The 'Taipei Baboons' is a Rugby Union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 team based in Taipei

Taipei

Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...

, Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

. The team has established itself as a rugby force on both Formosa and internationally, competing in tournaments around southeast Asia. The Taipei Baboons were established in the early 1990's by expat workers from Toulouse in France. Games were infrequently played and the emphasis was mainly on the social aspects being involved with team-sports. Since those humble beginnings, the original pioneers of the Baboons have moved on and a new succession of expats from many other countries have continued the task of keeping the club alive. The club participates in Rugby Fifteens as part of the local Taipei Club Competition. The Taipei Baboons hosts a variety of visiting clubs and frequently tours the Asia-Region to compete in regional competitions. Rugby Tens

Rugby tens

Rugby tens, also known as ten-a-side and Xs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of ten players, typically five forwards and five backs. Matches are much shorter, often of two ten-minute halves...

 and Rugby Sevens

Rugby sevens

Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...

suit the hot climates of the regional competitions such as in Manila, Philippines and Kowloon, Hong Kong.