​MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Manila Nomads are back on form as they push Eagles RFC all the way during Round 2 of the domestic league.
 
After a heavy defeat to the Eagles in round 1, Manila Nomads came back with something to prove. Both sides came out blasting out of the blocks but it was Nomads who maintained most of the possession early on. As the Nomads went to release the backs in the opposition’s 22 meter zone, the Eagles’ centres intercepted a poor pass by Nomads and linked up to score the first try after being chased down by the Nomads’ scramble defence for almost 80 meters.
 
The Nomads continued to maintain the majority of possession in the opponent’s 22 meter. Ill-discipline from the Eagles led to numerous penalties given to the Nomads who opted to continue use their strength, the scrum. After repeated infringements at the scrum by the Eagles, match official, Jovan Masalunga, felt he had no other choice but to award the Nomads with a penalty try. Late in the first half, another penalty was awarded to Nomads, this time in front of the goal posts. Philippine Volcano, Robert Amalay Jones, with a successful shot at goal brought his Manila side into the lead 7-10. But Jones’ opposite number, Jackson Pato, a Philippine Volcano under the residency rule, responded with a try which was then converted. Eagles regained the lead, 14-10 at the stroke of half time.
 
Early in the second half, Richard Apurel of the Eagles, repeated his actions from the first half and scoring a try and extending the lead to 19-10. Pato was unable to convert the try. Minutes later Eagles were reduced to 14 men as they lost their fly half, Pato, as he was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle. The Nomads capitalised on this, scoring a try five minutes later from catching the ball at the lineout and driving the maul over the goal line. Jones’ conversion attempt was unsuccessful and the Nomads still trailed 19-15. Numerous scoring opportunities were missed by both teams throughout the remainder of the game and the Eagles were able to hold off the Nomads until the end.
 
In the women’s division, the Makati Chiefs, Santos Knight Frank Mavericks and Eagles RFC joined forces to form two fair teams and play an exhibition game comprised of three periods of 20 minutes. This close fought game featured some of the Lady Volcanoes including Rassiel Sales and Madille Salinas, both who were amongst the try scorers.
 
Round three of the 2018 SPI 15s Rugby Championship takes place this Saturday 17th March from 12.30pm at Southern Plains, Canlubang. Having both lost to Championship leaders, Subic Shark Jets, Albay Bulkans and Manila Carabaos face off as they look to advance up the table standings. Philippine Volcano, Evan Spargo returns from injury for the Makati Chiefs this week as they look for their first win this season. Spargo and the Chiefs will have to stop Santos Knight Frank Mavericks’ own Philippine Volcano, Lito Ramirez, who has been in great form and helping the Mavericks secure two wins from two.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES –  Tribalism at its best, two of the most established Rugby clubs in the Philippines went head-to-head in Round 1 of the SPI 15s Premiership, with one team showcasing their status to be recognised.

The Eagles RFC, formerly the Alabang Eagles, proved too strong for the fighting Manila Nomads in the first round of the series, however the men from Manila, showed signs of strength, and will be looking for redemption in Round 2 of the Premiership.

The Nomads, current 2017 premiers fell heavily during round one of the 2018 season to their rivals, Eagles RFC.  The Eagles have stamped their mark early, showing they are out to regain the domestic crown, beating the Nomads comfortably 51-8.

“Round two this weekend will be interesting, the Nomads deep down know they have a stronger team than usual, with some new faces in their squad, it may take a game or two before they hit their strides, it’s always a fierce battle. The teams respect each other, however on the field, it’s all about club culture and tribalism” Jovan Masalunga from Philippine Rugby shared.

To open this weekend’s fixtures the U19s Colts Division will see the Santos Knight Frank (SKF) Mavericks and the Eagles RFC face off in another contestable series. The first round went down to the wire, with the Eagles coming out on top 20 points to 15. The division focuses on developing youth talent and preparing the players for their international matches against Hong Kong in August and the Asia Rugby Championships held later in December.

“Positive signs for youth Rugby in the Philippines, the more fixtures these players play in the domestic season, the better their improvement. It’s great to see the best youth players at this level play for their clubs, once they graduate here, they can look to move to the Men’s division” Jake Letts shared.
​
Round two of the 2018 SPI 15s Rugby Premiership kicks off this Saturday 10th March at 12.30pm at Southern Plains, Canlubang, Laguna. Philippine Rugby will feature a Juniors Touch Rugby Festival with a Super Hero theme day from 9:00am. Followed by an U19s match, a women’s exhibition match between the top women’s players in Luzon from the Makati Chiefs, the SKF Mavericks and the Eagles RFC, and lastly, the main game scheduled for 4:00pm with the Manila Nomads taking on the Eagles RFC in the Premiership. Entry is free. ​

Ada Milby, the first female to be appointed to the World Rugby Council, believes that having women in positions of authority in unions and regional associations are vital to inspire others to take that step in the future.

