Even before a ball was kicked or before the bean counters had crunched the numbers, rugby’s bold foray into Asia for tonight’s ground-breaking Bledisloe Cup Test in Hong Kong was being hailed a resounding success.
While rugby has reportedly been played in Hong Kong as long as horses have been racing at Happy Valley – with early newspapers at the Hong Kong Central Public Records Office providing accounts of games contested during the late 1870s – never before had Australia and New Zealand taken a Bledisloe Cup match offshore.
The Hong Kong Sevens has been a raging success since its inaugural tournament in 1975.
Never before, though, had the game’s custodians had the foresight, the nerve – and certainly not the willingness – to risk taking a full-blooded 15-a-side trans-Tasman Test to Hong Kong.
But with some 40,000 rugby fans, including an estimated 7000 who made the trip up from Australia and New Zealand, voting with their feet to ensure a virtual sellout, and players and coaches all sharing John O’Neill’s vision to expand the game, the Hong Kong experiment is certain to pave the way for further internationals to be showcased on neutral territory.
O’Neill, the ARU chief who pushed so hard for this weekend’s landmark fourth Bledisloe encounter, is already talking of future fixtures in Denver, Tokyo, possibly even London and Moscow.
His concept has widespread support.
“I think it’s awesome,” says All Blacks lock Ali Williams.
“It really shows the strength of the game turning into a global game. It helps promote it, it helps get the interest globally.
“And for the guys, it’s another sort of challenge playing away from home, playing at a new venue.
“Obviously there’s a big expat community here, but also the Asian community. It’s fantastic this part of the world.”
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans hailed the Hong Kong venture as “a great initiative on every front really”.
“It’s good for the game,” Deans said.
“The game in the southern hemisphere, one of the realities that we face is the relativity in terms of revenue generation, but also the opportunity to grow the game.
“There is a lot of enthusiasm for rugby in Asia and I think that’s part of the responsibility to the game, is to spread the gospel and to expose people to a live experience.
“There’s been a lot of sevens observed here over the years, but this is totally different and probably evident firstly through the Fijians, who thrive at sevens but haven’t mastered fifteens yet.
“And I think you will get an insight into that on Saturday when people get the first opportunity to see live a Bledisloe Cup fixture.”
Apart from expanding the game and spreading the gospel, so to speak, Wallabies winger Lote Tuqiri says the Hong Kong experience is a personally rewarding one for the players and another prime example of why he decided last year to remain in rugby rather than return to league.
“It’s been great just to be here. The powers that be made a really good decision to bring it out here,” Tuqiri said.
“The boys have had a lot of fun. Just getting out and being amongst the people here. It’s beautiful, have a look at this harbour.
“You don’t get to travel much and I guess this is what the attraction is to play rugby.
“I’m very happy to be here playing rugby because you don’t get these opportunities playing rugby league and a lot of other sports.
“These experiences … you go away with a bunch of 30 good blokes and you take those experiences for life.
“I guess that’s where the camaraderie is built, to have some good spots to go to. Hong Kong is just great.”
But as players and officials alike savoured the Hong Kong experience, Williams cautioned rugby’s powerbrokers that more needed to be done if the sport was to grow to the point where more than maybe half a dozen teams were capable of winning the World Cup.
“I think this definitely helps,” Williams said. “But, once again, it’s the infrastructure and things like that help strengthen the game right across.
“One game like this only sort of really attracts interest. But from interest comes people moving over and lending their skills to show and share what we know as a country and turn it into a stronger game globally.”
Williams said he would do whatever it took to raise rugby’s profile, be it playing in Denver, Tokyo, Moscow, Timbucktoo, wherever.
“Yeah. I’ve got nothing against it. I reckon the more we promote the game – and if it means that Australia and New Zealand play globally – so be it. I’ve got no problem with it,” he said.
“I think it’s a great game and got a lot of history. Why not grow it?”
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
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