And to cap it all – Hong Kong honours its colonial era heroes
Former players gather from far-flung hideaways around the world to receive due recognition
Andy Fields has four England caps at various age-group levels, but the one cap he will treasure the most was handed to him by the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union in London this month.
The former Hong Kong and Valley hooker was overcome by emotion as he received his colony cap at the Hippodrome casino cheered on by former teammates, including Isi Tu'ivai, Gary Cross and Vaughan Going, plus many others from younger and older vintages.
"Hong Kong gave me the time of my life. I won a few caps for England at youth level and, while I'm proud of that, this is the one I will always treasure most," said Fields, showing off the blue tasselled cap.
An initiative started last year has gathered momentum with more than 125 caps handed out, 60 of them in London. Former prop and active policeman Dave Lewis was the first recipient of the colony cap (given to those who represented Hong Kong before the handover) and Andy Yuen Kin-ho was the first to get the SAR cap (for those who represented post-handover).
They flew in from all parts of the world. Former Hong Kong sevens captain Chris Gordon arrived from Dubai, as did Rob Grindlay. Chris Blair, a former soldier who was stationed here, came from Qatar where he is now building stadiums for the 2022 soccer World Cup. Didier Lenoir, one of the best openside flankers to play for Hong Kong, came from Paris. Others like Tu'ivai had a shorter commute as they live in England.
Chief organiser and former loosehead prop Chris North - who once when playing for Hong Kong against South Korea in a test match told referee Ross Mitchell, "I like your hair" - only had to walk across the road in Leicester Square where he owns a casino.