How the herd came to be…..
It all started when…
The Pot Bellied Pigs were formed in 1997 when a number of large social rugby players based in Hong Kong decided to go on tour to Manila. In our inaugural game, against the Manila Nomads, The Pot Bellied Pigs, living up to their name, fielded a team which included 14 recognised front-row forwards.
Since inception, The Pot Bellied Pigs have gone from strength to strength and a formal club structure was established in 2001. The Pot Bellied Pigs are predominantly a touring team (the real Asian Barbarians?), which draws on like-minded rugby players from clubs all over Asia and beyond who adhere to the true amateur spirit of the game of rugby union.
As a touring team The Pot Bellied Pigs go on a number of tours each year. Some of these are to attend 10-a-side tournaments around Asia, whilst others comprise a long weekend with a 15-a-side game. Having participated in the Hat Yai Sevens in Thailand many years ago, we now resolutely refuse any invitation to play rugby sevens – it is just not suited to our skills and experience!
Tour locations have included Macau, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia (Bali and Jakarta), The Philippines, Myanmar and even Mongolia. We were the first international touring team to play a game of rugby in Iryan Jaya (now called Papua) in Indonesia.
The Pot Bellied Pigs are tournament favourites throughout Asia, resplendent in our touring kit, which is different for every tour but is generally a combination of the club colours of shocking pink, lime green, lemon yellow and electric blue.
In fact, our kit is so popular and universally liked that one our playing shirts from the 2003 “SARS Tour” to Phuket proudly hangs in the Rugby Union Museum in Twickenham, England.
We are a purely invitational team but, unlike the Barbarians, you do not need to wait for your invitation letter – just invite yourself! Over the years a number of international players have invited themselves to play for us. These include Jeff Probyn, Eric Rush, John Bentley, Doddie Weir and Serge Betsen, as well as number of Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore internationalists.
The Pot Bellied Pigs are not just about rugby. Through our charity golf and rugby tournaments in Clark in the Philippines, which have been held annually since 2004, we have raised significant funds for the development of youth rugby and projects involving disadvantaged children in the Philippines, as well as for the Philippine Rugby Union Development Fund. We also sponsor children’s education in Thailand and, in the past, have made donations for the development of the game of rugby in several other countries around Asia.
We also provide financial support to the Laos Rugby Federation to help promote the ChildFund Pass It Back initiative in the Paek District of Xieng Khouang Province. This initiative includes delivering a rugby and life skills curriculum to young people in what is one of the poorest countries in Asia.
We have recently teamed up with the Atlas Foundation and are looking to co-fund (with the Atlas Foundation) other initiatives across Asia to support the development of rugby and disadvantaged communities.
We could not have participated in all these charitable causes without the help of our members, corporate members and other supporters who have generously donated their time and money over the years.
core aims
To promote the game of Rugby Union across Asia
Support the under privileged in Asia
Current CORE Projects
Funding rugby development in the Philippines through the PRFU
Supporting the Pass It Back initiative in Cambodia, Loas & Vietnam
Funding & attending a number of RSL Medical Missions in the Philippines
Providing additional funding to the Clark Jets RFC development initiatives