Hong Kong rugby mourns death of former coach Jim Rowark, 73
- The Englishman, who was arguably Hong Kong’s most successful sevens coach, dies on Friday in the United Kingdom after a battle with cancer
- Rowark twice won the Plate competition at the Hong Kong Sevens and also led the local squad into the Cup event at the 1989 tournament
Hong Kong rugby is mourning the death of former 15s and sevens coach Jim Rowark. The Englishman, who coached the Hong Kong senior team from 1987 to 1992, died after on Friday morning in the UK after a battle with cancer. He was 73.
“The Hong Kong Rugby Union is saddened to hear of the passing of HKRU Hall of Fame and Honorary Life Member, Jim Rowark,” said Hong Kong Rugby Union chief executive Robbie McRobbie.
“One of Hong Kong’s foremost coaches, and a ubiquitous presence around local pitches for decades, his loss will be keenly felt across the entire Hong Kong Rugby community. We extend our sincere condolences to the Rowark family, and will continue to hold them in our thoughts at this time.”
Rowark, who arrived in Hong Kong in 1977 and taught at King George V School, was one of the greatest coaches in local rugby history, especially at sevens, winning the Hong Kong Sevens Plate competition in 1990 and 1992 and qualifying for the Cup event in 1989.
In his second spell coaching the senior sevens squad, he helped the team win the Bowl at the Hong Kong Sevens in 1999 and 2001, claiming the Plate title at the Fiji Sevens and qualifying for the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Argentina in 2001. He died exactly one year after the death of his successor as Hong Kong coach – New Zealander George Simpkin.
As a player, he turned out for Hong Kong Football Club and was eventually elected chairman of club’s rugby section in 1985. He served on the HKRU board as director of coaching between 2001 and 2005, was made an Honorary Life Member in 2006 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.
Rowark was in charge of arguably the best Hong Kong Sevens squad ever in 1992 featuring skipper Craign Pain, rampaging forward Stuart Krohn, hooker Gary Cross, Aussie speedster Stewart Brew and a host of powerful soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Wales.
It was Rowark who laid the foundation for successor Simpkin to take charge of the squad in Italy in 1992 to qualify for the inaugural Rugby World Cup Sevens held in Murrayfield, Scotland in 1993.
