​The Alabang Eagles RFC dominated last weekend's 2022 PRFU Luzon Rugby Cup 2nd Leg by winning 2 out of the 4 division titles of the festival day. Playing in their home turf - the Alabang Country Club, the Alabang Eagles RFC men's and women's Premiership divisions teams outplayed their opponents despite the challenging weather conditions all throughout the day. 

For the Women's Premiership Division, the Eagles RFC outclassed their opponent with a total of 28 points scored against nil in two games to be crowned back to back winners of this division. Thanks to the storming runs of Eagles RFC prop Luisa Jordan, the speedy Eagles RFC backs line were given opportunities to attack the space and score tries. First leg MVP, Agot Danton, had a perfect 4 of 4 conversion kicks in the two games. Jordan was later awarded the MVP of the division.

In the Men's Premiership Division, the Eagles RFC showed everyone that they are back by winning the much-coveted title. The men in white won 7 - 0 against leg 1 winners, the SKF Makati Mavericks. They followed it up with a fine performance against fierce rival, the Manila Nomads. The Eagles scored 4 unanswered tries leading to final score of 20 - 0. With the title on the line, the Eagles RFC men dug deep against a tough and gritty Clark Jets side and came away with a 21 to 14 win to seal the title. Versatile forward, Manny Olondriz, was awarded the MVP of the day. 

La Liga 1 once again proved that they are the top development team in the country by winning the Men's Championship Division title against their own clubmates, the La Liga 2. It was an all La Liga finals as both teams topped their respective pools. La Liga 1 had to power through against the speedy Subic Jets side and the spirited Manila Kalabaws side to reach the final stage of the competition. Ben Hagen was awarded MVP for the team composed of La Liga-scouted players, schoolboys, and Cararoo Foundation youth. 

After close to seven years with Philippine Rugby, senior Rugby Development Manager Acee San Juan has been promoted to one of two newly developed General Manager positions for the country’s national rugby association. Current CEO Jake Letts will move into a specialised management role solely focusing on national team programs and business development for Philippine Rugby and the Philippine Volcanoes.
 
“Moving forward, Acee and I will be focusing on key aspects on how the PRFU can operate efficiently and effectively, that way we can spend additional time on the areas where we both feel we can generate significant improvements. Acee has been tremendous for the union, a promotion for her into General Manager is a deserving pathway and I look forward to continuing to assist her as she paves the way forward for Philippine Rugby” shared Jake Letts.
 
San Juan will directly oversee and manage three critical areas for Philippine Rugby including Development, Competitions and Training & Education. Letts will continue to oversee investments into performance of the national programs as well generate partnerships and sponsorships to assist the Union to move forward in post-pandemic environment.
 
“I am extremely grateful to those before me for setting the foundation of the PRFU and ensuring processes are in place already. I am excited to continue working as we focus on our key areas to better achieve our strategic goals for the Union. The support I received from all my mentors, colleagues, and the rugby community have been helpful in my growth and I thank each one of them, I look forward to continuing to develop rugby further.” shared San Juan.
 
The sports association recently returned to their domestic competitions in April after a two year absence. San Juan will be managing another two rugby festivals this weekend in Alabang and Cebu City along with the executing remaining competitions scheduled which includes a number of sevens rugby festivals and youth competitions in 2022. 
 
On the international scene Letts will be focusing on putting together and preparing the national team programs for a busy end of year. Both the men’s and women’s national sevens teams will be competing in the Asian Sevens Series with the 15s programs aiming to also be played in December 2022.
 
PRFU President Ada Milby is confident in the new structure and what lies ahead for Philippine Rugby. “Coming out the other end of a challenging couple of years due to the pandemic created an opportunity for us to review our organisational structure and see how we can operate more effectively and efficiently. I'm thankful for all the work Jake and Acee put in to keep operations moving forward during a very difficult season. Creating these two management roles capitalises on Acee and Jake's strengths and puts the Union in a better position to future proof our strategic and operational goals”.
 
