London Scottish’s tour to Hong Kong was officially launched at the Hong Kong headquarters of main sponsors Deutsche Bank this morning.
CEO Kenny Baillie, Director of Rugby Simon Amor, Club Captain Lewis Calder, former Scotland and Glasgow Warriors player Graeme Morrison and Deutsche Bank Co-CEO of Asia Pacific and Member of the Group Executive Committee Alan Cloete were present as the tour was officially launched ahead of Thursday’s Deutsche Bank Lion Dragon Challenge Cup fixture against Hong Kong Football Club Rugby. Also present was Alistair MacLeod, Chief Operating Officer of Montrose Fine Wines. Montrose is a partner in Hong Kong for London Scottish sponsor FirstCape Wines.
Kenny Baillie: “We are thrilled to be once again partnering up with Deutsche Bank to take part in this prestigious tour. Not only is it an excellent opportunity for us to further strengthen our links with Hong Kong through our sister club Hong Kong Scottish, it will also prove to be a great experience for our players and our loyal fans travelling to support us.”
Simon Amor: “This tour represents a fantastic opportunity for our players to experience rugby in Hong Kong and will form a vital part of our pre-season preparations. It is an excellent chance for some of our new signings to get to know the rest of the squad and we’re looking forward to the challenge of facing Hong Kong Football Club Rugby.”
Aside from the game at 6pm on Thursday, members of the Scottish touring party are taking part in CSR activity throughout the week, working with the Changing Young Lives Foundation, the Sarah Roe Jockey Club and Enlighten to engage children in the Hong Kong community with rugby.
Graeme Morrison, who is supporting London Scottish on their tour this week, said: “It’s great to see London Scottish taking part in this fixture in Hong Kong as the city has such strong historical connections with Scotland and London. My family live in Hong Kong and I know this game has generated a lot of interest among the local rugby community, especially through London Scottish’s sister club Hong Kong Scottish. We’re all looking forward to a great game of rugby at Hong Kong Football Club on Thursday.”
Also present at the tour launch was a Rampant Lion trophy, which will be presented to the winning captain after the Deutsche Bank Lion Dragon Challenge Cup game on Thursday (KO 6pm local time, 11am GMT).