Only days after World Rugby announced sweeping reform of its Council in November with an ambition of one-third women’s representation from 2018, the first female member was appointed by Asia Rugby in Ada Milby.

Milby is a member of the Asia Rugby Executive Committee and Secretary General of the Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) and one of two women – the other being Dr Deb Robinson of New Zealand – so far announced to take one of the 17 additional places created on Council to be filled by women. 

While feeling “humbled and truly honoured to be the first” female appointed, Milby is looking forward to bringing to Council her experience as a current player, coach and administrator, including her role as the PRFU chair for grassroots and development. 

“I’m still in shock I think around the appointment,” admitted Milby, who captained the Philippines’ national women’s sevens and 15s teams having been introduced to the sport during her first year of university.

“Asia Rugby has been extremely supportive of gender inclusion and for them to appoint me so soon after the announcement of the governance reform really speaks well for Asia Rugby’s support for this change.

ROLE MODELS
“I’m humbled and truly honoured to be the first but very happy that I won’t be the last.

“The governance reform shows the commitment World Rugby has to gender inclusion. Instead of a gradual approach to the governance reform, they took a huge leap forward by creating a paradigm shift that exponentially accelerated the game. 

“I think it is imperative to have women in positions of authority in unions and regional associations because there is now substantial evidence to show that diverse teams are more productive and have better quality outputs than teams that lack diversity.

“It also sets an example within the union and association that there are pathways for women should they choose to transition to administration of the game after their playing years.

“Just as athletes need heroes they can look up to and relate with, so do those aspiring to do great things on the administration side. Simply by seeing and hearing from women that are in these roles creates the space for more women and girls to say ‘hey, I can do that too’.”

INSPIRING SYMPOSIUM 
That theme was very much in evidence last weekend when Milby helped lead the #PressforProgress International Women’s Day Sports Symposium in Makati City, the only officially recognised #IWD2018 event in the Philippines.

More than 70 participants from a number of sports, schools and universities took part in the Symposium (main picture), including mainly female athletes, coaches or those with a direct stake in women’s sports in the Philippines.

“We invited current athletes or those who have recently transitioned from life as an athlete to non-athlete to meet, share and collaborate on the challenges of being a female athlete in the Philippines and thinking about ways to tackle them,” explained Milby, who is one of seven inaugural World Rugby Leadership Development Scholarship recipients announced on International Women's Day.

“We also had notable Philippine athletes come and speak about their struggles as both an athlete and the transition to non-athlete life and how the skills like teamwork and time-management help them to succeed in their corporate life now.

“The participants were inspired, but more importantly they walked away with solutions they created which is ultimately more powerful than anything we could tell them.”

Source: World Rugby

​MANILA, PHILIPPINES: Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) and Girls Got Game PH (GGG), in partnership with Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Max’s Group, International Women’s Day, and Australian Embassy, organised #PressforProgress – International Women’s Day (IWD) Sports Symposium held last March 3 in Makati City for female athletes tackling challenges inside and out
of their sports environments.

Over 70 participants from National Sports Associations, schools, and different universities from across Luzon participated in the Symposium. The participants were primarily female athletes, coaches, and other players with a direct stake in women’s sports in the Philippines. During the Symposium, they participated in a workshop on
design thinking process that allowed the participants to share, collaborate, and discuss the various challenges in women’s sports in the Philippines, and create actions steps on how to address them. The workshop was run by a certified strength coach and former national athlete for football, Mrs. Monette Santos-Fider and her team.

Aside from the workshop, notable Filipina athletes such as Ms. Mikee Cojuanco-Jaworski (former national athlete for equestrian and current IOC representative), Ms. Francesca Altomonte (captain of RP Blu Girls softball), and Ms. Cassy Tioseco (former national athlete for basketball), shared their challenges and experiences as Filipino athletes in engaging and inspiring keynote speeches. Girls Got Game and the National Sports Agencies also set up booths to introduce their respective programs to the participants.

PRFU Secretary General, Ada Milby, stated that the reason behind the Symposium is to “create a starting point for young women to build a network of support that goes beyond our individual sports. If we want to press for progress we need to better understand the challenges of our athletes, especially those transitioning from athlete
life to non-athlete life, and work together to empower each other.” Clare Duffield, Counsellor from the Australian Embassy added “sport is an important tool to empower women and girls. Sports diplomacy programmes like this sports symposium help to create solidarity, and support the progression of women in sports, both on and off the field of play.” Australia supported the forum as part of its sports for development initiatives in the Philippines.

PRFU and GGG would like to thank POC, PSC, Max’s Group, IWD, the Australian Embassy, and the tireless volunteers for all their support to make this event happen. The real winners of the day were the participants who showed up and helped #PressforProgress for their own sporting communities, and for all current and future Filipina athletes.