In addition to San Juan and Letts, Lorie Baclagon will lead the finance and administration requirements and the Board of Trustees will continue to advise on strategical and management direction for rugby across the Philippines.
​

The Philippine Rugby Football Union is proud to announce the launching of the 2022 PRFU Visayas Rugby Cup happening on Saturday, 28th of May, at the Cebu City Sports Complex. The island of Cebu is the first stop of the competition, which also aims to be played in the nearby island of Negros Occidental in the coming months. The Cebu leg will feature a total of 19 teams across five divisions, with the following divisions to be played:

u15s Touch Rugby (mixed)
u19s Touch Rugby (mixed)
u19s Boy's Rugby 7s
Women's Open Rugby 5s 
​Men's Open Rugby 7s

Fifteen teams will be playing in the juniors division, making it the biggest age group grassroots competition of PRFU in more than 2 years since the pandemic. The Men's and Women's Open divisions for full contact rugby will feature a mix of homegrown and foreign players on their first official full contact competition back. The 2022 PRFU Visayas Rugby Cup will adopt a festival day format, wherein there will be a champion in each division for this competition day. There are scheduled festivals from May until the end of the year.

"Nalipay ko karon na nabalik na ang Rugby kay maka estimate mi ug 150 participants para karon nga tournament, Pariha sauna na wala pa ang pandemic. Tanan manuwaay ug Rugby ani nga Tournament makaduwa, gikan sa bata, tiguwang, experiensyado ug dili kaayo experiensyado kay tanan division para tanan nga gusto mo apil ug duwa." Translation: "I am happy that Rugby is finally back. In this tournament, we are expecting around 150 participants, which is the same number as [our festivals] pre pandemic.  This tournament will have different divisions for all those wanting to play - from kids, adults, beginners, and experienced players.", shared Maggie Royo - Competitions Manager of the 2022 PRFU Visayas Rugby Cup.

The domestic competitions for Philippine Rugby are not only features for local teams to participate in. They will also act as scouting grounds for up and coming talents. This festival will also feature top match official, Madille Salinas, on her first festival back from her match officiating appointment in the Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy last month in Thailand.

"It is great to see that Visayas Rugby is officially returning to domestic competitions this weekend and youth rugby will be the main feature. Thanks to the hard work of our PRFU Development Officers in the Visayas, youth rugby in the island of Cebu continued to grow despite the challenges of the pandemic. The commitment to reengage these youth players has been inspirational. Thank you as well to the Cebu City Sports Commission for the support in making this happen. Their support made it easier for the PRFU to connect to the youth players, both through remote online activities and through face-to-face sessions.” shared Acee San Juan of Philippine Rugby.

The matches on Saturday will be played at Cebu City Sports Complex. Only Covid-19 fully vaccinated individuals and those who have completed their Health Declaration forms will be allowed to enter the venue. Gates will open at 12:00 pm for all local rugby supporters to join.  Entrance is free.

​*** 

The Santos Knight Frank Mavericks powered their way to two out of four division titles in last weekend's 2022 PRFU Luzon Rugby Cup 1st Leg. It was all red white as the Mavericks took out the Men's Premiership Division and Women's Championship Division, respectively.

For the Men's Premiership Division, the SKF Mavericks had an unblemished record of 3 wins, 1 draw, and no losses. They started the day with a draw and a win against 2019 titlists, Eagles RFC White and Eagles RFC Blue. They ran away 15 points to 0 over Manila Nomads. In an exciting display of rugby, the SKF Mavericks secured their title with a 19 to 10 win over the Clark Jets. SKF Mavericks flyhalf, Rand Santos, showcased his leadership, vision, and playmaking abilities, while prop Maui Reoperez powered his way throughout the games to lead their team to the Men's Premiership title. Both men were awarded as co-MVPs for the division.

In the newly created Women's Championship Division,  the SKF Mavericks also had an unblemished record of 2 wins and no losses against the Clark Jets and Manila Rogues. The Women's Championship Division is a developmental league which encourages new and up and coming players to compete against each other. The team scored a total of 51 points against only 5 points scored against them. It was new recruit from ISM Touch Football, Riho Kasai, who led the team in points, with a brilliant display of speed, stepping, and kicking. Kasai was later awarded the MVP for the division.