    The PSC Batang Pinoy National Youth Games Rugby (Touch) division was held last Saturday (October 19) at the Iba Zambales Sports Complex. This year marked the first time rugby was included in the Batang Pinoy list of sports/events. The event was held in conjunction with the CBRE Juniors Tournament for the month of October.  Six teams from all over the country travelled up north to Iba for this once a year event. A total of 70 young athletes born 1998 or later showed up bright and early last Saturday, to prove they are the best in the country. Quest SOS Children's Village, which represented Muntinlupa City, entered two teams for the tournament. Clark Rugby Club, which represented the province of Pampanga, were also present in the tournament. The G4S Child Hope Foundation kids from Blumentritt and Morayta streets, represented Manila. Cebu Junior Dragons and Davao Durians Juniors Rugby also flew to Manila to represent their respective cities. Jonel Madrona of the Junior Volcanoes Rugby 7s team and an athlete of the Clark Rugby Club, led the Oath of Sportsmanship of the young players.  Teams played a round robin tournament format, with a win equivalent to 3 points, a draw to 2 points, and a loss given a point. Teams were ranked after the round robin games and top 1 and 2 teams played against each other for the Gold, top 3 and 4 teams played for the Bronze, and number 5 and 6 for the tournament ranking. It was SOS Children's Village team B who ranked first with a total of 15 points (5 wins and no loss). Davao came in at second with a total of 12 points (3 wins, 1 draw, 1 and loss). Third rank was Clark Rugby Club with a total of 11 points (3 wins and 2 losses).  In the battle for fifth place, it was the junior ruggers from the Queen City of the South, who walked away with a win against the Child Hope Foundation. Cebu team scored 4 tries against Child Hope's 2 tries to finish at fifth place in the tournament. The Bronze finals game saw the Clark Rugby Club battle it out against the SOS Children's Village Team A. The kids from Pampanga ran away with 5 tries against none from the SOS kids to secure their podium finish. The battle for Gold was definitely the most exciting game of the tournament. SOS Children's Village Team B and the Davao Durians Junior Rugby team were all out in their quest of being crowned the champions of the inaugural Batang Pinoy National Youth Games. PSC Commissioner Attorney Jose Luis "Jolly" Gomez was present at the sideline to cheer and support the teams and watch this milestone in Philippine Rugby grassroots development.  The first half of the game was a seesaw battle between these two teams. SOS scored first with the use of their quick drives and good vision of the gap. Davao answered back right away with their own version of a try using their quick passing abilities and natural agility. Both teams scored again in the next 2 minutes. The kids from Muntinlupa scored 2 unanswered tries in the last few minutes to seal their top podium finish. Final score was 4-2 for SOS Team B. Hats off to both teams for this very exciting match. Thank you to the Philippine Sports Commission, PSC Commissioner Atty. Jolly Gomez, Municipality of Iba Zambales, and all the teams who participated in this year's tournament. Congratulations to all the winners and we hope to see you all next year! Official Batang Pinoy results that are registered with the Philippine Sports Commission for 2013:
      MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Quest SOS Children's Village Team B - Renzo Belo Davao Durians Junior Rugby - Emil Fariñas Clark Rugby Club - Aries Acuario Quest SOS Children's Village Team A - EJ Ventura Cebu Junior Dragons - Goldie Villarba Child Hope - Rogelio Lito, Jr. Photo gallery                       The Vismin Rugby Football Union graciously hosted the yearly IRB Level 1 and Level 2 Coaching Course on Saturday and Sunday, August 28-29, 2013, at the Cebu International School in Pit-os, Cebu. PRFU Director of Rugby and national team coach, Matt Cullen, led the coaching course that weekend. Level 1 was held on Saturday and Level 2 was held on Saturday to Sunday.  The IRB require all Rugby coaches to update their certification every three years and it is essential that the PRFU offer these courses to further improve the current development programs that exist here in the Philippines. The courses allow for all participants to learn, understand and coach the content that the IRB consider to be crucial when developing the sport of rugby union at all levels throughout the world. Great work and congratulations all the new PRFU and IRB Level 1 and Level 2 Coaches who attended the course:
