Tae kwon do, racquet sports and basketball have traditionally been the favoured after-school exercise for local youngsters, with rugby the preserve of expatriates. However, thanks to the growth of mini rugby all this is changing.
Most families flocking to King's Park on any given Sunday morning during the rugby season are Chinese. Such sights are welcomed by Colin Durbridge and other parents who run DeA Tigers. They are eager to see the game spreading in Hong Kong and for local youngsters to get the chance to not only enjoy the thrill of the sport, but to also reap the resilience and strength of character that is part of the game's philosophy.
'Mini rugby is teaching respect between kids by getting them to play together fairly,' says Durbridge, an International Rugby Board-qualified referee whose children, now grown-up, were introduced to the sport at the mini level.
'As well as physical exercise, it's also giving them a sense of sportsmanship by relying on other people, how to respect other people, play by the rules and learn how to win and lose in a mannerly way.'
Families living in the King's Park area were among the first Chinese to spot the potential of mini rugby, says Durbridge, who is glad to see more mums and dads becoming involved by training as referees or coaches.
Children can start playing at the age of four, and DeA's committee members are now receiving more requests from parents to write reference letters for school interviews, telling how their child has progressed at the game, has a sense of discipline, co-operates and can take instructions.
