Wow Here comes the Chinese. We can see already how serious they have gotten about 7s since it was added to the Olympics program. Both their men's and women's teams are able to compete with the best in Asia now. Of course, the abbreviated version probably suits their lighter physiques more, so the real challenge will be ensuring the continued development of the XVs program. Nonetheless, this is very exciting news from the world's most populous nation
Alisports is going to invest US$100 million over the next 10 years in an effort to popularise rugby in China, World Rugby announced on Wednesday.
The company – the sporting division of Alibaba – revealed its plans at a launch in Shanghai.
The cash will be used to set up the first professional leagues for men and women, and national sevens programmes.
And a massive mass participation programme will be launched in 10,000 universities and schools in an effort to attract one million new players over five years.
Development programmes aim to recruit and train 30,000 coaches and 15,000 match officials by 2020, while the firm will launch a nationwide marketing programme and broadcast rugby on its TV and digital channels.
A pro XVs league sounds promising. That kind of thing, coupled to a few Kiwis looking to top up their pension while passing on their experience, could catapult them to having a real chance of qualifying for 2023. At the level they're at, there are big gains to be had from even small improvements.
The Chinese do not have one type of physique. It's a massive country with huge variation in body types, which is why they are strong across lots of sports including rowing and basketball.
I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.
True, but they're generally lighter than Europeans. I've actually lived and worked there. The average male height in China is 1.67m (5'6) and the average male weight is 66kg (145 lb). The average male height in Britain is 177cm (5'9) and the average male weight is 84kg (185 lb). But, of course, in a nation of 1.3 billion, you'd find all shapes and sizes if you looked hard enough.
Good story on the BBC about this. China will probably target quick success in 7s, particularly women's where they could conceivably target a medal as soon as Tokyo 2020. They won't waste their time trying to catch up with the All Blacks in men's XVs; that's for sure. But any success will ultimately have a knock-on effect for the game as a whole, of course.
China's ambitious sporting plans will see them bid to host a Rugby World Cup 'sooner rather than later' according to World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper.
The earliest World Cup they could hope to host would be the 2027 edition as bidding for the 2023 one is closed with Ireland, France and South Africa vying to win the right to host it.
China is already keen to host the football version as its president Xi Jinping is a fervent fan of the sport with the 2030 edition probably the likeliest one to bid for due to FIFA's rotation policy and Qatar hosting the 2022 version.
Gosper, speaking at the World Rugby conference, said the Chinese Government liked rugby as it is a team sport which to them is character building for those who play it and that is a characteristic they want to encourage in the people.
"They would very much like a world series sevens event, probably in Shanghai," said the 57-year-old Australian.
"Then one day sooner rather than later they would like to have a World Cup.
"That is how ambitious they are," added Gosper.
Gosper, who earlier had given the thumbs up to Japan's progress as they prepare to host the first Rugby World Cup to be held in Asia in 2019, said the recent US$100 million investment in the currently low-profile sport - whose Chinese name translates literally as 'English-style olive ball' - by e-commerce giant Alibaba had been the shot in the arm rugby required there.
No reason why they shouldn't host it. I'm sure they'd do it pretty well. The only question is how much of the country it covers. They could choose 4 population centres quite far apart or try to encourage a single region to adopt rugby.
I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.
Hong Kong should obviously be one of the major venues. Shangahi and Beijing would be others. China also has plans to create the world's biggest metropolis by combining the nine major cities of the Pearl River Delta area, including Guangzhou - which I believe is already the nation's third biggest city with a population of 12m. So those would be your 4 best population centers, I'd imagine.
If they're good enough to play at World Cups, why not in between?
rowan wrote:Hong Kong should obviously be one of the major venues. Shangahi and Beijing would be others. China also has plans to create the world's biggest metropolis by combining the nine major cities of the Pearl River Delta area, including Guangzhou - which I believe is already the nation's third biggest city with a population of 12m. So those would be your 4 best population centers, I'd imagine.
Guangzhou is football territory though isn't it? They've got so many large cities they could choose pretty much anywhere.
I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.
True. I don't know much about the rugby (nor football) demographics of China. I did live and work in Shanghai for a few months and know they have a team called the Hairy Crabs, however!