             The CBRE/Get into Rugby Juniors Tournament for the month of September was held last September 28, 2013 at Nomad Sports Club in Parañaque. 27 teams from various schools, clubs, and foundations all over Manila and nearby province Pampanga gathered to compete in this month’s tournament. Over 250 junior ruggers showed up to prove they are the best in their age group. All these teams are part of the PRFU juniors’ development/Get into Rugby program.  This tournament edition welcomed the debut of three new teams: De La Salle Zobel, Southridge School in Parañaque, and a group of indigenous Aeta kids from Pampanga. All these teams have only been training for a month or two before the tournament. The kids were also introduced to the first ever juniors under 12 tackle game between the Mavericks and CRC-Aeta.  In the u8 and u10 best of 3 touch games, it was the more experienced Mavericks team who dominated over their rival British School Manila by winning 5 out of their 6 games and drawing 1 game. BSM, who just came back from school summer break, still put up a good fight and made sure the Mavericks kids worked hard for their every score.  The u12 division featured the BSM, Mavericks, Quest SOS, CRC, and new teams Southridge and La Salle. Mavericks still topped this division because of their wins over BSM and Southridge and a draw against CRC. Quest SOS and CRC were tied at second place, both with 2 wins and a draw. La Salle and Southridge made sure to give a good impression and scored hard-earned tries against their more experienced opponents. It was the CRC boys who proved they are the best in the u14 division. With two wins and no losses, these boys from Pampanga gave their opponents a tough time as they showed their awesome teamwork and exceptional speed. Their Pampanga neighbors, the new Aeta team, came in at close second with one win and a draw.  The u16 division still showed the dominance of the CRC and the Aeta kids. Some of the CRC players have already represented the Philippines in various juniors 7s and 15s international tournaments. The Aeta kids also showed a lot of promise and potential. Their natural athletic ability stood out against the veteran teams.  In the first ever juniors u12 7s tackle match, it was the Mavericks team who won over their opponent by scoring a single try. Both teams fought bravely in every ruck situation and dove for every loose ball in their first full-contact game. The match showed a lot of good, solid tackles from the CRC-Aeta kids and hard, aggressive running from the Mavericks kids. Congratulations to both teams for being part of a milestone in Philippine Rugby.  The Mavericks team won over CRC in the u14 10s tackle match. CRC had a hard time against the burly Mavericks forwards. Missed one on one tackles and ball possession were the key factors that affected the match. Gaps were created and tries were made by the Mavericks boys. CRC scored a consolation try in the end because of great footwork and excellent speed. Match ended with 25 to 7 for the Mavericks. CRC fought back with a win in the u16 10s tackle match. Led by Junior Volcanoes standouts Jonel Madrona and Kingsley Ballesteros, the CRC boys won over Mavericks 26 to 5. The Mavericks had a hard time stopping the speedy CRC boys. Thus, they scored a series of runaway tries that led to the final score. Thank you to all the teams who participated this month and congratulations to all the winners. The next CBRE/Get Into Rugby Juniors Tournament will be held in conjunction with the PSC Batang Pinoy National Youth Games on October 19 at Iba, Zambales. Teams from Davao and Cebu will compete in the said tournament. All players born 1998 or later are encouraged to join. To know more about this tournament, contact Acee San Juan at [email protected]. Touch Teams: Under 8 Mavericks British School Manila Under 10 Mavericks British School Manila Under 12 Quest SOS Children’s Village De La Salle Zobel Southridge School Mavericks British School Manila Clark Rugby Club Under 14 Quest SOS Children’s Village Southridge School Mavericks Tuloy sa Don Bosco Foundation Clark Rugby Club Aeta Under 16 Southridge School Mavericks Tuloy sa Don Bosco Foundation Clark Rugby Club Aeta Tackle Teams: Under 12 Clark Rugby Club-Aeta Mavericks Under 14 Clark Rugby Club Mavericks Under 16 Clark Rugby Club Mavericks            The PRFU CBRE Juniors Tournament kicked off last Saturday, August 24, at Nomads Sports Club in Parañaque City. After a 2-month break, it was fantastic to see the children back on the field playing touch rugby (Under 10 to Under 16 years old) and full-contact rugby (Under 14 and Under 16 years old). This tournament featured the participation of thirteen touch rugby teams and four full-contact rugby teams from various schools, clubs, and foundations. Over 200 players from the PRFU Juniors Development Program came together under the hot sun, vying for the title of best juniors’ team in their age group. This tournament also served as the introduction of the International Rugby Board’s “Get Into Rugby” program.  