Rugby legends Jonah Lomu and John Kirwan launch 2011 HSBC ARFU Rugby Coaching Tour
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"As well as developing existing young rugby players across the continent, the tour will focus on introducing rugby to children who may otherwise not have seen or played the game. Taking the sport to brand-new audiences and enabling and inspiring more children to play the game will be a huge marker of success for me," added the former winger, who scored 35 tries in 63 tests for New Zealand.
From April to June, the tour will visit many of the host venues for this year's HSBC Asian 5 Nations tournament, including Top Five competitors Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, UAE and Japan, as well as Korea and Thailand, which will host Divisions I and II respectively.
Following activities in Macau and Hong Kong over the summer, clinics will be held in host nations on the new HSBC Asian Sevens Series starting with China and Malaysia in September, then Thailand in October and India in November.
Peter Wong, Chief Executive of HSBC Asia-Pacific, said: "The Coaching Tour will sit hand in hand with our title sponsorship of the HSBC Asian 5 Nations - Asia's leading international rugby tournament - and the newly formed HSBC Asian Sevens Series. We have a longstanding commitment to working with ARFU to help grow the sport in the region and this is a clear illustration of that commitment."
"ARFU is delighted to again partner with HSBC in support of the development of Rugby at the grassroots level in Asia," said Trevor Gregory, Vice President of ARFU. "Events like today's coaching clinic and the ongoing HSBC ARFU Rugby Coaching Tour around the HSBC Asian 5 Nations and HSBC Asian Sevens Series will go a long way towards introducing new players to the game in the coming years."
Mark McCombe, CEO of HSBC Hong Kong, said: "Through this Coaching Tour, HSBC is dedicated to creating a rugby legacy in Hong Kong and throughout Asia. It is fantastic that two international rugby legends were able to help us launch the initiative today in Hong Kong and help inspire what we hope will be the next generation of HSBC Asian 5 Nations and HSBC Asian Sevens Series players."
HSBC has a historical relationship with HKSPC through ARFU and the HSBC Asian 5 Nations. In 2011, the relationship is being broadened to include a summer of rugby clinics provided by HSBC staff volunteers who will be trained as rugby coaches by the HSBC Penguins Coaching Academy.
Shinko Wong, Social Worker of HKSPC, said: "The children had a fantastic time. Jonah Lomu, John Kirwan and the HSBC Penguins gave them a great introduction to the game today and we're looking forward to continuing this momentum throughout the programme of summer clinics."
Kit and equipment will also be provided across the programme to ensure a sustainable legacy is left within each community reached by the Coaching Tour. Children from the HKSPC will be given the opportunity to attend Hong Kong-based Asian 5 Nations fixtures and be involved in clinics and as mascots on matchdays. This matchday activity will be extended to all of the children involved in the programme within each country visited.
HSBC ARFU Coaching Tour 2011
March 23 Hong Kong
April 21 & 23 Colombo, Sri Lanka
April 21 Almaty, Kazakhstan
April 28 Hong Kong
May 5 Bangkok, Thailand
May 12 & 13 Dubai, UAE
May 19 Hong Kong
May 19 & 21 Tokyo, Japan
May 30 Incheon/Seoul, Korea
Exact dates to be confirmed:
June Macau
July Hong Kong
September Shanghai, China
September Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
October Pattaya, Thailand
November Goa, India
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