He may not have been the biggest player on the rugby pitch at Shanghai's Yuanshen Stadium, but Rowan Varty probably had the greatest influence on the men's event.

The Hong Kong skipper was all over the field, laying tackles, passing and scoring tries as he led his team to the Cup final at the HSBC Shanghai Sevens tournament under sunny skies and before an appreciative crowd on Sunday.

Ultimately, the team lost to South Korea, 22-17 in sudden-death extra-time, but Varty still sees his team's performance as another step in the right direction for the sport in the region.

"I think Hong Kong rugby is progressing faster than anywhere else in the world," the solidly built 25-year-old said.

"We have a real professional setup. The coaching staff are all professionals and have worked in a tier-one environment for most of their careers. We also get really looked after and the local community and the expat community are really into rugby now - for about the past five years - so hopefully we can follow the likes of Japan in the 15s (the long form of the game).

"The core group of guys on this team have been around for a while now, so we have a solid base for the future," Varty said.

The immediate rugby future of the HK skipper is somewhat murky as he is about the start a career in law and abandon his one-year professional playing stint in Japan.

"He wants to concentrate on his professional career now," said his England-born father, Paul, while watching his daughter, Lindsay, also compete for the region in the women's section.

"He has been playing rugby since he was about 10 and it's been pretty much just that and study since."

Of course, like almost every sportsman or sportswoman involved in an Olympic sport, Varty has a Games dream it's just that his may not be realized until 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

"We certainly want to be there, but we have to compete in more IRB (International Rugby Board) sevens events to get valuable experience. I feel confident we can do it (qualify) and go there with a team like Japan because the game in the region is pretty solid now."

China Daily

(China Daily 09/04/2011 page8)