In the Under 10 division, it was Makati-based CBRE Junior Mavericks team who dominated and swept all oppositions by not allowing points scored against them. Quest SOS Children’s Village team and Nomads Cararoos team came in second and third, consequently. The Under 12 division saw the best of three battles between the Quest SOS team and the Nomads Cararoos team. End-game experience became the deciding factor as the Quest SOS team won all 3 matches over the newly-formed Nomads Cararoos team. All 3 matches were tight, with the Quest SOS team winning by just 1 or 2 points.  Leighton Tuloy Foundation and Clark Rugby Club (CRC) boys renewed their rivalry in the Under 14 division. Both teams won over their other opponents in the round games. It all came down to the final touch rugby match of the tournament and it was between these two teams. It was a tight match as both teams displayed superb speed and excellent ball skills. Both teams fought hard but when the final whistle was blown, the score was still tied at 1 all. Because of the +2 difference in the For-Against between these two teams, the overall crown for the Under 14 division was awarded this time to the CRC boys. The Clark Rugby Club boys successfully defended their title in the Under 16 division even with stiff challenge from the Leighton Tuloy Foundation boys and the G4S Child Hope Foundation boys. With 3 wins and 1 draw, CRC boys proved again that they are the best Under 16 team in the tournament. G4S Child Hope came in at close second with 2 wins and 2 losses. Leighton Tuloy Foundation boys performed their traditional Maori Haka in front of all the teams before their final touch game. In the full-contact 10s matches, the CBRE Junior Mavericks teams Under 14 and Under 16 won by large margins and did not let the CRC boys score against them. Some of these boys just came back from their Asian Youth Games tournament in Nanjing, China last weekend. Most of these boys are also vying for spots in the Junior Volcanoes 15s teams (Under 14 and Under 16) which will play in Hong Kong at the end of the year. Thank you to all the teams who participated and congratulations to all the winning teams. The next round of the CBRE Juniors Tournament will be played at Eagles Nest field, Southern Plains Subdivision, Silangan Laguna on the morning of September 21 (Saturday). TEAMS: Under 10 SOS Children’s Village Nomads Cararoos Makati Mavericks Under 12 SOS Children’s Village Nomads Cararoos Under 14 Nomads Cararoos Tuloy Foundation Manila Hapons Clark Rugby Club Child Hope Under 16 Tuloy Foundation Child Hope Clark Rugby Club Under 14 (Full-contact) Clark Rugby Club Makati Mavericks Under 16 (Full-contact) Clark Rugby Club Makati Mavericks             Manila Mayhem: Champion team of the Inaugural Philippine Women's Invitational Rugby Tournament The inaugural Philippine Women’s Invitational Rugby Tournament was held last Saturday, August 3, at Southern Plains field Laguna. Three women’s teams played 7s and 10s matches, with the team with the most number of wins at the end of the day declared the overall champion. Manila Mayhem, Cebu Lady Dragons, and the National University of Singapore Rugby Team all came to the venue, prepared to prove they are the best women’s team in the tournament. The boys of Asian Youth Games under 17s national team also served as a guest team for the morning 7s matches, in preparation for their Nanjing, China 7s tournament in 2 weeks. SEVENS MATCHES  Mayhem's Nikki Lira proved to be handful for the NUS defence Sevens matches kicked off at 11 am with a match between the Lady Dragons and the AYG. It was a tough battle as the faster boys used their outstanding speed to breakaway and score tries. The boys proved to be too fast for the ladies. Nevertheless, the girls played all out. Still, the game ended at 50-0 (W-AYG). Second match saw the battle between the visitors from SG and the host team of the tournament, Manila Mayhem. Mayhem used their improved defensive line, which resulted to turnovers from the visitors. This enabled Mayhem to control the possession majority of the match and using their quick passing, they were able to score tries due to overlaps and awesome speed on the wing. Game ended at 29-0 (W- Mayhem).  