Match results of PRFU 7s League held last September 13, 2014 at Nomad Sports Club, Parañaque City. Congratulations to all the winning teams!

CUP DIVISION:
CHAMPION: Alabang Eagles 
1st runner up: Alabang Falcons 
2nd runner up: Makati Mavericks A
3rd runner up: Manila Nomads 

PLATE DIVISION:
CHAMPION: Makati Mavericks B
1st runner up: Immortals 
2nd runner up: Alabang Ibons 
3rd runner up: Manila Hapons 

WOMEN'S DIVISION: 
CHAMPION: Xena
1st runner up: UMAK 

BOWL DIVISION: 
CHAMPION: Clark Jets
1st runner up: UMAK  
2nd runner up: Questors
3rd runner up: Makati Mavericks C
4th runner up: MAAP Warriors

The Alabang Eagles proved that they will be a force at this year’s Manila 10s by convincingly defeating the Manila Nomads Rugby Club in all three rounds of the JML 10s league. The Eagles showed they can play attacking rugby and capitalized on every opportunity, with Volcano players Gaz Holgate and Andrew Wolff leading the way. Both made incisive runs to test the Nomads' defense. Nomad’s halfback and former captain Aaron Briddon kept the Nomads in the game with two tries that came from powerful forwards' play. The Eagles’ star-studded back line proved to strong and ran in four tries to win the final by 29 – 10.

The Women’s division was played over two games between the Manila Mayhem and the Cebu Lady Dragons. The Manila team won both the games to claim the championship. Both teams played with passion and determination but the Manila team was able to control the field advantage and showed that defense wins championships by continually pinning the Cebu team in their own quarter. Cebu came back in the second game and the Manila team was up to the challenge with some storming runs from Lady Volcanoes captain Ada Milby and torrid defense from Acee San Juan and Cassie Umali. The Manila team won the first game by 12 – 0 and then hung on to win the second game and the final by 12 – 5.

The Alabang Ibons took out the Plate Championship by defeating the CBRE Mavericks by 31 – 0. Both these teams will be playing in the Manila 10s in two weeks and will push to win either the Bowl or Shield trophy. The Ibons took control of the match, with Juan Engelbrecht and David Carman displaying good attacking skills and opened up the Mavericks' defense on several occasions.

The Alabang Falcons made it a clean sweep for the Alabang team by winning the Bowl Division. The Falcons, who are predominately from PNG, showed they have adapted from playing Rugby league to now understanding the rules of Rugby Union. The Falcons' strong defense and love of attacking rugby served them well as they dominated the Bowl division to win the final by 33 – 7 over the CBRE Vipers. The Falcons will also make their debut at the Manila 10s and will definitely challenge the higher rated teams, especially now that they have played the last five weeks in the JML 10s league.

BOWL CHAMPION: FALCONS
PLATE CHAMPION: ALABANG IBONS
WOMEN'S CHAMPION: MANILA MAYHEM
CUP CHAMPION: ALABANG EAGLES

MVP: Sione Mokom (Falcons)
Best Player: Joe Flynn (CBRE Vipers)
MVP: Juan Engelbrecht (Alabang Ibons)
Best Player: Jay-r Ramirez (CBRE Mavericks)
MVP: Hilla Indigne (Manila Mayhem)
Best Player: Astrid Sadaya (Cebu Lady Dragons)
MVP: Masayuki Sekiguchi (Alabang Eagles)
Best Player: David Feeney (Manila Nomads)


Good job to all the teams and congratulations to all the winners!

Match results of the PRFU JML 10s League round 1 and 2 last February 8 and 15 at Southern Plains and Nomads Sports Club.


TEAMS:

Cup: Alabang Eagles, Manila Nomads, Cebu Dragons

Plate: Nomads Carabaos, Manila Hapons, Alabang Ibons, MAAP Warriors, CBRE Mavericks

Bowl: Falcons, Clark Rugby Club, CBRE Vipers, Quezon City Men’s Rugby Club, Makati Men’s Rugby Club

Women's: Xena, Makati Women's Rugby Club, Quezon City Women’s Rugby Club Ladies, Cebu Lady Dragons

February 8, 2014 - ROUND 1 at Southern Plains

February 15, 2014 - ROUND 2 at Nomads Sports Club

Log points tables as of February 18, 2014:

Women's Log Points

Cup Log Points

Plate Log Points

Bowl Log Points

The next round of the PRFU JML 10s league will be on Saturday, February 22, at Southern Plains field, Laguna.

The Manila Nomads proved once again that they are the reigning 15s Rugby team in the Philippines with a close win over the Alabang Eagles in the Fila 15s Cup division final last June 22. Nomads relied on their bigger forwards, their aggressive pick and drive style of play, and rolling mauls to gain territory. The younger Eagles took advantage of the experience of several Volcanoes players on their backs line. Tim Bweheni, Robert Jones, and Adam Clarke suited up for the Eagles for this very important match.

