In 1975, what’s probably thought of as the world’s premier Rugby Sevens Tournament – the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens running March 27th – 29th – began (like all good things) with a chat in a pub!  Or if you prefer, pre-luncheon drinks at the venerable old Hong Kong Club.  Less than a year later, clubs from Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Japan, Sri Lanka, Fiji and Malaysia played out the first Hong Kong Sevens Tournament.

The event grew throughout the 70′s and 80′s and by the early 90′s, demand for tickets was greater than the capacity of the stadium, so it was re-built in 1994 as the 40,000-seat Hong Kong Stadium.  Sevens rugby is fast and furious but also plays an important role in developing good players. Jonah Lomu, Christian Cullen, George Gregan to name but a few first demonstrated their speed and agility in the Hong Kong Sevens, and the IRB, recognising the value of the game of Sevens, launched its inaugural World Sevens Series in 2000 to allow more players to benefit from Sevens competitions.
Some of the world’s top teams now participate in tournaments in Dubai, South Africa, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and Asia but it’s the Hong Kong Sevens Tournament that is the IRB’s “Jewel in the Crown”.

The travel world has expressed concerns about the tie-up between Costa Cruises and the Irish Low Cost Carrier everyone loves to hate -  Ryanair.  The three-year deal will see the Italian cruise line featured exclusively on the airline’s website and more than 50 Ryanair routes connecting to Costa departure points.

The industry appears to be questioning how the deal will impact Costa’s reputation, with some tour agents asking why anyone would want to team up with Ryanair, given the LCC’s reputation for quality and reliability.  The effect of Ryanair flights being cancelled or delayed, as frequently happens, is not an issue when you just end up getting to your hotel a couple of hours late.  But it’s no use getting to the port a couple of hours after the cruise ship has sailed!  Ryanair’s strict baggage allowance and excess luggage charges may also have an impact on cruise passengers who may begin to realise just how difficult it is to “pack light” for a cruise.

Although November signals the departure date for migrating herds in the Massai Mara,  game viewing is still good thanks to the fact that the rains due in  December  weren’t that great, bringing  on a dry spell that meant most of the animals stayed in the park.   Large herds of zebra and wildebeest came back to the northern part of the park.  Other migratory plains animals can still be seen in smaller but stable herds.  Those large herds in the north are now heading back to the Loita Plains where the wildebeest normally calve in February, but in the Samburu game reserve there were reports of good sightings of general game including zebra and giraffe as well as large herds of elephant.    Cheetahs in the Mara have been seen regularly since the beginning of the year, while the lion prides are still largely intact and active because their food is still available in their territories. The prides in the Mara normally split up when food gets scarce, usually from March, until the arrival of the first migrating herds.