Meanwhile, if China puts in a serious bid that's really going to throw the cats among the pigeons. The Argies will undoubtedly feel it's their 'turn' next, and just imagine how South Africa would feel if they lost out to Ireland for 2023 - then CHINA for 2027! I think China is a very exciting prospect, but I don't think it'll happen next decade, and probably not in the 2030s either. Maybe the 2040s.
If they're good enough to play at World Cups, why not in between?
I agree with Rowan - Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing are shoo-ins (good luck to the players in the smog, though). For a fourth venue, I would go with Tianjin. Although it is relatively close to the Beijing, being a port city it has some Western influence and has relatively good connections.
I spent quite a lot of time in China ten years ago, and by and large they are aware of Rugby, even if they don't know much about it. For those of used used to Chinese originating from Hong Kong or Malaysia/Singapore, who are largely Cantonese, the Northern (largely Han) Chinese are surprisingly large physically - at least amongst the "middle class". Our agent there was about 6ft tall, around 100Kg and of stereotypical tighthead width/height ratio. In Shanghai too, I was always amazed at how tall some of the women were.
I'm sure I read/heard that the "traditional" asian small physique stereotype was only ever caused by malnutrition and actually asians are pretty much the same size as caucasians? I might be completely making that up.
It was so much easier to blame Them. It was bleakly depressing to think They were Us. I've certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We're always one of Us. It's Them that do the bad things.
My experience of China 14 years ago was that they knew nothing about rugby whatsoever. The Hairy Crabs were an expats team, much like the Ottomans in Istanbul.
I would still go with the Pearl River Delta as the 4th venue, given it is expected to be easily the biggest metropolitan area in China by the 2040s (when I expect them to host a RWC at the earlierst) with about 50 million people.
According to Wiki the average male height in China is 167cm or 5'6, compared to 178cm or 5'10 in NZ. I seem to recall that the older generation were pretty small, but the younger generation were certainly no different to their counterparts in Spain - which is where I was living at the time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_a ... _worldwide
If they're good enough to play at World Cups, why not in between?
rowan wrote:My experience of China 14 years ago was that they knew nothing about rugby whatsoever. The Hairy Crabs were an expats team, much like the Ottomans in Istanbul.
I would still go with the Pearl River Delta as the 4th venue, given it is expected to be easily the biggest metropolitan area in China by the 2040s (when I expect them to host a RWC at the earlierst) with about 50 million people.
According to Wiki the average male height in China is 167cm or 5'6, compared to 178cm or 5'10 in NZ. I seem to recall that the older generation were pretty small, but the younger generation were certainly no different to their counterparts in Spain - which is where I was living at the time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_a ... _worldwide
Averages don't help you much when there is a large. Impoverished rural population.
True, and as I said, there is a big difference between the older generation (raised on a traditional diet) and the young'uns (raised on a partly-Westernized diet). At 1.8m (5'11) I felt slightly on the tall side there, as I do in Turkey and did in Spain - though not greatly. In NZ, Australia, the US and UK I felt no more than average among males of my own generation, and in Russia I actually felt slightly on the short side. Their national average is lowered a little by the preponderance of Asiatic peoples in the east, just as America's has been by the influx of immigrants from south of the border. Americans were listed as the world's tallest people for many decades but not any more. The Dutch and Serbs are the world's tallest men at an average of 1.83 (6ft), followed by the Germans & Scandis. The people of the Andes region are the shortest, with the male average being as low as 1.6m (5'3) in some countries.
If they're good enough to play at World Cups, why not in between?
World Rugby’s China dreams are getting their first outside look.
Less than a year after announce a big $100 million deal with Chinese commercial giants Alibaba, a massive cash tournament is set to go in Shanghai in October.
World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper has said the tournament, which is modelled after tennis’ ATP finals, will have “the highest prize money ever seen in sevens.”
Along with the Chinese national squad, the top eight teams from the men’s World Rugby Sevens Series are set to play, the South China Morning Post reported Monday.
“On October 20 or late October, we will invite eight teams with the best records to Shanghai,” said Alisports vice president Wei Quanming. Alisports is the sports arm of Alibaba. “[The venue] will be in Yangpu district.”
“This will be our first time hosting such a game. I think the eight countries will bring a sizable amount of fans from their home countries.”
Canadian coach Damian McGrath said he was thrilled his squad will be involved; they finished 8th in the 2016-17 series.
“China is investing hugely in sevens,” he said. A number of schools and universities have already made it a compulsory sport, he noted. “That they will be serious contenders in the near future is not in doubt.”
