Rugby Union in the Philippines

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Eight teams vie in Rugby Festival - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Eight teams vie in Rugby Festival

Cebu Daily News
First Posted 11:02:00 04/24/2009

Filed Under: Rugby League
EIGHT TEAMS will be competing in the Cebu 10s International Rugby Festival slated tomorrow at the Aboitiz Sports Field beside Makro.

Two of the teams will be flying over from Hong Kong—the Tyloon Pigs and URFC H5N1’s. Four will be coming from Manila—Nomads, Nomads Carabaos, Alabang Eagles and Barbarians. The remaining two teams are coming from Cebu—the Cebu Dragons and Cebu Low Flying Dragons.

“One of the reason why we are having this tournament is because we want to generate interest in the sport of rugby here in Cebu,” tournament committee secretary Damien Allison said.

The one-day tournament is organized by the Cebu City Rugby Club and was made possible by platinum sponsors ML Kwarta Padala and Overgaard Ltd. Gold sponsors are the Gustavian Restaurant and the out of Africa restaurant

Proceeds from the tournament will benefit Operation Restore Hope. /Correspondent Iste Leopoldo

Name of event: Cebu 10’s Rugby Festival
Date: April 25th, 2009
Time: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Location: Aboitiz Sports Field, next to Macro, North Reclamation Area
FREE ENTRANCE

For more information:

Rugby Union in Cebu: Cebu Dragons Rugby Club

Philippines Rugby Union: Home | Philippine Rugby Football Union
Friendster - Philippine Rugby Union

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A good explanation of the Rugby Union game:

In Full Contact | The Freeman >> The Freeman Sections >> Cebu Lifestyle

In Full Contact

By Jen F. Vega Updated April 25, 2009 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - Contact sports give me the chills; cause my hands and feet to sweat even though I’m just a mere spectator on the bench, wishing nothing surprisingly upsetting happens in the next few gaming minutes. Oh well, a contact sport is not for the faint-hearted and weaklings, but if you belong to the hyperactive category who exude a beastly demeanor in the playing field, then you should be where the action is.

Rugby is a new outdoor contact sport being played here in Cebu since expats Dave Smith and Damien Allison brought it here in 2005. Of course, some Cebuanos were at their portals waiting to get into the action while others can’t simply take off their fear of getting tackled, like me, but are willing to take it easy and slowly; and still others are perhaps best labeled as fans and are contented to cheer at the sides. When the Philippine Rugby Football Union was founded in 1999, it was only then that the Filipinos got abreast with the sport. At present, there are more than five clubs under PRFU and one of which is the Cebu City Rugby Football Club.

I found myself at The Sandtrap game field along Maria Luisa Road, Banilad, one Sunday afternoon to get acquainted with the sport. Seated on the grass in one corner, I watched the Black Dragons, the all-Filipino team, have some real practice in preparation for today’s competition dubbed as Cebu 10’s International Rugby Festival at the Aboitiz Field, where they get in full contact with the international players and some of the best players in the country. As the game progressed, the adrenaline rush increased, giving no room for traumatophobia (fear of injury) to creep in. The goal is to try to get the ball by passing, carrying and kicking the ball into the end zone while the other team tries to stop the ball-carrier using whatever means possible. There was also a group of ladies and kids playing Touch Rugby in the opposite side of the field which I later found out is a skill game minus the “tackle.” The ladies were members of the CCRFC giving a crash course on the sport to the kids of Operation Restore Hope, an organization that helps kids with cleft lips, the beneficiary of the event.

The CCRFC has three teams namely the Black Dragons, an all-Filipino team; the Low Flying Dragons composed of expatriates, and the Ladies’ Touch. According to Black Dragons team captain Noel Flowers of the SEAGames National Team, for one to be good in this sport “you have to practice and train with everything. The good thing about Rugby is whatever your body type, there’s usually a position for you. You just need a little bit of hand-eye coordination. Athletic helps but it’s not necessary; it’s more of understanding the game. The more you watch the better you become.”

The general idea: There are some rules regarding what you can do. In general, you can only pass the rugby ball backwards. If you want to move the ball forward, you either have to run with the ball or kick it but the opponents who are chasing the ball have to come from behind you. “If you’re not scared of full contact and you can run a little bit and catch the ball, then you can play rugby and the rules just come when you learn how to play,” enthused Flowers. The team players suggest that if you are interested to pursue Rugby, start playing Touch to be well-versed with the fundamentals.
I was amazed seeing the ladies played “contact” with the men, thinking how delicate women are.

