Rowan Varty's Barbarians inclusion makes sense for big business

There are many reasons for today's game taking place - primary among them being a marriage of convenience for big business and corporate dollars.

Yet, when the game was first mooted more than three years ago it was a beacon to shine on this part of the world and a game that has transcended traditional boundaries.

One of the best ways to turn on that spotlight would be to include a homegrown player in the Barbarians squad. The player nominated by the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union was Rowan Varty, a 15-a-side back who has excelled at wing and fullback at Asian level, as well as captaining the national sevens team.

Varty was picked on merit. It would have been perhaps more appropriate to have put forward a local Chinese player, but that would have seemed a token pick. In Varty's case, he was chosen simply because it was widely felt he would fit the bill.

He proved that last Sunday when he played the last 18 minutes for the Baa-Baas against England at Twickenham. Coach Dai Young said Varty had put his hand up and did not look out of place. If so, why was he dropped initially, before being reinstated on the bench as a standby replacement for former England captain Mike Tindall?

Surely, everyone must have known the symbolism of Varty's presence in the squad for tonight's match - that he was representing the hopes and aspirations of a city which, as mentioned earlier, does not fall within the ambit of an established rugby nation.

It seemed the Barbarians failed to see the bigger picture, initially, before backtracking. Varty's presence in the team would show the world what a small-town boy could achieve.