When you think of rugby in the Asia-Pacific region, you think of Joe Rokocoko, Jonah Lomu or Brian Lima, right? Well, to those names you can soon add players such as Harry Morris and Austin Emil Dacanay.
Haven’t heard of them? But they are international rugby players, for the Philippine Volcanoes.
How about Chris O’Young and Rod Davies?
Both Super 15 players in Australia have Asia-Pacific heritage and are doing their bit to promote the sport in the minnow rugby nations.
Chris O’Young’s father was born in China and his mother is Australian. He has recently retired from rugby at the ripe old age of 29, after playing for the Western Force.
“I announced my retirement as I was ready to move into Corporate Finance which I had been studying while playing football,” said O’Young.
“Many people think I’m crazy leaving rugby but it felt right for me and you can’t argue with yourself when it feels right.”
O’Young has an economics degree from Sydney University and is completing an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management. He seems like an old school player from the pre-professional era, but perhaps he fits the bill of the modern professional - seeking excellence in multiple careers.
Minnow nations
Another thing that felt right for O’Young was to get involved with promoting the game in Asia and the Pacific. He became an active member of the Australasian Rugby Association which runs development programmes in minnow rugby nations such as the Philippines.
O’Young believes the game can really take off in Asia.
“The speed, skill, dedication and wit that are so inherent to Asian players will help turn more kids into professional players,” he said.
"Having played professional rugby for eight years I wanted to share my experience with other people of Asian background and show them that the game has so much to offer.”
Expo Mejia is currently the national coach of the Philippines Rugby Union. He also founded the Australasian Rugby Association. Mejia was born in the Philippines and grew up in Sydney.
“ARA aims to develop rugby in Asia using resources from developed nations such as Australia and New Zealand,” he said.
Having previously been coach education coordinator for the NSW Waratahs, Mejia knows the value of coaching coaches.
“We trained coaches in the Philippines on our last tour and they have gone back to their schools and clubs to promote rugby equipped with better knowledge,” he said.
Division winner
Philippines rugby received more attention recently when the national team, the Volcanoes, won the division two final of the Asian Five Nations tournament, beating hosts India 34-12, and elevating the team to division one.
Mejia said success was firstly to do with getting the team together.
“Most players are based overseas either in Australia, Europe or the US. Players contacted other players they knew and got them to trial for the program, so we were able to recruit a number of new forwards which strengthened the team,” he said.
“The boys were very proud to represent their country of origin and they worked hard during a week-long training session before the tournament.”
Mejia pointed out that it is hard to get high-level players to represent their country.
“To play Super 15 they have to be available for the Wallabies or All Blacks so they are often not thinking about playing for their country of origin,” he said.
“But when they find out they are surprised and want to get involved with the national team.”
Among fastest
Rod Davies has just re-signed for two more years with the Queensland Reds Super 15 side. Davies’ mother was born in the Philippines and his father is Australian.
Davies is one of the fastest players in the competition and is nicknamed "Rocket" after scoring five tries in eight games as the Reds finished fifth in the 2010 season, their best performance in recent years.
Davies and O’Young accompanied Mejia for a rugby development trip to the Philippines last year. They conducted coaching clinics at various schools in the days following the devastating floods of September 2009.
One of the places they visited was Bahay Bata Orphanage in Angeles City.
“The kids from the orphanage where given regular training from Matt Cullen and others from the Philippines Rugby Union,” said O’Young.
“They made up a team and had some amazingly talented players. It was great to see them enter into the local competition and blitz the opposition from schools and clubs all over the country.
“The skill some of these kids had was amazing considering the little training and exposure they had to the game. These kids were naturals.”
O’Young strongly feels it is his duty to get other budding rugby stars to share in what he enjoyed.
“I have been lucky enough to have played with and against the best players in the world,” he said.
Asian background
“I can now count great players like Scott Staniforth, David Pocock, Justin Harrison and Nathan Grey as friends. I hope I can help other players of similar Asian background to me experience the same travel, lifestyle, competition and enjoyment that I have been blessed with.”
Mejia is also looking further afield at other ‘seedbeds’ of rugby talent.
“We are currently negotiating with Indonesian Rugby (Rhinos) and we are looking at Chris O’Young visiting China,” he said.
The Shanghai Sevens Tournament and the Asian Games in November will be important for rugby development in China, where there is huge potential.”
O’Young is still keen to be involved, despite being based in Perth for work.
“With the promotion of national rugby sevens sides and Asian competitions at local through to national level growing, hopefully the balance of power will shift towards Asia, as the potential market is mind blowing,” he said.
As Mejia continues his worldwide search for rugby players with Asian heritage, he has also been searching for funds.
“ARA is a not-for-profit organisation,” he said. “So we are looking for funding as much as we can.”
“There is only a 5000-Pound yearly budget for the Philippines to run its programs. The International Rugby Board is helpful for contacts but there is little funding and few resources which makes it hard.”
“This is where ARA can help develop rugby in poorer countries, by using money from Australia and New Zealand to fund projects.”
There are other players such as Tim Bennetts who are participating in the programs. Bennetts is part of the NSW Waratahs Professional Academy, and his mother is from the Philippines as well.
Mejia is currently posted in New York, coaching the Lions rugby team, but will return to the Philippines to continue rugby development when the season finishes.
His hope is that ARA can also assist foreign rugby players in Australia and New Zealand, not so they can be tomorrow’s All Blacks or Wallabies, but to develop their talents and return home to become world-class Volcanoes, Rhinos and Cherry Blossoms instead.
Alex Perrottet