Flowers emphasized that there is no rule against women playing in a men’s league but men can’t play in a women’s league. In that case, women can be tackled but they can wear protection if they opt to. The team is currently training four ladies to play contact. Isn’t that neat? CCRFC’s Ladies’ Touch team recently won bronze in the Girl’s Manila Touch Tourney , the first major Touch tournament in the country.

Taboo: “The main restriction is because there are no helmets and pads, you’re not allowed to tackle above the neck,” underscores Flowers. Safety is vital. Any tackles above the neck and in the head is dangerous. Players only tackle the ball-carrier.

There are different kinds of rugby that are played. The rugby that is played international level and that you see on TV is the international competition, the 15-a side game, meaning 15 people on each side play for over two forty-minute halves, that is a little shorter than a soccer game. On Saturday, the team is set to play a 10-a side game where there’s a little bit more running in a 10 on 10 yards field for 90 minutes. The 7-a side rugby is what they’re planning to put into the Olympics, SEAGames, ASEAN Games. The 7-a side is for specialists since it requires a lot of running because of the less number of players. Here’s the catch: Just like the soccer game, once you’re being substituted, you can’t go back in the game anymore so better work on your stamina to stay longer in the field.

Lester Loma, the youngest player of Black Dragons at 17, shares he started his obsession with the sport when he was only 14. After rigid trainings in Touch Rugby he eventually got into Contact. Later on, he earned a spot in the touring squad and on that same year, he was selected to be part of the National Team for the under 20’s category along with Jong Chu and Ted Velez. “Di man hadlok ang Contact. This is my ideal sport that I consider a man’s sport for real. Murag sakit tan-awon pag once naa ka sa game, di na gyud na ingon sakit plus the adrenaline rush pa gyud. As long as kahibawo na jud ka unsaon, okey na gyud kaayo. Kung mahadlok ka, mas mainjured pa jud ka,” said Loma. After conversing with Lester, I got more convinced to give Rugby a try...one step at a time.

“One thing that I really love about the sport is more on the camaraderie than anything else. The idea of the game is when you’re out there in the field, in full contact rugby, part of the idea is to hurt your opponent. But after the game is done, there are no hard feelings. I really maintain good friendships with them. I’d like to quote Joe Theismann the NFL Quarterback, that sums up rugby perfectly: ‘I love rugby. They go out on the field with no pads, no helmet. They try to kill each other and then all go and have a beer after’,” concluded Flowers whose love for the game keeps on growing since he started at the age of 10.

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International Rugby Board - Philippines and Guam reach Asian final

Philippines and Guam reach Asian final

(IRB.COM) Wednesday 1 July 2009

Philippines 15-0 Iran

Top seeds Philippines survived a scare from a physical Iranian team to advance to Saturday’s final against Guam. The match offered a distinct rugby contrast of brawn versus brains as the massive Iranian team’s lack of top-flight match experience showed against the small but canny Philippines.

Kicking in the first half was inaccurate from both sides as the Philippine Volcanoes missed four attempts and Iran missed two - a poor 40 minutes which also produced no try-scoring chances. After the interval, the Volcanoes applied genuine pressure and some nice support play led to centre Matt Saunders crossing for the first of two tries on the day.

The score remained at 5-0 until the 73rd minute, before the Philippine fitness and match experience provided a crucial edge and lock forward Rafael Zappia slotted his first penalty attempt in the 73rd minute, followed by an easy try in the 78th minute through Saunders. Zappia converted to make the final score 15-0 and send the Philippines into Saturday’s final at 15.00.

The final also represents a tantalizing re-match for the Philippines and Guam, the two finalists in last year’s Guam Regional Tournament won by the Philippines 20-8.

These two teams are familiar foes and regularly contest the Magellan Cup, named after the Spanish explorer who first touched ground in the Pacific Ocean in Guam before meeting an untimely end on the Philippine island of Cebu where he was killed by warrior chieftain Lapu Lapu.

Indonesia and Iran will kick off at 13.00 for third place and both matches will be played at the Nomads Sporting Club in Manila, home of the renowned Manila 10s.

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International Rugby Board - Philippines win Asian 5 Nations promotion

Philippines win Asian 5 Nations promotion

(IRB.COM) Saturday 4 July 2009

Tournament hosts Philippine Volcanoes overcame Guam 25-0 to complete a clean sweep in the HSBC Asian Five Nations Division 3 and ensure promotion to Division 2 in 2010.

In the other match on the final day, fourth seeds Iran upset the formbook to overcome third seeds Indonesia with a rousing 48-13 victory at the Nomads Sporting Club in Manila.

Inspired by the surprising boot of lock forward Rafael Zappia, the Philippines scored 22 second half points, aided by some mistakes from Guam that led to three players being sin-binned, and as a result the visitors played swathes of the match a man down.

