A new publicationLaunching 15 May 2026
Slow, honest writing about the people, clubs, schools and weekends that keep our game alive — written from inside the community, never from outside it.
Editor's note
Hong Kong rugby is small, loud, and largely held up by people who don't get paid to do it. There is a lot worth celebrating here, and a few things worth fixing.
The Tryline is for both. Slow, accurate, written by someone in the community — not commenting on it from a studio. Brutal honesty without the sneer. Volunteers and parent coaches are off-limits; institutions are not.
— The Editor · Hong Kong, April 2026
First published pieceThe Mini Rugby Parents' Guide
Read first
Don't Be That Parent · v2
Fifteen archetypes. One volunteer wheel. The 19 clubs, what they cost, and the truth about U7–U8 being two-hand touch — not tag. Funny on purpose. Generous to volunteers. Ruthless about the bits we keep getting wrong.
The CharterOur constitution
The Tryline exists to be the positive, constructive voice of rugby in Hong Kong. Not boosterish. Not cynical. We celebrate what's good, explain what's complicated, and propose fixes for what isn't working — with evidence, not vibes.
Controversy without constructive purpose is not our business. The rule of three is how we keep ourselves honest.
Something worth celebrating that would otherwise go unnoticed. The mini rugby kid in Tin Shui Wai as readily as the Hong Kong China cap at Kai Tak.
Something about the game, the community, or the ecosystem that helps a reader understand it better. Bilingually, where it matters.
Pair a clearly-described problem with a clearly-proposed solution. Problem · Evidence · Cost · Proposal — every time, or it doesn't run.
Before we publish anything that names a person, the editor asks one question: if this person read this over my shoulder right now, would I stand by every line in front of them? If the answer isn't an unhesitating yes, the piece is revised or shelved. Read the full charter on launch →
VoiceHow we write
Think: a chartered accountant who loves rugby, writing to other people who love rugby, who have day jobs, who want the story and the fix — not the lecture.
01
We write from inside the community, in first person where it's natural. We don't report on Hong Kong rugby from a press box — we're already in the stand.
02
Name the club, the tournament, the app, the number. Cite sources inline. Vividness comes from the named thing — not from reaching for "incredible".
03
The shape of every critical piece. If we can't complete all four, we keep reporting — or we leave it alone. No fix, no critique.
04
Celebration and critique in the same piece, without whiplash. Pure celebration becomes PR. Pure critique becomes cynical. Both together is The Tryline.
05
Conflicts disclosed in-line, briefly, in passing. Hong Kong rugby is small — every story touches someone. We say so.
06
Kai Tak. Tin Shui Wai. The HKCR app. We name local places, clubs and people without over-explaining. We trust the reader.
Subscribe — free, weekly
We don't do hot takes, breaking-news pings, or push notifications. One email, every Friday, with the week's piece — sometimes English, sometimes Cantonese, sometimes both.
No spam, no resale, one-click unsubscribe. We'll only ever email you about The Tryline. AI tools assist drafting; every piece is edited by a human before it goes out.