He is the smallest player on the park and plays at fullback, but Hugo Stiles is a giant in deeds and leads from the front – both attributes which helped the Hong Kong representative under-20 team qualify for next year’s IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy in Portugal. Stiles is one of a growing band of youngsters who are opting to put rugby first before a career, a significant move which is bound to help the game in Hong Kong. Captain of the under-20 squad, Stiles is part of the Hong Kong Sports Institute rugby sevens programme along with teammates Liam Owens, Calvin Hunter, Richie Lewis and Alex Post. My best moment was kicking the ball into touch and hearing the final whistle blow against South Korea U20s captain Hugo Stiles Being a full-time athlete is already producing results. The class of 2014 is the first Hong Kong under-20 team to qualify in their own right for the JWRT, or World Rugby Under 20 Trophy as the second-tier event is now known and where the winner qualifies for the top-tier Junior World Under 20 Championship. It is no mean feat going to Colombo and emerging unbeaten from three matches to secure number one spot in Asia. Stiles captured that winning feeling when he said: “My best moment was kicking the ball into touch and hearing the final whistle blow against South Korea.” The character and spirit of this side bodes well for the future as we look to this generation of home-grown players. Stiles caught the eye earlier this year when he appeared at the JWRT hosted by Hong Kong. On that occasion we were in it simply because we were the hosts, and although we lost all three of our games, we gave Canada an almighty fright. Stiles decision to put on hold his university degree is one which will not have been taken lightly. But this is what the HKSI has given young players these days – a choice to follow their dreams. In the past, Hong Kong rugby had toyed with the idea of handing full-time contracts to players but discontinued it after less than two seasons. Rowan Varty and Mark Wright, part of the sevens squad at the Asian Games, were two of the first candidates picked, some would say as guinea pigs, by the union. Wright is now a full-time player in Japan and Varty is a full-time athlete at the HKSI, having put on hold his career as a lawyer. They are following their dream of, perhaps, playing at the Olympics in 2016. Success on the field will only attract more youngsters, hopefully with the blessing of their parents, to take this decision to give it a go. We have struggled previously due to the amateur status of our players. That is a thing of the past now that sevens is a fully fledged part of the HKSI elite programme. While Stiles and company will be mostly concentrating on the abbreviated version, the benefits will also rub off on their 15s game. And hopefully it will have an impact as we look forward to Portugal with hope.