The first half was a tense affair with neither side able to establish dominance, the Philippines more dangerous led by captain Michael Letts but only three points came from the boot of Zappia in the 15th minute.

Yellow cards for Guam in the 39th and 45th minutes gave the Philippines the opening it was seeking and led to Guam conceding eight points - a try to number 8 Fred Morris and a penalty to Zappia - for an 11-point lead. In the 68th minute Zappia finished a fine team effort to touch down for a try that he successfully converted to bring his personal tally to 13 points on the day.

A third and final yellow card to Guam prop forward Matthew Toves led to another score for Rupert Zappia and, showing that kicking skills clearly run in the family, he Zappia converted his try from a tight angle to bring the final score to 25-0.

The win hands the Philippines the Magellan Cup and also sees them advance to next year’s HSBC Asian Five Nations Division II Tournament against the likes of Thailand (the relegated Division I contender), China and India.

RP Volcanoes blank Guam, gain Division II - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

RP Volcanoes blank Guam, gain Division II

By Cedelf P. Tupas
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:07:00 07/05/2009
MANILA, Philippines—Mission accomplished.

The Philippines banked on another strong finish to whitewash Guam , 25-0, Saturday and rule the Asian Five Nations Division III rugby tournament at the Nomads field in Parañaque City.

The Volcanoes scored all but three of their points in the second half as they clinched promotion to Division II, where they will be pitted against Thailand, China and India in June next year.

Rafael Zappia, a Filipino-Australian based in Sydney, accounted for 13 points, scoring one try and two field goals to fire up the Volcanoes, who won both their games via shutouts, including an 18-0 blanking of Iran.

Rafael’s younger brother, Rupert, also sparkled off the bench as he iced the win with another try and a two-point field goal two minutes from time.

“This win puts us in the map in international rugby,” said Volcanoes coach Matt Cullen.
The Volcanoes dominated the first half for long spells but only scored through Zappiah’s 35-meter field goal in the 15th minute.

But chinks in the Guamanians’ armor began to show early in the second half and the Volcanoes were quick to pounce on the opportunities.

A defensive offside handed Zappiah an easy penalty conversion from 10 meters in the 55th minute to double the lead, five minutes before the Volcanoes scored their first try by simply overpowering the Guamanians on a 16-man scrum, leaving Freddie Morris with the easiest of touches to score.

“We regrouped at halftime and put more pressure on them (Guamanians),” said Cullen, who has a squad with an average age of 22.

“We knew it was going to open up in the second half and our fitness level showed,” said RP skipper Michael Letts, a marauding fullback who was instrumental in the Volcanoes’ two tries.

Earlier, Iran overwhelmed Indonesia 48-6, in the third place game of the event backed by HSBC, Guinness, Philippine Sports Commission, Kukri, Gilbert, Overgaard, HMR, Jobiane, Genri, Seapac, Hardy’s Coke, Maxwear, Department of Tourism, Focused Business Solutions, RJH Consultancy, Brisbane Technologies and Murphy’s Bar.

RP reigns in Asian 5-nation rugby | The Philippine Star >> News >> Sports

RP reigns in Asian 5-nation rugby
By Joey Villar Updated July 05, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines overpowered a listless Guam side, 25-0, yesterday to reign supreme in the Asian Five Nations Division III Tournament at the Nomads field in Parañaque City.
The Volcanoes delivered all but three of their points in the second half as they topped the event paving the way for their promotion to Division II where they play Thailand, China and India in June next year.

Sydney-based Fil-Australian brothers Rafael and Rupert Zappia shone for the Volcanoes.
“This win puts us in the international rugby map,” said Volcanoes coach Matt Cullen. “We want to compete with the best in Asia and we want to make the Philippines proud of its rugby team.”

The Volcanoes took control from the start, breaking through on Zappiah’s 35-meter field goal in the 15th minute.

Then weaknesses by the Guamanians were unmasked in the second half with the Volcanoes capitalizing on golden opportunities.

“We regrouped at halftime and put more pressure on them (Guamanians),” said Cullen.

“We knew it’s going to open up in the second half,” said RP skipper Michael Letts, a marauding fullback who was instrumental in the Volcanoes’ two tries.

Earlier, Iran overwhelmed Indonesia 48-6, for a third-place finish in the event sponsored by HSBC, Guinness, Philippine Sports Commission, Kukri, Gilbert, Overgaard, HMR, Jobiane, Genri, Seapac, Hardy’s Coke, Maxwear, Department of Tourism, Focused Business Solutions, RJH Consultancy, Brisbane Technologies and Murphy’s Bar and Restaurant.