Victoria Asian Rugby And Why Tiffany Leung Has Started The Club in Australia

We found out more about Victoria Asian Rugby (VAR), which was founded in September 2025 by Tiffany Leung, a player with Gai Wu in Hong Kong, as a means to create an inclusive rugby club in Melbourne, Australia, and encourage more Asian participation in the sport.

Since forming, VAR now has 100 members in the club, and Tiffany, who has played for 8 years with the Premiership club in Hong Kong, is on a mission after benefiting so much herself from playing the sport and from its community. 

“I started playing rugby around eight years ago. Growing up, I was often bullied and felt ashamed about my boy shape, because I was pretty big among my friends. I genuinely believed that there was no sport for me until I saw some of my high school seniors start playing rugby.

I followed them and discovered that rugby is actually a sport where strength is valued, and body size is not judged. It was the first time I truly felt comfortable and powerful in my own body. And since then, I have been addicted to this sport.”

It’s a common and unfortunate theme we have heard and seen from female players in particular, but it can also be under the microscope in Asian culture. Tiffany has found it’s an issue that transcends borders.

“At the beginning, I thought the body image or size differences issues were stronger in the Asian community. But after I talked to my teammates, even in Melbourne, and with girls from different parts of the world about this problem, I realised it’s the same in different cultures. But it is a woman’s problem.”

Tiffany Leung playing at her Hong Kong club Gai Wu

What Made Her Love Rugby – Gai Wu Rugby Club

“I’m still playing with the same women’s premiership club in Hong Kong where I started. Gai Wu is the first all Asian rugby club in Hong Kong. They have taught me that size doesn’t matter in a game; we can always win as a team. 

Gai Wu also means the lowest winning hand in Mahjong, so it symbolises that we can always win as a team without the physical advantage. The lesson really is that rugby is a game for all, where size doesn’t matter. My experience with rugby is real life-changing; it taught me critical life skills, like discipline, integrity, teamwork, and resilience.

I was really self-conscious and didn’t have much confidence, but after playing rugby, it really helped me to build my confidence and resilience. So that’s why I keep playing and want to grow the game.”

It is the perfect advertisement for rugby. We know governing bodies and the clubs love to speak about those values, but she is walking the walk and talking the talk in terms of the benefits.

Tiffany Leung at Gai Wu Rugby Club in Hong Kong

She has big aspirations, too. She was selected to train with the Hong Kong China Women’s XV national squad in preparation for the Asia Rugby Championship and was on the verge of earning her first cap before an injury cruelly ended that dream. For now.

Tiffany said, “I’m still hoping to earn my cap for the National Hong Kong China Women’s 15 this year. So I will be travelling back and forth between Melbourne and Hong Kong, trying to chase after the rugby season and see how far I can go this year.”

Why a New Club – Victoria Asian Rugby

Tiffany explained that when she picked up the serious ACL injury with the HKCR camp, she would have a full year break and recovery.

“I decided to move to a whole new city, Melbourne, and was hoping to see how rugby was in Australia. After a while, I decided to start my own club, Victoria Asian Rugby,  because I wanted to bring the same spirit that Gai Wu has taught me in Melbourne. I was appointed to be the chair of Women’s Rugby for Melbourne Harlequins rugby for next season, which is very exciting.”

People reading this might be asking why there was a need for another club, and whether Victoria Asian Rugby is inclusive.

“When I first talked to people in Melbourne, the first reaction was that there won’t be much opportunity, because people are more into the Australian Rules Football (AFL) or Rugby League.

But I see the opportunity here. That’s why I  started right away, because I think I can help Melbourne or Victoria attract more people to play rugby. The Asian community in Melbourne or in Australia is actually untouched, so they are not exposed to much rugby. That’s where I saw the opportunity, and I saw the gap. There were not many playing opportunities for Asians, even though people want to start playing rugby, or they want to know more about rugby.

But we are an Asian inclusive club, and a place for all people to start playing rugby or continue playing rugby.”

The club has been playing regular touch rugby, and they entered a Men’s 7s team into a tournament in 2025, but Tiffany has bigger plans for 2026.

“Some members have played rugby back home. We have players from Southeast Asia who have some experience in Sevens or 15s. We found that after they moved to Melbourne, they couldn’t really find a suitable club to play again. But they would love to compete again.”

Of the new players who have joined, Tiffany explained, “For those new to the sport, they initially thought that rugby was purely physical. And then after they tried touch rugby, tag rugby, and slowly, a little bit more contact drills, they discovered the diversity the games offer, and how they can actually fit in the game with any body size.

There was another girl who told me she used to view herself as physically fragile. But after she joined us, she really felt a change. Not only in her physical self, but also in her mental resilience. So that’s why, when I tell the team, ‘next season we’re going to play in a proper contact game and league’, people actually loved it, and they want to take on this challenge.”

Current members come from Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong as well. 

Local Support in Melbourne

Tiffany has found that the support of a local club, university and the governing body has been important.

Harlequin Rugby Club Melbourne is the base for VAR. “They have a really nice facility in Melbourne East, where they have a couple of fields, a pretty nice clubhouse and gym facility. All of our members can train with them at their ground, use their facility, and use their coaches 

It really helped me a lot with the logistics, the equipment and also the admin work. I really appreciate them as a partner.”

She added that the governing body in Melbourne has also supported her by providing a coach and equipment for her to run the non-contact section.

“I also want to give a shout out to Monash Uni, because at the beginning I was looking for grounds and they offered me to use their grounds.”

Future Goals – Victoria Asian Rugby

So, where would she like to see the Victoria Asian Rugby club in 5 years from now?

“I think my biggest goal is to retain existing players, to recruit more players and introduce them to the sport. My ultimate goal is to build an academy for Asian-Australian rugby. I really want Asians to start playing rugby at an earlier age, too.”

With Australia hosting the Men’s and Women’s Rugby World Cups in 2027 and 2029, the sport will be in the spotlight, and you would think Rugby Australia would jump into such initiatives as a legacy project.

So what’s the message Tiffany would send to any interested players?

“My message is pretty simple; if I can do it, then anyone can do it. Don’t think rugby is very intimidating. It really is a life-changing sport. Whether you think you’re small, big, fast or slow, there will always be a place for you to play in rugby. 

And don’t be mistaken that we are trying to build an Asian exclusive club in Melbourne. I am trying to build an Asian inclusive club, so anyone who is keen to start rugby and play rugby, they’re welcome to join us.”

Victoria Asian Rugby Club – What to Know

• Training: Every Tuesday & Thursday – 6:46pm Melbourne Time 
• Location: Harlequin Rugby Club Melbourne (27 Power Avenue, Ashwood VIC 3147)
• Upcoming Competitions: Men’s Under 85kg division, February – March; Senior Men’s and Women’s: March – July 

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