Nomads skipper and Volcanoes player, David Feeney, started the scoring with a pick and drive off the 5 meter line. Fly half Danny Williams converted the try to add cushion to the Nomads lead. Eagles responded instantly with a counter attack from a kick off. Jones outpaced several defenders and scored a try for the Eagles. As the try wasn’t converted, the score remained at 7-5 by the half.

After the break, Nomads were on the board again with a try by Williams. Conversion was unsuccessful but they were up by 7 points. An Adam Clarke try made the score even at 12-all. With the Cup championship on the line, both teams tightened up their defensive line and tried to outmuscle their way to gain territory. A successful penalty kick by Williams gave the Nomads a slim lead in the last 20 minutes of play. It was a defensive battle from there, as both teams tackled hard and forced a series of turnovers. Eagles were able to sneak in a try to take the lead for the first time in the match. Their try was converted for a score of 17-15 to the Eagles. Nomads turned to their experienced forwards pack for control over the last minutes of the match. A rolling maul from a lineout gave MVP Paul Retzlaff a chance to steal the match from the Eagles. Retzlaff scored a try and Williams converted it, sealing the win for the defending champions at 22-17.

Ladies Division: Manila Defeats Cebu at PRFU FILA 15s League Championship

The north and south ladies teams battled for another PRFU league championship title. The Cebu Lady Dragons, who won last year’s 15s match against Manila Mayhem, came to the field ready to defend their title. The Manila Mayhem, who won the 10s league championship against the southerners last March, were up for the challenge.

With both teams having at least 8 rookies– and missing a few key players on the lineup– it was an evenly matched game from the start. The match started off very physical, as both sides tackled hard to prevent each other from gaining ground. The Lady Dragons showed quality passing, which enabled them to swing the ball from side to side. In contrast, Mayhem demonstrated their forwards’ strength by creating a solid defense and coming up fast off the line. Mayhem opened up the scoring with a quick ball to the backs on the 5 meter line. Fullback Loujen Saldo found a gap and dove for the try. The Lady Dragons answered back with a blind side play off the scrum. After quickly picking up the ball, Number 8, Tonette Gambito, sped straight towards the line, outrunning Mayhem’s winger. Try was converted and the Lady Dragons were up 7-5. 

Substitute player Lima, an 18 year old Papua New Guinean player from Cebu, made her presence felt early as she broke through several tackles and popped the ball to their speedy captain, Aiumi Ono. Ono then crossed the line and her try was converted. After a short regroup, Mayhem girls came back with two quick tries before the half. Mayhem’s forwards worked hard to draw defenders, creating scoring opportunities for their speedy backs. Ada Milby bulldozed her way to the line, while Nikki Lira scored a try between the posts after a quick pass from the backs.

The second half saw stronger defence and more aggression from both ladies teams. A yellow card was given to Lima of Cebu, which resulted to a penalty try for Manila Santos of Mayhem. Try was converted, bringing Mayhem up 22-14. Another yellow card from a high tackle resulted to Lira sitting out for a few minutes. The Lady Dragons were not able to take advantage of the overlap and remained unable to score on several opportunities. A loose ball from a broken play resulted to a breakaway try by Saldo. This sealed the win at 29-14 for Manila Mayhem, and Loujen Saldo was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the Women’s Division.

Plate Division: Ibons Dominate Globe at PRFU FILA 15s League Championship

It was a tough battle for the much improved Globe Immortals as they played against an Alabang Ibons team composed mostly of speedy Papua New Guinean players. The Immortals, who were able to secure a spot in the finals by beating rival Maverick Vipers, were outran several times by the PNG players. The first 10 minutes looked promising as the Immortals held their ground and contained their speedy opponents. It was a physical match, but the local boys were able to gain yards and match up to the strength of their opponents. Fitness and experience spelled the difference as the Ibons finally out-muscled their opponents and swung the ball to their swift-running backs. A series of runaway tries gave momentum to the Ibons and disheartened the Immortals. A bad cut above the eye forced Immortals skipper and Volcano player, Jay Coronel, to be pulled out of the game, much to his team’s dismay. David Brissonnaud, Immortals’ inside-center, managed to put in a penalty kick, making the score 19-3 at the half.

The second half was still an all-Ibons show as their PNG players scored try after try. Coronel was unable to return to the field because of the cut sustained in the first half. The match ended at 62-3 with Chris Karo, a PNG player, being awarded the MVP. It was a tough loss for the Immortals, but this match gave them the experience they needed to compete in 15s rugby.

