32 YEARS OF SCAA FIRST PACIFIC CAUSEWAY BAY RFC: THE MAKING OF AN AMBITIOUS “PINK ARMY”

An interview with Bella Mo Tsz Ching, Manager of Women’s Section of SCAA CWB Phoenix

07日 10月 2020


What’s the story behind the SCAA CWB Phoenix logo?

The original club crest was based on an image of a ‘ferocious ram’. At the time of the Club’s establishment, the Club could only field one team, which played under the name “Causeway Bay Rams”.

The Club’s crest was changed in the mid-90’s to coincide with the establishment of a second team, the “Pirates”, following which the Club became officially known as Causeway Bay R.F.C., and the “Rams” became the name of the First XV.


To mark this development, the Club changed its crest to the current monogram design, which intertwines the letters C, W and B, designed by one of the Club’s stalwarts, Rambo Leung.

Many people said rugby is a masculine sport and it is not suitable for women players. But CWB Phoenix breaks the gender stereotype to defend female's right to play and show the female's uniqueness. So we designed “Phoenix” to be our logo, Phoenix is a mythological bird that cyclically regenerates. No matter how tough it is in the game, we “Phoenix” are still determine to play well and do our best!


Can you give us a brief history of SCAA CWB?

Established in 1988 by a group of ambitious Chinese men, many of whom had returned from studying overseas, the Club was formed with the aim of fostering greater participation and enjoyment of Rugby among Hong Kong's local Chinese population.


Originally an all-Chinese team, the Club, which had begun life as the “Causeway Bay Rams'', started recruiting expatriate players in 1992 and made its debut in the Hong Kong Second Division in 1994. In 1995, the Club formed its second team, the “Pirates''.


In 1997, the Club reached another milestone when it established its flagship Ladies' team, the "Phoenix", sharing the same ambition to foster women rugby development in Hong Kong.


In recent years, the Club has also established further social and feeder teams, including the “Marines'' and “Contenders”, plus a second women’s team “Lammergeier” formed in 2006 (NL2).


The SCAA Causeway Bay Mini Clubs formed in October 2012. After a very successful inaugural season the Mini club was officially accepted into the HKMRFU in March 2013.


In the 2020/21 season, we will expand a new team (CWB Griffin) for the Women's NL1 championship.

                                                                                                                                                                        

What differentiates SCAA CWB from other rugby clubs in Hong Kong?

 

To date, Causeway Bay is still one of the largest, and most culturally-diverse clubs in Hong Kong. It prides itself on its community spirit and on offering a gateway for the grassroots of society to enjoy the beautiful game of Rugby.

 


'Pink Army'

Despite the popularity of the Club's previous colours, the teams' kit regularly clashed with those of other local clubs, leading, on a number of occasions, to the Club's teams having to turn their jerseys inside out, or having to borrow spare kit from the Hong Kong Rugby Union. As such, before the 2011/2012 season kicked off, the executive decided to adopt pink as the Club's new colours, both to make their kit stand out and to avoid further clashes. Whilst most members initially found it difficult to adjust to the new colours, the pink kits have become increasingly popular and since achieved iconic status – many now refer to the Club and its members as the 'Pink Army'.

 

 

What are SCAA CWB’s greatest achievements?

 

The men’s and women’s teams have won various league titles and Grand Championships, but to date, our Women’s team, the Phoenix, remains the most successful team in the Club.

 


2004 also proved to be one of the most crucial years in the Club's history, with Causeway Bay achieving promotion to the First Division (now the Premiership), the top of the Hong Kong domestic league system.

 

 


Can you introduce to us some key personnel of SCAA CWB over the decades?

Causeway Bay has nurtured and fielded a number of talented players over the past 25 years. It has contributed its fair share of players to the Hong Kong national setup, and its playing membership has boasted a number of overseas internationals:

- Rambo Leung Yung Kit (the first player of Chinese origin to play for the Hong Kong National 15’s Squad (1993), HKRU Hall of Fame.

- Kelvin Yip (Hong Kong National 15’s Pacific Rim Championships, Asian Games, Asian Championships and Rugby World Cup Qualifiers)

- Mark Loynd (Hong Kong National 15’s Asian Championships and Rugby World Cup Qualifiers)

- Peter Choy (England Students Rugby League representative team, Hong Kong National 7’s and XV's Squad).

- Hoty Chan (Hong Kong Women's National 7’s and 15’s & HKRU Hall of Fame)

- Cookie Tse (Hong Kong Women's National 7’s and 15’s & the first player in Phoenix)

- Sam Pinder (Northland’s NPC squad, New Zealand Under-19’s, Glasgow Warriors, Scotland National 15’s squad)

 

 

 

CWB is like a second home, our team members are like family. We share the same passion for rugby and support each other on and off pitch. We hope to pass on this passion to our next generations.

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