It’s also a bonus for his squad, since finances mean the Canadians won’t be able to play in any preseason tournaments abroad, which they’ve done in recent years.
“Budget cuts have curtailed our plans,” he admitted. The men’s squad lost its Own the Podium funding earlier this year; that’s close to a million dollars. (The woman’s program remain fully funded by OTP.) “We had no plans to go anywhere as we have no money to do that, so this is a great opportunity for us.”
But his team’s second half performance on the series, which included a cup title at the Singapore Sevens, their first ever tournament championship, pulled them into eight spot at the end of the season. That’s their second-best-ever finish.
“It’s a wonderful recognition of the players’ efforts last year that they have earned the right to be there as one of the top 8 teams in the world,” he said. “I hope Rugby Canada seize the possible commercial advantages of connecting with Chinese Rugby.”
Under Armour bonus
The first week of August, McGrath and his squad are heading to Portland, Oregon, to visit Under Armour’s new facility. The apparel company are a Rugby Canada sponsor.
The team will do some testing at the facility, a 70,000-square-foot building that used to be a YMCA. There’s an outdoor field as well.
“The UA link up with be really interesting for us,” he said. “Plus we are having a day with the Seahawks on the way down.”
McGrath visited with the Seahawks earlier this year to learn about their coaching approach and the skill sets required to play NFL football.
Exciting news! They're obviously focusing on 7s now, knowing that a women's medal in the abbreviated code would be their most realistic short-term goal, but this will raise the profile of the sport in China and have inevitable spin-off for the orthodox version of the game.
If they're good enough to play at World Cups, why not in between?
The Eagles have earned an invitation to the "Champion of Champions" tournament in Shanghai this October. The tournament will feature the top eight teams from the most recent World Sevens Series season. A fifth place finish means the Eagles will be at the tournament along with South Africa, England, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Scotland, and Canada. Mike Friday confirmed the U.S. participation.http://www.thisisamericanrugby.com/2017 ... l?spref=fb
If they're good enough to play at World Cups, why not in between?
Good news with Japan hosting the World Cup in 2019 (we can almost say next year! Super Rugby might have been a better option though, with the Australians - and Japan themselves - in a more suitable time zone. Anyway, if this helps the sport gave awareness in the world's most populous nation, that's a very exciting development indeed.
If they're good enough to play at World Cups, why not in between?
The mayor of Invercargill's sister city Suqian wants it to be the best in China for rugby and has contracted a Southland rugby coach to make it happen.
Former Stags player Kaleni Taetuli has spent the past six months in Suqian, helping to develop the sport of rugby, while coaching the one local team for a tournament.
On Christmas Day, he returned to New Zealand for two weeks to visit family and get married to his now-wife Sophie in Blenheim.
Rugby as a sport was still in its infancy in the Chinese province of Jiangsu, Taetuli said
In Suqian, where Taetuli is based, there are 5.3 million people and, of that, only 15 girls played rugby, he said.
Taetuli is helping to coach an under-15 women's team for a seven-a-side tournament in the province to take place later this year.
Out of the 13 cities in the province, only three have teams that play rugby, he said.
"We've got one team in our city, the other two cities have got two teams."
The biggest barrier for developing the sport in China was convincing parents to let their children play the sport, Taetuli said.
Parents did not want their children to get involved in sport because they worry it will distract from their academic studies, he said.
As for the team Taetuli is coaching, he is confident they can win the tournament.
They have already played both the intermediate and high school team from one of the other cities and won comfortably, he said.
Taetuli is contracted to work until July, and has been asked to stay on for another four years but has said he wants to take it a year at a time.
The mayor of Suqian has told Taetuli he wants the city to be No 1 in China when it comes to rugby, Taetuli said.
His family will come over and join him for six weeks, starting in March, to see what life is like and if they are prepared to make the move, he said.
For Taetuli, though, it is one step at a time, and the first is to make sure the girls do well at the tournament, he said.
Here comes the Chinese. We can see already how serious they have gotten about 7s since it was added to the Olympics program. Both their men's and women's teams are able to compete with the best in Asia now. Of course, the abbreviated version probably suits their lighter physiques more, so the real challenge will be ensuring the continued development of the XVs program. Nonetheless, this is very exciting news from the world's most populous nation 
