An unusual menagerie descends on Yunnan Agriculture University this Saturday, November 24 to take part in the fifth annual Spring City Rugby Tournament. Games are scheduled to be held from 10am until 4pm at Yunnan Agricultural University, as seven teams will compete in a total of ten games.

The strange collection of beasts includes the Aardvarks of Beijing, baiji from Wuhan, the Chengdu Pandas and, of course, the Flying Tigers from Kunming. Shanghai and Shenzhen are also represented with 'barbarian' women's teams — barbarian being a rugby term for teams composed of mixed players from different locales.

The Kunming Flying Tigers started their 2018 season in September with a recruitment drive that produced our highest ever number of new players ever. This Saturday's tournament is the culmination of months of training and will mark the first competitive match against other clubs for many of the newcomers making up the men's side.

The Flying Tigers women's team have already added a successful trip to Xiamen to their resumé earlier this month. There, they convincingly beat east coast rivals Fuzhou and Xiamen. Kunming's women and men — who will be bolstered by some of the club's long-time veterans — have a good chance of winning the round-robin competition and reclaiming the commemorative Spring City bong trophy this year.

Kunming have pulled out all the stops for this tournament, with players' tents and drinks kindly donated by club sponsors Swire Coca Cola Yunnan. They have also funded first aid training for eight Tigers team members, as well as donated medical supplies for the day, just in case! Longstanding club sponsors, O'Reilly's Irish Pubs, will have draft beers on sale for supporters and players who escape the prying eyes of their coaches.

Fellow Kunming sports club, the Hash House Harriers, have included Saturday's rugby tournament as a stop on their Saturday run and we very much welcome their support. We'd love as many Kunmingers as possible to come down and watch!

If you've never seen a game of rugby before, this is the perfect occasion to see and support your Flying Tiger men and women. We are both Kunming-born and from all around the world. But when we take the pitch it's all about Spring City pride . Each game is 24 minutes of action-packed competition, so get ready for an exciting day! It's 100 percent free, it's outdoors and that glorious Kunming sun should be shining bright.

All are also welcome to attend the after party at O'Reilly's Irish Pub on Dongfeng Dong Lu — next to the Kunming Hotel. If you want to join, don't forget: Fancy dress and costumes are the order of the day on China rugby tours. Beijing had to post their costumes to Kunming in advance, so we're expecting something elaborate from the Aardvarks. Come out and join us for the games and the afterparty! Thanks Kunming!

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