Chinese kids getting in touch with rugby

The introduction of a less physical version of rugby is boosting the game's appeal among Chinese youngsters.

While the traditional format features heavy tackling among teams of 15 players, touch rugby, in which players defend by tagging an opponent's body instead of tackling, is catching on with entry-level juniors.

"I knew nothing about the sport nor ever saw an oval ball before I was picked to the varsity team by my coach four years ago," Gao Yongzong, a sixth-grader from Qingdao Liuting Primary School said on the sideline at the recent Beijing International Touch Tournament at China Agricultural University.