Jacob Salonga
Rugby 7s
“My first match was against Hong Kong, which is interesting because I was born and raised in Hong Kong. But I represented the Philippines where my roots are from.”
Jacob Salonga is a Rugby 7s player from Hong Kong who has represented the Philippines internationally. Salonga now has aspirations of playing for his country at the next Olympic games.
When asked why he chose to study for his Master’s at the University of Northampton:
“Northampton offers me greater opportunities on course for placement.
“The main reason that got me into Northampton was the Elite Athlete Scholarship programme,” he said.
Salonga is doing a Master’s in Physiotherapy, but he is currently playing for the University Rugby Union team alongside his course. The sports are similar in some ways but do have some differences.
During the interview, Salonga explained how he found rugby:
“The first sport I played was table tennis, then basketball before finally picking up rugby in secondary school. But for three years in school, I only played 7s before being introduced to Rugby Union when I was 18.”
