TUNG CHUNG RESIDENT SABAY LYNAM HAS HER EYES ON COMPETING AT
THE RUGBY WORLD CUP NEXT YEAR – BETWEEN CLASSES. ELIZABETH KERR REPORTS
“Yeah, cats are tricky, especially when they’re not used to a lot of movement around them,” says 20-year-old Sabay Lynam, via Google from the clubhouse in her apartment complex in Tung Chung. Sabay is currently a University of Queensland student, studying veterinary technology, and my initial hope was that she’d share some tips for holding a kooky cat still enough to dose with spot-on flea treatment.
“We’ve only just started learning about all the different parasites, so I don’t think I can be much help,” she says with a smile. “Just keep up the sneaky tactics. That should work.” The chat eventually turns to toothless pets, or ones with rotten teeth, like her dog’s. “He yawns and you can smell it from at least five feet away,” she says with a laugh.
To hear Sabay tell stories about vet tech, which will qualify her to work with animals in nursing, anaesthesiology, radiology and the like, you’d never know she has – at the time of writing – two monumental matches coming up, playing Japan and Kazakhstan in the Asia Rugby Women’s Championship (ARC), which Hong Kong hosted in May. Sabay looks relaxed in her sport-grey hoodie, and in truth she could just as easily be on the verge of diving into a textbook (she actually plans to do that later).
The ARC game is indeed on her mind, but she gives off a low-key optimistic confidence that never teeters into arrogance. Ask how the team is shaping up and she’s quick with a reply. “Good. We’re a tight-knit bunch. I think we’re all very close and because Hong Kong is so small, we all know each other even though we may not necessarily play on the same team in the Premiership level. That’s something that’s so good about playing for Hong Kong; you kind of know everybody. When you come off the pitch everybody’s good friends and it’s nice.” Sabay plays rugby sevens and fifteens (“which is a totally different game”) at club level for Kowloon (Premiership Competition) and national level for Hong Kong, China, and she’s been active on the pitch since she was in elementary school.
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Born in Australia, Sabay relocated to Hong Kong with her parents when she was four, when they took jobs with Chinese charity International China Concern. The family, which also counts two sisters and a brother, settled down in Yuen Long because of its proximity to the border. About six years ago, they moved to Tung Chung when the kids started school at YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College.
“I think after the first year of my parents living in Tung Chung, they just loved it,” she says. “They clicked with everybody and they made really good relationships and just cemented themselves here.” For the record, Sabay’s dad is singer-songwriter Glen Alfred, who featured in Life on Lantau back in April, 2019, when he was preparing to tour Europe, the UK and US promoting his first self-titled EP.
Sabay refers to her family as “sporty”, and she credits her parents for bringing rugby into her life. They signed all three kids up early as a way to keep active and have fun. It was a good way to connect with other children – and other adults – too. Her siblings got into the game, but initially Sabay was resistant.
“The first year my mum asked me I was like, ‘Nope’, because I was quite a shy kid. But then after I saw my little sister playing, I decided to try, and I ended up really enjoying it. My parents would never have forced me to continue if I didn’t like it.”
Sabay played rugby well enough that at 17 she caught the attention of coaches working with the women’s squad for the Hong Kong, China team. “They said come join us, do a couple of training sessions, and I just went through the system and eventually got selected.”
So what is it that appeals to Sabay about rugby? That answer clangs with how chill she appears. “I like the aggression of the game,” she begins with a smirk. “I played a lot of netball when I was younger, and obviously that’s a non-contact sport, so it’s quite a contrast between the two. I like the collisions and it’s just so much fun. Watching rugby for the first time it looks weird, like all these people running around carrying an egg-shaped ball. But a lot of tactics goes into it and I enjoy that side.”
“People are definitely paying more attention to women’s sport and appreciating the time and effort that goes into it, and there’s a real focus on developing women’s talent”
EYES ON THE PRIZE
Reading this article, you’ll know how Sabay did in those monumental matches back in May – whether the Hong Kong, China national women’s squad beat Japan and Kazakhstan at the ARC to earn themselves a trip to England for the 2025 Rugby World Cup (RWC). Or if qualifying games are ongoing. “Winning a spot would be a huge deal. It’s definitely our goal,” Sabay says.
Competing in the RWC is a biggie for many reasons. Officially ungendered since 2021, organised rugby is another premier sports league finally clueing into – and respecting – women’s athletics. Rightly so, at a time when the American NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament found a superstar in Caitlin Clark, and whose record-breaking championship run sent television viewership soaring. Clark’s performance increased attention on the WNBA, too often an NBA punchline.
“I saw something about her, about a kid at a school shooting something into a rubbish bin and saying ‘Caitlin Clark’ instead of one of the famous NBA players like people usually do,” agrees Sabay.
“When I was growing up, I didn’t realise there was such a large distinction between men’s and women’s sport,” she continues. “It wasn’t until probably high school that I thought, ‘Oh, wow, people don’t really watch a lot of women’s sport.’ I have a coach in Australia who’s very adamant about women’s sport, and he’s always advocating and reposting things about Australian rugby. I think the Australian Rugby Union is infamous for not having the same standards between the Wallaroos and the Wallabies, the men’s team.”
Sabay credits the Rugby Union for making efforts to improve pay and facilities for women players, and it pleases her to no end that several of the women on the Hong Kong team actually make a living playing rugby and get to train at a top-flight facility. Times are changing.
“I don’t think sport is gender-equal yet, but it’s definitely getting better,” she says. “People are definitely paying more attention to women’s sport and appreciating the time and effort that goes into it, and there’s a real focus on developing women’s talent.”
Before she changes the world or pulls a foal out of a mare, Sabay will continue to be busy on and off pitch, balancing her studies with her rugby commitments. Right now, the plan is to return to Hong Kong after finishing her degree, and yes, she’s going to play as long as she can. Things can change, but that’s the idea.
“I feel like I’m still learning so much. But when I’m done playing, I would definitely still want to be involved in the game,” she finishes. “I could maybe coach a local team. Just to stay involved.”