Rugby is a minority sport here in Guangzhou. However, the sport is open, warmly accepts and connects people and has the only multinational amateurs' sport club called, Guangzhou Rams Rugby Club, the name being taken from the cities nickname – "City of Rams".
Ten-year-old Institution
Each Wednesday evening scores of members train at Tiyu Dong Soccer Pitch in Tianhe CBD. Men and women, foreigners and Chinese, the strong and slim players yell, run and pass the ball around for fun in mixed teams. 【Video of training】
Beside the pitch, others watch, shout and wait for their rotation into play while some Chinese fledglings practice passing with the encouragement and guidance of James Chandler, part-time president of the club.
James is a short, stocky, veteran from UK and a full-time factory manager in Foshan, Guangdong. He is satisfied with the clubs' expansion since it was established by some Aussies who lived in Guangzhou and missed playing rugby a decade ago.
"There are about 60 to 65 registered members now. Some play contact and some play touch. The core members number 40 to 45." He said.
They train once a week, touch rugby on Tiyu Dong Pitch on Wednesday and contact rugby at the South China Agriculture University (SCAU), the cradle of rugby in Guangzhou, on Friday evenings.
They play matches about once a month with multinational teams from other cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The games help them to both develop their skills and make friends in China.
The club's strength is improving, with the help of some experienced players, though is up and down. Their young touch rugby team won a trophy in Hong Kong this year, according to John, British captain of the team.
The funds for the clubs' operation come from sponsorships and the voluntary help of some rugby lovers.
Outsiders get to know and join the club through individual introductions at pubs, word of mouth and the club's bilingual website.
Guangzhou Tv's "G4" report on the Rams [Video in Chinese].
After training session.
Girls hit harder and love blossoms 【Video of interviews】
James is proud of the "good mixture of men and ladies" in the club. A big achievement for him is "starting a women's (touch rugby) team and getting more ladies to involve."
There were few females when James participated in the club three year ago. Now the number of women has increased to about one third of the member's total, including many Chinese.
"Girls can get used to the game, which can appear harsh and dirty, through play; and men tend not to be so tough tackling with the women on the pitch, encouraging them to enjoy rugby", said Echo, a Chinese female member. She admires the player's bravery and spiritual strength in competition.
"The girls are not afraid on the pitch, and even hit harder than the men!" James laughed and looked cunningly at Vicky Wen, Chinese captain of the women's touch rugby team and club's secretary.
James said that, touch rugby involves limited body contact and is good for females. Most girls in the club play touch rugby.
Rugby is an open sport, with interesting cultural and gender interaction between men and women with the same hobby. Love also blossoms at the club! Echo got to know her better half Peter, the club's coach from UK, during a party after a rugby match. Her interest in rugby developed when she studied at SCAU.
Echo (left) and Peter happily demonstrate their medals after a competition.
Happy-together and rest after a training session.
A long way back for "family" anniversary celebration
Socializing is an important tradition in Rugby. The club is like a big diverse family.
"About 25% are Chinese and 75% are westerners from every continent, like the UN!" James said, British, Australians and New Zealanders being the majority. The oldest member is 45 years old.
Foreigners teach interested Chinese, skills, values and respect for this sport and help them adapt to the game and exchange cultures. Newcomers can have individual training sessions which include handling and passing the ball for weeks ahead of playing.
"The skills of the Chinese's are high, though their body shape is disadvantageous", coach Peter said.
After each training session all participators rest, talk and drink beer and other beverages for about an hour besides the pitch, like a household gathering.
Some Chinese members even get help from their teammates with job-hunting, when they graduate from university.
"The good thing is that different people from different professional backgrounds are like a big family!" stated Peter.
This personal connection reached a climax at the club's 10th anniversary months ago. 21 ex-members came "thousands of miles" from all five continents back to Guangzhou to celebrate, including three founding "grandfathers". They all had a wonderful time with present members.
"We are proud of that." James said.
Happy-together and rest after a training session.
Some of the club members pose for group picture.
Development and Chinese Focus
The club focuses its expansion and rugby promotion on local Chinese. They have sustained co-operation with SCAU for years, including coaching students and keep attracting students to join the club.
James thinks that, Chinese should be the main force for rugby and the club development here as foreigners come and go. He hopes more Chinese will get involved, especially in middle schools and universities. Touch rugby will be prioritized, which James thinks is most suitable for Chinese.
Nowadays more and more Chinese know the club from their friends and local media reports and join in for fun and relaxation from the stress of work, making friends and sharing cultures, including many white-collars who live or work nearby in Tianhe.
The club needs to "make more people aware of the game" and to find more sponsorship, James claimed.
James teaches two Chinese newcomers how to pass rugby.
James (right) and John talk in our interview.
Guangzhou, a "raw" city with opportunities
James, from Leicester, UK, has been in Guangdong for years. He "loves it here" and thinks "the people are different and the lifestyle is better (than his hometown)."
Guangzhou is a "friendly city to enjoy" for John, who has lived here for five years and works for Guangzhou TV now.
He thinks Guangzhou is "raw", with opportunities to make things happen, compared with Hong Kong, which is more established and international, or Shanghai, which is impersonal.
This "sportaholic" likes dragon boat racing and even founded a dragon boat team within the club.
Rugby, a "raw" sport here, is gradually finding its way into this growing oriental metropolis, with the help of western institutionalization, the involvement of a group of rugby lovers and the human appeal of the sport itself.
(By Ronald Li)
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