Hong Kong talent set to train with Super Rugby’s Chiefs
Three-year link-up sees HKRFU foster ties with the New Zealand franchise
Hong Kong's brightest talent will get the chance to train with Super Rugby side Waikato Chiefs in a new strategic development partnership with the New Zealand team.
The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union on Thursday announced the three-year deal, which includes coach and player exchanges and development programmes, community engagement activities and other strategic initiatives.
Launching the partnership, a 26-man squad representing the Chiefs' development team arrived in Hong Kong for an eight-day development tour. Among the visitors is iconic former Chiefs player and All Blacks centre Richard Kahui, who joins the first part of the tour in a personal capacity to help the squad engage with the Hong Kong community.
The tour is the ideal way to launch this new partnership with its focus on growing the game
"The tour is the ideal way to launch this new partnership with its focus on growing the game," said Dai Rees, general manager of performance rugby for the HKRFU.
"The week ahead will see the Chiefs and the HKRFU working with our local rugby communities at every level, from grassroots right through to the national team programme, so the tour really symbolises the goals that we are hoping to achieve in this unique partnership. We look forward to more interaction with the Chiefs as the partnership develops".
Chiefs high performance manager, Chris Tindall, said: "We are really pleased to form a partnership with the HKRFU. This tour is a great opportunity for the players' learning, development and experience as young players and is also an opportunity to impress for the future."
A key focus of the tour is to assist Hong Kong's preparations for the start of the Asian Rugby Championship later this month. Hong Kong will open their campaign on April 25 against South Korea in a revised competition format that now features Japan, Hong Kong and Korea, reduced from last year's five-team format.