British rule in Burma
During British rule in Burma (1824-1948), rugby was played by British colonists and soldiers in Burma. In the early 20th century, Kwasi Kwarteng notes that the Gymkhana Club played rugby against the military garrison, "their only opponents". The "Myanmar Times" notes that Herbert Thirkell White (lieutenant governor of Burma 1905-1910) had stated: “To think of hot-headed Burmans engaged in the rough-and-tumble of Rugby excites lurid imaginings.”