‘I don’t think I was ready for a desk job’: Harry Sayers talks club and Hong Kong ahead of Asia Rugby Championship

The South China Tigers wrapped their Global Rapid Rugby season with a loss, but the national programme now looks forward to the Asia Rugby Championship

Surrey’s Harry Sayers was lured from England last year and looks to make his national team debut in the coming weeks

Reading Time:3 minutes

Harry Sayers, whose mother was born in the city, was lured from the UK to Hong Kong to play full-time rugby. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 8:23pm, 12 May 2019Updated: 5:10pm, 13 May 2019

Hong Kong continues to unearth and lure eligible, high-end rugby players to the city to suit up for club and country.

The latest acquisition has been Surrey, United Kingdom native Harry Sayers, who made his South China Tigers debut on Sunday in the Global Rapid Rugby league against the Western Force. The Tigers lost their final match of Andrew Forrest’s condensed showcase series 40-16 at the Aberdeen Sports Complex.

However, Sayers proves the future of local rugby remains bright as the Hong Kong Rugby Union’s vast network continues to stretch overseas to nab talent.

Sayers, whose mother was born in Hong Kong in 1966 when her parents were stationed in the city for the military, said he didn’t even know about the opportunity until recently. Sayers made his debut for Hong Kong in Singapore this April at the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

The Western Force proved too much for the South China Tigers this Sunday at the Aberdeen Sports Ground. Photo: Jonathan Wong

“I was in England and I really didn’t think about the birth certificate of my mom which qualified me to play here,” said the 22-year-old who slots in as a back. “I had finished university and didn’t know what to do, and so the option of playing rugby full-time was fairly appealing to me, so headed out here and here we are.”