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

Congratulations to the following players who have been selected to be part of the Junior Volcanoes team for the Asian Youth Games Rugby 7s Tournament. They will compete on August 17 to 19 in Nanjing, China.

Players:
Ayala, Miguel Francisco (British School Manila)
Ballesteros, Kingsley (Clark Rugby Club)
Candelaria, Naimar (Clark Rugby Club)
Cayetano, Terry Boy (Clark Rugby Club)
Feleo, Juliann Viktor (Mavericks/University of Santo Tomas)
Holgate, Andrew William (British School Manila)
Madrona, Jonel (Clark Rugby Club) co-captain
Maleval, Greg George (Brent International School Manila)
Narvasa, Racel (Bulacan Rugby Club/Colegio de Calumpit)
Rano, Albert Vincent (British School Manila)
Whyte, Joshua Louis (British School Manila) co-captain


Management Staff:
Head Coach: Juan Gideon Josua Engelbrecht
Team Manager: Kaye Llanie Honoras
Physiotherapist: Alyssa Paula Tomas

The team is composed of Filipino heritage boys (ages 16 to 17) who will compete against other Asian nations such as China, Japan, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Korea, and Hong Kong. All these boys have been playing in the PRFU local leagues.

For more information on the 2nd Asian Youth Games 2013, visit:
http://www.nanjing2013.org/en

The fourth CBRE Juniors Touch Rugby Tournament of the year was held last May 18, 2013, at the historic Rizal Memorial Stadium in Malate, Manila. The tournament featured the participation of 16 teams from various schools, clubs, and foundations. Over 200 players from the PRFU Juniors Development Program came together, vying for the title of best juniors’ team in their age group. This tournament also served as a prelude of the Philippine Volcanoes Asian 5 Nations relegation match against the United Arab Emirates, which was played at 7 pm later that day.

House of Refuge foundation made its debut in the Under 10s and Under 12s divisions. This team has been training for almost two months now but this was their first time to join the tournament. These enthusiastic kids managed to impress everyone with their quick understanding of the game, ball skills, and evasion skills. As a result, they won a game in the Under 10s division and held a draw in the Under 12s division.

The Nomads Cararoo team, another debutant in this month’s tournament, entered a team in every age group division in this tournament. Although training for just over three weeks now, the Cararoo team still was able to put some points on board and held on their defence on their matches. They were able to win a game in the Under 10s and Under 16s division and held a draw in the Under 16s division. Thanks to Nomads Rugby Club for helping out these kids learn and understand the sport of Rugby.

SOS Children’s Village continue to show their potential in the sport. Playing only on their second tournament, they were able to dominate the Under 10s division once again. With three wins and no losses, they topped this age group. On the other hand, veteran team Mavericks Rugby Club leaned on their experience and was able to top the Under 12s division. Three wins and no losses also put them at number one of this age group.

European International School Rugby team, whose players are mostly children of expatriates, won over all their opponents in the Under 14s division. They were able to top this age group by beating the tough Clark Jets Rugby Club in a closely-contested match. Both sides did not give up but in the end, EIS won over CJRS by just one point to nil. In contrast, the Under 16s division showed the dominance of Clark Jets Rugby Club. In the absence of the Tuloy Foundation, CJRS managed to cruise past everyone on all their matches. Led by Junior Volcanoes national team mainstayJonel Madrona, CJRS showed their advanced ball skills and undeniable speed. It was a good tournament by these kids. Some of these kids will represent the Philippines in the Asian Youth Games in August at Nanjing, China.

It was a good day of Rugby, highlighted by the Volcanoes win over the UAE in the evening. All kids enjoyed the tournament they played on in the afternoon and the action-packed rugby match they were able to watch for free in the evening. Hopefully, from this bunch of kids we will find the future Volcanoes and Lady Volcanoes.


The teams who participated were: 

U10s
Nomads Cararoo
House of Refuge
SOS Children’s Village Rugby Team
Mavericks Rugby Club

U12s
Nomads Cararoo
House of Refuge
SOS Children’s Village Rugby Team
Mavericks Rugby Club
Clark Jets Rugby Club

U14s
Nomads Cararoo
European International School
Child Hope
Clark Jets Rugby Club

U16s
Nomads Cararoo
Child Hope
Clark Jets Rugby Club

The third CBRE Juniors Touch Rugby Tournament of the year was held last Saturday, April 20, 2013, at Eagles Nest in Southern Plains Subdivision, Laguna. The tournament featured the participation of 15 teams from various schools, clubs, and foundations. Over 180 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.

The newly formed SOS Children’s Village Rugby team made its debut in the Under 10s and Under 12s divisions. SOS Children’s Village Rugby team managed to show everyone that they have the skills to compete against the more experienced teams like Clark Jets Rugby Club, Bulacan Rugby Club, and Mavericks Rugby Club. In the end, they were able to dominate the opposition on both divisions, losing just once in the Under 12s division and winning all their games in the Under 10s division.

The U16s division featured the Mavericks Rugby Club, Clark Jets Rugby Club, and the Childhope Foundation. The games were evenly matched, with the teams winning by just 1 or 2 points. The CJRS victory over the Mavericks secured them first position in this age group.

The U14s division featured five teams.  All the matches were close, with some games resulting in draws. It was the much improved Bulacan Team 2 who had the most number of wins in this division. As a result Bulacan Team 2 came in first place with the Hapons and Clark Rugby Jets placing second and third, respectively. 

This tournament edition applied the new “set and rip” rule of Rugby. Traditionally, players were to put the ball down and step over it upon being touched. Under the new rule, players now have to turn their back on their opposition and present the ball to their teammates, who in turn will rip the ball from the touched player. This variation is more consistent with the rules of full contact rugby. All teams were instantly able to adjust to the new rule and were able to play fun, high-level games throughout the day.

The teams who participated were:


U10s

SOS Children’s Village Rugby Team

Mavericks Rugby Club

Bulacan Rugby Club


U12s

Clark Jets Rugby

Bulacan Rugby Club

SOS Children’s Village Rugby Team

U14s

Hapons Rugby Club

Bulacan Rugby Club 1

Bulacan Rugby Club 2

Mavericks Rugby Club

Clark Jets Rugby

U16s

Mavericks Rugby Club

Clark Jets Rugby

Childhope Foundation

The second CBRE Juniors Touch Rugby Tournament of the year was held last Saturday, February 16, 2013, at Eagles Nest in Southern Plains Subdivision, Laguna. The tournament featured the participation of nine teams from various schools, clubs, and foundations. Over 100 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.

The day also featured the introduction of the new G4S sponsored Childhope teams. G4S Security Company and Mike Ross recently decided to sponsor the Childhope Foundation Rugby Club and the players were delighted to wear their new G4S uniforms in the CBRE Juniors tournament. So far the PRFU have been able to find sponsors for the both Tuloy Foundation (Leighton) and Clark Rugby Club (Pot Bellied Pigs) it is a goal for the PRFU to expand the Foundation Development programs in 2013 and also find new sponsors to help grow and develop the sports of tackle and touch rugby with those less fortunate than ourselves.