Cebu's Medea Mercado tackles a bigger Mayhem player Third match was between the SG girls and the AYG boys. Again, the boys proved to be too fast for the girls as they outran everyone and scored try after try. Final score was 48-0 (W-AYG). Local rivals Manila Mayhem and Cebu Lady Dragons faced off in the fourth match. Mayhem dominated the first half, with a try from the wing and another one just before the half time break. The Lady Dragons regrouped at the break and gained momentum as their forwards broke through the defensive line several times. Back to back tries were awarded for the Lady Dragons as they showed a combination of speed and power plus great support play. Mayhem took advantage of a penalty against the opponent in the last few minutes of the match and scored a much needed try to put enough separation on the scores. Game ended at 19-12 (W-Mayhem).  Cebu's Tonette Gambito scored a breakaway try against SG The Lady Dragons bounced back from that loss and won their succeeding match. They scored 5 tries, most of them from breakaways and wrap passes, against NUS’ 3 tries. Two of their tries were converted. Final score was 29-10 (W-Lady Dragons). The last match for the morning 7s games was between the undefeated teams AYG and Mayhem. It was a tight first half but injuries to Mayhem’s players proved vital as the boys took advantage of the substitute players’ inexperience and scored a series of unanswered tries that led to the final score, 33-0 (W-AYG). TENS MATCHES  Mayhem's Aye Honoras fends off a SG player The first 10s match of the day was between Manila Mayhem and NUS. The SG girls got the momentum on the first half when one of Mayhem’s core players got injured and had to be replaced. They proved they have more experience in 10s as they took advantage of Mayhem’s disorganized defense and lack of a sweeper. They kicked the ball down field several times, allowing them to gain territory majority of the half. Mayhem was able to regroup and came back more organized with their structure in the second half. They found their rhythm and scored 3 unanswered tries, all from counter attacks from errors of SG. The match ended with a score of 15-0 (W-Mayhem). The second 10s match of the day was between NUS and the Lady Dragons. The Cebu girls were all over the place as they did not really have a chance to practice 10s as they focused on the 7s games. SG, on the other hand, had incredible teamwork and fast hands that led to 2 breakaways on the wing. The Lady Dragons were still able to score a try in the last few seconds of the game off a beautiful setup play to the wing. Match ended with a close score of 10-7 (W-NUS).  Cebu captain Aiumi Ono led the Lady Dragons' attack The best match of the whole tournament was definitely the classic showdown between the north and south ladies. Both teams were pumped up to play and prove they are the best 10s team in the country. The Lady Dragons were seeking pay back. Mayhem wants validation. Newbies from both teams played like veterans while the veterans used their experience to inspire their newbies. The rain and shine weather did not stop both teams from playing all out. It was a defensive battle as both teams were defending ruck after ruck. Both forwards’ sides worked hard to gain yards. The first half ended with a precarious 5-0 lead for Mayhem from a winger’s try.  Mayhem's Acee San Juan scores the match winning try The Lady Dragons answered back early in the second half with their own version of a winger’s try. It was a back and forth rat race to the try line as both teams has incredible defence. With seconds winding down, Mayhem patiently controlled possession through crash balls from their forwards. A gap on Cebu’s defensive line was quickly taken advantage by Mayhem. The match winning try for the Manila ladies was from a ruck less than 5 meters from the line. Final score was 10-5 (W-Mayhem). With that win, Manila Mayhem was awarded the overall champion of the first ever Philippine Women’s Invitational Rugby Tournament. It was a great day of women’s rugby and a huge boost to women’s rugby development here in the country. Most of these girls are vying for spots in the Lady Volcanoes 7s and 15s teams. Thank you to all the teams who participated and congratulations to Manila Mayhem for being the overall the champion of the tournament. Final scores: 7s Matches AYG (50) vs Cebu Lady Dragons (0) Manila Mayhem (29) vs NUS (0) NUS (0) vs AYG (48) Cebu Lady Dragons (12) vs Manila Mayhem (19) NUS (10) vs Cebu Lady Dragons (29) Manila Mayhem (0) vs AYG (33) 10s Matches Manila Mayhem (15) vs NUS (0) NUS (10) vs Cebu Lady Dragons (7) Cebu Lady Dragons (5) vs Manila Mayhem (10) All photos on this page by Chris Hettel                                     |
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