Adrian Wadden, who played 14 times for the Toronto Arrows in his debut season, joins Sandy Bay under a new partnership between Hong Kong and Canadian rugby
Arrows general manager Mark Winokur described the partnership with HKRU as ‘a model for future collaboration’

Hong Kong rugby officials hope a new deal with their counterparts in Canada will lead to some of the city’s best young players gaining experience in Major League Rugby.
The partnership has already paid dividends for Sandy Bay, who have signed Adrian Wadden from Toronto Arrows for the new Dettol Men’s Premiership season.
Wadden, a second row, becomes the club’s 10th signing ahead of the new league campaign, which starts on October 1.

“The hope is that many more players will follow in Wadden’s footsteps going forward,” a Hong Kong Rugby Union spokesman said. “The Arrows compete in the North American Major League Rugby tournament whose dates are complementary with the Hong Kong Premiership, providing a great opportunity for an exchange programme in both directions.”

A Canada under-20 and A international, Wadden played 14 times for the Arrows in his debut season last year and will intern at an insurance company while in Hong Kong.
“Adrian is a good young prospect at a position of need for us, and we are excited to work with HKRU on a great development opportunity for both parties-ideally, a model for future collaboration,” Mark Winokur, the Arrows general manager, said.
Sandy Bay have not been shy in their recruitment over the past several months, and have brought in some serious talent in their bid to challenge the likes of Football Club and Valley at the top of the table.

Among the new arrivals are former South Africa sevens players Sbura Sithole, who has also played Super Rugby for Sharks and Southern Kings, while Frenchman Clément Gasca joins from Spanish side Ciencias Sevilla.

“We are delighted that Adrian will be joining us at HKU Sandy Bay, and we see great long term potential in this initiative,” Wilfred Lau, Sandy Bay’s senior chairman, said. “We have recruited strongly for the upcoming campaign, and Adrian will be a great addition in the engine room of our scrum.”

Robbie McRobbie, the HKRU chief executive, said the governing body hoped the partnership with the Arrows would help the two unions “build even closer ties”.
“This programme would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of the Canadian expatriate community here – we hope to see more companies come on board for future years,” he said.

[url=https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hong-kong-rugby-union/article/3190853/sandy-bay-lands-toronto-arrows-second-row-adrian]