Barbarians Honour Hong Kong Sevens Captain

April 24th 2013   The once-in-a-lifetime Barbarians v British & Irish Lions match in Hong Kong on June 1st has added another must-see ingredient with the news that the legendary Barbarians FC have invited Rowan Varty to don their famous black-and-white shirt against the Lions. Rowan Varty, captain and main strike force of the Hong Kong Sevens team, will fly to London next month to join forces with a star-studded Barbarians' squad ahead of the first match of their rugby tour against England at Twickenham. There he will find himself training alongside global names like Italy's Sergio Parisse and Martin Castrogiovanni, All Blacks' fly-half Nick Evans, France No 8 Imanol Harinordoquy, and Springbok Jaque Fourie. Barbarians' manager Derek Quinnell said, “Over the years, players from more than 30 different rugby nations have represented the Barbarians, and now Rowan Varty will be the first Hong Kong national to do so.” Quinnell - a three-time British and Irish Lion himself and the man who gave the scoring pass to Gareth Edwards in the immortalised try when the Baa-Baas beat the All Blacks - is no stranger to rugby in Hong Kong having played here with Wales in 1975. He added, “We have been very impressed with Rowan's contribution to the game in Hong Kong and have no hesitation in inviting him to be part of our squad. It will be a great experience for him and his impressive pace on the wing will be a bonus for us.”

The Barbarians are set to announce their full squad on May 2nd. They will play the England match just 24 hours before touching down in Hong Kong on May 27th.

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