Peter Duncan Takes up New Rugby Role in Hong Kong

New Hong Kong Rugby Union president New Zealander Peter Duncan is “honoured” to be in the job after a 16-year hiatus.

Duncan was first involved with the union as Hong Kong’s coach in the 1970s and has served various other roles since, including two stints as chairman – first for a year in 1988 and then for four years from 1997.

He first moved to Hong Kong in 1973 after previously coming to the city on the way to Japan as a player with the New Zealand Universities side.

He says he is “honoured by the opportunity” to be president and is thrilled to be back involved.

“Rugby is in my blood,” he said.

Looking forward, Duncan has a clear view on what is needed to ensure continued off-field progress.

“I think it [the expansion of the union] has been pretty much linked to the success of the sevens, because the sevens has provided the wherewithal to get involved in other things,” he said. “We have to maintain the sevens at a certain level because that’s the lifeblood of maintaining the structure of the union as it is now.”

Just how to continue growing something that is already such a success is one of the challenges ahead for Duncan.

“I think it has got to continue to grow in that it maintains relevance and people still want to come.”

Original article by Sam Agars, South China Morning Post, November 11, 2016.

Photo by Xiaomei Chen.