‘Rugby is changing lives in Asia,’ says maker of documentary inspired by visit to China
- Hamish Kenny has made a film that tells how the sport is growing across the continent and helping communities
- He quit his job to travel after his rugby coach died during the Covid-19 pandemic, and hopes to continue his mentor’s legacy
Inspired by a life-changing visit to China, Hamish Kenny, from the UK, has created a documentary shedding light on how rugby is changing lives in Asia.
Kenny felt well placed to make his film, having had his own life transformed by the oval-ball game. He picked it up through a well-respected coach and fell in love with it instantly, so much so that he swapped a data engineering job to become a rugby blogger with almost a quarter of a million followers.
Along the way, Kenny tells the Post, he learned rugby had become the fastest-growing sport in Asia and began to document inspiring stories of the positive impact it was having on communities.
“I love rugby,” the 24-year-old said. “I want to grow the sport in Asia because of how much it has helped me and how much I think it can help other people.”
After a visit to the Chinese capital Beijing, he decided to dive deeper.
“I and my cameraman went from Beijing to Xian to Zhangjiajie to the Floating Mountains and Shenzhen,” he said. “We visited rugby clubs all the way.