 18 teams from Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and China competed in men's and mixed touch rugby. Bro Town from Singapore won the mixed division.
'It's been fun,' said Haseena Allapitchay, who came from Singapore for the tournament. 'The sport is so social - you just put on a pair of boots and have a good run around. It's quite a versatile sport.'
The Hangang Exiles came from South Korea in part to encourage other regional teams to come to a tournament the team are hosting in September. The team, who played in the mixed division, made it to the semi-finals. Exile player Natalie Hallemans said she was trying to help the sport grow, a goal shared by many of the participating teams. The Hong Kong Touch and Tag Association, which hosted the tournament, entered two development teams and has been trying to develop the sport within the school system.
That technique worked for Allapitchay who started touch rugby 11 years ago when officers from the rugby union set up a workshop at her junior college. She became hooked and in January went to South Africa for the world championship.
What if she had not attended the workshop? 'I probably just would have continued playing badminton,' she said.
