Come back home: Hong Kong Rugby Union promotes work and play in the city in an effort to gain new players

The Hong Kong Rugby Union has taken the unusual step of releasing a video detailing the benefits of moving back home to play the game professionally.

The two-minute clip features sound bites from current and previous players, some of whom have remained in Hong Kong and landed regular gigs after retirement.

Dai Rees, the chief rugby operations officer for the HKRU, explains in the video that one of the union’s goals is for “Hong Kong kids and Hong Kong-eligible players to come back to Hong Kong”.

The video, hosted on the HKRU’s website, makes it quite clear who it is catering to with an accompanying note: “Were you born in Hong Kong? Were any of your parents or grandparents born in Hong Kong?”

The video also features various players who were born in Hong Kong but raised elsewhere, and have since returned to the city to work or play, including Max Denmark, Russell Webb and Tyler Spitz.

Check out the video below.

In recent months, a number of Hong Kong-based players have surrendered their passports in order to gain nationality and play for Hong Kong.

The most notable was Ben Rimene, who gave up his New Zealand citizenship to play for the sevens at the Asian Games.

Hong Kong ended up winning gold, beating Japan in the final game.