Opinion | Italy might have the mafia – but Hong Kong has the ‘Tafia’ at the Sevens
Dai Rees sets the chain in motion for the Welsh with his arrival in 2009 and success over a notable victory over his homeland the following year
In Chaos Theory, the “butterfly effect” happens when a small change can result in huge changes later. Far from chaos, for Hong Kong rugby one change made a huge difference – the arrival of a new coach for the Hong Kong teams, Dai Rees, in 2009.
These days, Hong Kong has a full-blown “Tafia” as they are known in the city’s rugby circles, paying homage to the name used for Welshman outside of Wales – a “Taff” – a name often used by the military, originating from the River Taff which runs through Cardiff.
Rees landed in Hong Kong with a hoil – Welsh for a fire in your belly – ready to take on the Hong Kong team and coach them at the Sevens the following year.
“When you grow up in the Welsh mining towns in Thatcher’s reign, you become pretty tough. Rugby gave towns in Wales their pride, a bit like the band did in the movie Brassed Off about Northern English Collieries,” says Rees in his lilting Welsh brogue.
“For Welshmen, rugby was the great escape. Men would congregate on the pitch and in the club. Their playing selves are where they gained respect when the mines were closed and their sense of self-worth had been stripped from them.
