Jonah Lomu

New Zealand rugby legends Jonah Lomu and John Kirwan were the star attractions as this year's HSBC ARFU (Asian Rugby Football Union) Rugby Coaching Tour kicked off in Happy Valley on Wednesday, 23 March 2011, with a coaching clinic for youngsters from the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children (HKSPC) and the Qingdao Sharks Rugby Football Club from China.

The 15-stop Coaching Tour will engage thousands of children in Asia and introduce them to rugby, while HSBC will provide coach education, kit and equipment to ensure a sustainable legacy is left within each community.

Lomu was a popular figure upon his return to the SAR, where the giant winger burst onto the international stage in the 1994 Hong Kong Sevens before establishing himself as rugby's biggest superstar with 37 tries in 63 tests, including 15 in two Rugby World Cups, a record that still stands today.

"It has been an amazing day and very rewarding. The HSBC ARFU Rugby Coaching Tour is a great initiative and I'm honoured to be part of this year's launch," said 35-year-old Lomu, HSBC's special guest for the day.

"The kids seemed to really enjoy themselves and the bank clearly does great work. Rugby is a fantastic way of introducing many important values and life skills such as team work, healthy living and communication, so it is a really positive thing that they have embraced rugby so quickly."

Kirwan, an HSBC Rugby Ambassador, will take an active role in this year's HSBC ARFU Rugby Coaching Tour alongside former Scotland coach Frank Hadden. Kirwan will also be bidding to lead Japan to a fourth successive HSBC Asian 5 Nations title, a campaign that starts with an away match against Hong Kong next month.

"In initiating this year's Coaching Tour, HSBC and ARFU are taking another important stride in growing the game throughout the region. As a coach and as an ambassador for HSBC and for the game, I am passionate about the development of rugby at all levels. This Coaching Tour, which starts at the grassroots of the game and will also involve working with some of the divisional Asian 5 Nations teams as we move throughout the region, is a fantastic example of this in action and I'm delighted to be involved," Kirwan said.