Wellngton 7's: 28 & 29 January

[Rebels3]

We have plenty of people to identify and foster talent. But they're all working for the franchises and now gobble up players straight out of high school. Used to be that Tietjens would get these guys for a few years before the franchises, as they would recruit based largely on NPC performances.




I think the NZRU will find the money. I never agreed with it, but they've extended the All Blacks brand to the Sevens team. So if they continue to fail, then it will reflect badly on the brand as a whole. The NZRU won't like that, so will magic up the money and will centralise the programme.

It's the first year in the new cycle (something i don't like saying, but reality as to how the teams look at it). I think greater investment will be given by the NZRU and ARU next year with the commonwealth games, especially from the ARU with it being on home soil. The year or two out from the Olympics speaks for itself. Personally i think we (Australia) are more interested in consolidating the women's program this year with the limited funds available, than investing in the men's until the next year or two.

 

[wamberal]

That's 30 years away. A lot can happen it that time. 30 years ago the Soviet Union was still around, apartheid was in South Africa leading to their exclusion from the sporting world, Germany was split East and West and Italy had a bigger economy than China. A lot can and will happen between now and then.

Okay, back to the present. For rugby to grow in China, Government interest and intervention are absolutely crucial. We have heard, from time to time, about the PLA being interested in the sport. Any attempt to parachute in a new sport just will not succeed, Ali Baba or any other proponent cannot do anything at all to grow the grass roots, which I think we would all accept is absolutely crucial.


World Rugby cannot do much either, frankly, but one thing that it could do is to offer to transfer the Hong Kong leg to Shanghai, as an indication of the game's committment to a long term future in China.


I lived and worked in Hong Kong for a number of years, from the mid seventies, until the mid nineties (a few of those years were spent elsewhere in Asia), so I saw the growth of the Sevens tournament at first hand. I also saw that the game as a whole grew at a far slower pace, and as I understand it, it is still a tiddler of a sport in real terms, in Hong Kong.


The Sevens tournament is one of the very few events of its type in Hong Kong, or the nearby region, frankly, and that is the main reason that it has become so popular. That popularity has not led to very much in terms of growing the wider appeal of the game, IMHO.

The future is not Hong Kong, the future is the PRC. If the former had to be sacrificed for the latter, I would be all for it.


Hong Kong is not a nation, unlike Scotland, Wales, and England. It is a Special Administrative Region of the PRC. It is hard for me to imagine the PRC accepting an event in Shanghai whilever the Hong Kong event continues. They are very very sensitive to these sorts of nuances.

 

[Braveheart81]

In my opinion World Rugby would be a hundred times more likely to add a Chinese leg in Shanghai or elsewhere than they would be to move the Hong Kong tournament to mainland China.

I definitely see both as a likely future option but getting rid of the Hong Kong Sevens would be crazy for World Rugby. It is a huge event.

 

[wamberal]

It's a huge event for Hong Kong, it is not a huge event for China, and never ever will be.


You are entitled to your opinion. What is it based on?


At the risk of boring everybody, it seems to me that World Rugby would be very short-sighted to promote anything in China without Government approval.



It also seems to me that, for Government approval and genuine support for the game as a whole to be forthcoming, WR (World Rugby) would have to show that it understands the reality, from the PRC point of view, that Hong Kong is just a rich little city, it is not a country.

 

[Braveheart81]

It's based on the history of the event and the fact that it's a huge event for World Rugby.

Growing the game in China is strategically important for World Rugby because it is such a massive potential market. That doesn't need to come at the expense of the biggest 7s event World Rugby has though (and the only one with the extended pool of teams).

I think World Rugby could easily add a Shanghai leg without it cannibalising the Hong Kong leg. I don't think they really compete for the same audience.

I also don't think China are going to step in anytime soon and prevent Hong Kong from bidding for a 7s leg (that at this point in time is a fait accompli as far as World Rugby is concerned) so it can instead bid for a leg in Shanghai.

 

[kiap]

I think World Rugby could easily add a Shanghai leg without it cannibalising the Hong Kong leg.

Yep. Done it before, could do it again.

And hell will freeze over before WR (World Rugby) tells Hong Kong it can't be on the world circuit. It's successful and the biggest event on tour. When it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

[Brumby Runner]

I like the optimism in BH's and Kiap's posts, but I fear the realism in Wamberal's take on matters will prevail. It probably isn't up to WR (World Rugby) whether there can be two legs in China (or one in addition to HK if you prefer) but will be dictated by the Chinese government. It may be that the only way WR (World Rugby) can influence things would be to continue with HK and continue to ignore China.

 

[Braveheart81]

China has previously hosted a leg of the IRB Sevens in addition to the Hong Kong leg.

China still hosts a leg of the Asian Sevens Series which is run by Asia Rugby which is affiliated under World Rugby.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Well then, we can live in hope.

 

[TOCC]

Hong Kong Sevens won't be moving any time soon.. it's the premier sevens tournament and has been the most commercially successful tournament over the past 5-10 years.

Hosting a leg of the World Rugby Sevens isn't the only vehicle to develop rugby in China, there's plenty of other avenues.

 

[Lindommer]

Hong Kong Sevens.....has been the most commercially successful tournament over the past 5-10 years.

25, 30 years. Or ever. fixed