Juggling an international rugby career with a law traineeship is no mean feat. But, as Elizabeth Broomhall discovers, Rowan Varty is bringing the fight on and off the pitch

Trainee lawyer Rowan Varty had a starring role at last month's Hong Kong Sevens tournament. But as the captain of the Hong Kong team and a player for the region's national squad, it was his rugby skills rather than his legal ability that had fans cheering.

Despite spending the day in the office and evenings on the pitch, Varty is rather modest about his sporting achievements. In fact, he spends a lot of his time making up for them, conscious of gaining the respect of his peers and colleagues through hard work and fair treatment.

"The firm [Tanner De Witt] lets me do everything I need to, and they are very lenient if I need to leave work [on time] to go to training. But it's one thing for the partners and bosses to say that's fine and another for everyone else to be on board. Luckily, they are really good about it. I just bring loads of chocolates when I come back [from a tour], which seems to do the trick."

Born in London, Varty grew up in Hong Kong with his English father and Portuguese mother, going to the local Sevens tournament every year. He was aged nine when he joined amateur club Kai Tak Tigers (now DeA Tigers, which he still plays for) and just 17 when he joined the Sevens team, playing alongside men twice his age.

This year was his eighth time playing at the Hong Kong Sevens event, and his second year as the team's captain.

After completing his A-levels, Varty decided to follow his family into law and is hoping to specialise in employment once he finishes his training contract: "When I left school, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I had managed to get decent grades at A-level, so I thought I should try and use them. My mum's side of the family are in law: my mum is a barrister, and my uncles are solicitors and barristers, so it was a natural path for me to go down."

But after completing his law degree at the University of Nottingham in the UK and the postgraduate certificate in laws conversion course at the University of Hong Kong, Varty didn't move into law straight away. Instead, he played rugby in the UK and then Japan full-time, developing his skills and mixing with other professional players. 

It wasn't until he arrived back in his home town two years later that he finally got the opportunity to do both.

"When I came back from Japan, the partners at Tanner De Witt, who had been following my career, asked me where I was and what I was thinking. At the time, I was a bit disillusioned with rugby – playing full-time it had been a bit full-on – and suddenly there was a chance to do my two full years as a trainee here, at a time when I had nothing else planned. 

"Completely coincidentally, the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union also offered me a two-year deal at the same time to go part-time as a player. So the two things tied in perfectly."

Not so perfect, however, is the challenge of juggling the mental and physical demands of being both a full-time lawyer and professional sportsman. While tours and tournaments take up all of Varty's annual leave and more, regular training makes it difficult for him to have a social life.

Typical demands include one tournament every two months, with training four evenings and two mornings per week. Occasionally, he also has to train on Saturdays.

"If we have a tournament, it will be on a weekend. But given the build-up to it, we usually leave on a Wednesday and get back on a Monday or Tuesday afterwards, so you need a week off just for a weekend tournament. 

"I used my annual leave to start with, but now they let me off for rugby things. It means I'll have to do a bit longer for my training contract, but it's worth it.

"What really takes the effort is the training in the morning before and after work, and working in between. Those are the hard days. At least twice a week, I have what I call a 'double training day'. Get up at 6.45am to go to training; go from training to work; work hard all day; rush out of the door to go to training again; rush home from training to get some dinner and go to bed; and then wake up in time to go back to work.  

"Sometimes on a Friday, I leave the office and just collapse in a heap. But at the same time, I get a huge sense of achievement out of doing it all. It can be seriously taxing at times, but on Saturday mornings when I wake up, it all feels like a good thing."

Last month was a particularly gruelling one for Varty (pictured), it being the month of the famous Hong Kong Sevens tournament. The games, which are held at Hong Kong Stadium and attended by 40,000 fans each year, are considered the premium event of the IRB Sevens World series, and involve three days of partying for much of Hong Kong's local community. 

"In the run-up there is obviously a lot of physical preparation – we're always in the gym and we're always training. In the actual Sevens week, there's not much more you can do physically – it's more mental preparation. 

"Some of the boys try to work during the week and play at the weekend, but it's almost impossible. If you're worried about filing something in time and getting work done, then a couple of days later when you're playing on the pitch you might still have those things on your mind. It's important to switch off." 

Varty adds that there is more pressure on the players at the Hong Kong event than during other tournaments because of the hype surrounding it: "Everyone watches literally every move you make. It's also the only time [my work colleagues] all watch me play. 

"My firm has a box at the Sevens, so on the Friday, they invite all the staff to come and watch. Last year they had a big 'Rowan' sign for me, which was nice."

But nonetheless, Varty says his best ever rugby moments were at the Sevens: "The best bit is the moment I run out to play in the Sevens. I know it's a generalisation, but it's so special.

"When you stand in the tunnel before you go out, it's quiet and it's just you and your team and the other team, and the whole crowd is focused on the game that's currently playing, so they have no idea what's going on, that you're about to run out. 

"You go into the tunnel on the final whistle. Then the crowd goes fairly quiet. And then because [the person on the tannoy] has built it up as a Hong Kong game, the crowd goes absolutely crazy, and it is like nothing you've ever experienced before.

"The team runs out and we get into a little huddle, and if you look around, every single guy has got goosebumps. You look up into the sky and see all these people – it's like a coliseum." 

In light of his commitment to the game, it comes as no surprise that Varty's dream is for the Hong Kong team to qualify as a new core squad in the 2013-14 Sevens season.

It would mean competing in all the tournaments around the world, playing full-time and – temporarily at least – taking some time out from law. Currently, Hong Kong is a non-World Series circuit team, meaning it only plays in selected events. 

"If we play well in London [for the London Sevens] and come in the top three, we will qualify for the whole Sevens series next year, which would mean we'd be full-time. It would be a big call leaving here and it's the same for the other guys in jobs.

"But realistically, it's something that most people wouldn't turn down. I'd finish my training contract for sure, as I've only got six months to go. But I haven't given it too much thought because we've got to qualify first."

He also has his sights set on playing in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, which will be the first time the seven-a-side sport has been played at the Games.

"With the Olympics, we would have to qualify for that too, but that's a realistic prospect. If we do the same as what we've done this year [ie win the Asian Sevens Series], we'll be going." 

Luckily for Varty, his family and firm are very supportive. Like him, they appreciate the importance of the work ethic required to work in law, but believe in keeping up the things you enjoy. 

"In Hong Kong, a lot of local Chinese people have the attitude that you should focus on your studies and you can't do these extra-curricular things. Obviously you have to work hard at school, but having the connections through rugby and learning the things I've learnt through the sport has helped me in life as well.

"So my advice [to young people] would be to play rugby if you like it. Don't hold back because you're worried."