Rugby union in Myanmar

Rugby was established in modern Burma in 2013, with the establishment of the Yangon Dragons club. The club was founded by Dave Smith, who had similarly popularized rugby in the Philippines with the Cebu Dragons club.^[1]

Colonial history

During British rule in Burma (1824-1948), rugby was played by British colonists and soldiers in Burma. In the early 20th century, Kwasi Kwarteng notes that the Gymkhana Club played rugby against the military garrison, "their only opponents".^[2] The Myanmar Times notes that Herbert Thirkell White (lieutenant governor of Burma 1905-1910) had stated: “To think of hot-headed Burmans engaged in the rough-and-tumble of Rugby excites lurid imaginings.”^[3]

References

1. Slow, Oliver (24 January 2013). "Rugby Club Coming to Myanmar". Myanmar Business Today.
2. Kwasi Kwarteng (15 August 2011). Ghosts of Empire: Britain's Legacies in the Modern World. A&C Black. pp. 190–. ISBN 978-0-7475-9941-8.
3. Roebuck, Matt (24 March 2014). "A Whole New Ball Game". Myanmar Times.