James Farndon Appointed HKRU General Manager of Performance Rugby

In the latest change at the Hong Kong Rugby Union, James Farndon has been appointed HKRU General Manager of Performance Rugby it has been confirmed.

Farndon is another member of the reshuffled HKRU personnel with English Rugby connections – following Simon Armor taking up the interim coaching position for the men’s 2021 Asia Rugby Championship.

Who is James Farndon?

According to the press release from HKRU, Farndon is presently Senior Performance Advisor for UK Sport, (the government agency established to support Great Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic sporting programmes) but will arrive in Hong Kong in August 2021 to start his new role.

Farndon said from the United Kingdom, “I am hugely excited about helping to lead the strategic direction of
performance rugby for the HKRU.”

Farndon has 15 years of high-performance programme management. Previously, he served as Performance Operations Manager for the English Institute of Sport and Education and Development Manager, Performance Sport, for Loughborough University.

Photo Credit: HKRU and RFU- James Farndon has been appointed HKRU General Manager of Performance Rugby

Farndon began his career as a Physical Education teacher and has previously completed a short commission in the British Army, serving to the rank of Captain in the Parachute Regiment prior to undertaking his career in High-Performance Sport.

James Farndon has also held roles with England’s Rugby Football Union where he served as Rugby Development Officer, Coach Educator and a National Trainer. He is an RFU level four certified coach and coached the England Students squad for six years.

At club level, Farndon built his coaching experience at Newbury Blues, Dings Crusaders, and Loughborough Students RFC.

He added: “I have enjoyed working full-time in rugby, and have also worked in support of a number of different high-performance sports and believe this multi-faceted experience will be very useful.

I’m excited to return to Rugby Union because it is my sport and I love the game. Whilst at UK Sport I continued to coach representative sevens and the Penguins in my own time, which has been really important to me.

Robbie McRobbie, Chief Executive of the HKRU said of the appointment “Amongst the dozens of high calibre candidates applying, James stood out for the breadth and depth of his experience, and his expertise at implementing performance sport structures at the highest level.”

Asia Rugby Championship 2021

With a new head coach, Simon Armor, leading the men’s national HK team to the Asia Rugby Championships in 2021, he will work closely with Farndon to prepare the squad. Farndon knows Amor from his experiences working with Senior England and Home Nations Sevens Squads.

“The Asia Rugby Championship is obviously a priority and something we need to address relatively quickly. Given the recent transition in the HKRU, it will be important to meet the clubs and other key stakeholders and to start building those relationships so we can achieve what we all want to achieve for the game and the community,” said Farndon.

Hong Kong Rugby Development

Farndon was also quick to point out that he was excited to work at all levels with HKRU.

“The men’s XV is hugely important, but there are a broad spectrum of programmes I’m excited to work with: women’s rugby, which has great growth opportunities; the sevens programmes whom I wish all the best for the Olympic Qualification tournaments later this month; the U20s and age-grade rugby as well as building the pathways of the future,” said the new HKRU General Manager of Performance Rugby.

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