Bowl Division: Clark Rugby Club Come From Behind to Beat QCPU and Win the Bowl Championship

Clark Rugby Club made the biggest comeback in the PRFU Fila 15s League as they snuck up from behind to beat the QCPU Questors 24-22. QCPU started the scoring feast in the first half with quick passing and overall speed. They scored four unanswered tries with one conversion. Down 22-nil at the half, the CRC boys regrouped and relied on experience to crawl back from the huge deficit. A series of penalties in the ruck after the half gave CRC several scoring opportunities which they quickly took advantage of. Joe Mari Rauras started the scoring spree for CRC. They followed their structure by giving the ball to their forwards, allowing them to draw defenders, cause overlaps, and quickly swing the ball to the backs. True to the formula, they scored four tries and successfully converted twice. The last try came seconds before the end of the match. When the whistle was blown, CRC boys erupted in cheers while the QCPU boys stood in disbelief. It was a great win for the CRC boys, who showed everyone that no one gives up in the game of Rugby. It was a lesson learned for the QCPU boys: The match is never finished until the referee blows his whistle.

Thank you to all the teams who participated in this year’s Fila 15s League. Congratulations to all the champion teams. Next League games will be in August for 7s Rugby.


Cup MVP – Paul Retzlaff
Women’s MVP – Loujen Saldo
Plate MVP – Chris Karo
Bowl MVP – Jonel Madrona

The Manila Nomads proved that they are the top ranked local team leading into the Manila 10s by convincingly defeating the Alabang Eagles by 33 - 19 in the Cup Final of the JML 10s league. With the series at one game each leading into the final, the Nomads came out with all guns blazing in an overwhelming first half display that saw them take a 19 point lead in the first half. Tries to Jon Morales, John Munro and Chris Anderson left the Eagles in their wake as the Nomads forwards dominated the set pieces and barreled through the Eagles defenses to set up quality ball for their backs. Coach Phil Gittus tactics of simple forward dominated rugby paid dividends and the Nomads mistake rate was minimal as the Eagles struggled to escape their own half. The return of David Carman and Tim Bweheni helped spark a short lived Eagles revival in the second half and they both scored late tries to bring the score back to a respectable level. The Nomads defeated the Eagles and retained the PRFU 10s Cup for 2013.

The Nomads defeated the Eagles in last year’s plate final at the Manila 10s tournament and have set themselves up to defend this title at next weekend’s competition. 

It was fantastic to see all the local PRFU teams playing in the JML 10s finals in preparation for the 2013 Manila 10s tournament. The JML 10s finals also saw the Globe Immortals play the Makati Mavericks with the winner of this final securing the last available position at the Manila 10s. The Makati Mavericks were shouting war cries at the kick off and were then shouting victory cries at the end of the game when they ran out winners by 49 - 0.

Good luck to all the local PRFU teams and Clubs in the Manila 10s next weekend.

The north and south ladies teams battled for another PRFU league championship title. The Cebu Lady Dragons, who had previously won all matches against Manila, came to the pitch expecting another victory. Manila Mayhem had other plans.

The first match was evenly contested. Both teams put their bodies on the line in a grueling encounter. An ankle injury in the 5th minute ended the game early for Lady Volcano Madille Salinas, forcing Cebu coach Dean Baker to adjust their game plan. In the 7th minute, Manila scrumhalf Cassie Umali picked up a loose ball and broke through to the score line, earning the first try of the match. With a physically larger forwards pack, the Manila ladies kept most of the match on their territory, drawing the bulk of Cebu’s defence and freeing space for their backs. Lady Volcano winger Nikki Lira out-smarted Cebu defenders with a quick sidestep, scoring a swift second try.

The second half saw the Cebu team take advantage of a series of penalties by the Manila team. After a quick tap from a penalty, Cebu player Aiumi Ono scored the Southerners' first try. With the match close at 10-5, Manila ladies relied on their forwards, who pushed the ball to the attacking zone while drawing Cebu defenders. This play created a big overlap, and with quick passing from the backs, substitute winger Loujen Saldo caught the ball on the run and scored the third try in between the posts. The first game ended with a score of 15-5 in favor of Manila.

The second match saw stronger defence from both ladies teams. With the added pressure of needing to win against Manila by more than 10 points, the Cebu team relied on the strength of their forwards to defend their territory. However, a ruck on the 5 metre line gave a quick ball to Manila's backs and allowed the Manila team to score their first try of the second match. Inside Center Stephie Harringer crashed through Cebu defence after a quick pass from Lady Volcano Acee San Juan. A pop pass from Lady Volcano legend Arlene Trinkler to Rose dela Cruz then won Manila their second try and earned the team a 10-to-nil lead by halftime.

The second half exhibited a series of good tackles from both teams. The Cebu team again capitalized on infractions by Manila's players. After a prolonged phase on the 5 metre line, Cebu newbie Ica Astentista picked the ball from the ruck and dove over the line to score Cebu's first try. The last 5 minutes saw more quality tackling, particularly from Manila's Aye Honoras and Cebu's Cherry Manaug. Cebu Lady Volcano Luisa Jordan managed to break through Manila's defensive lines several times and was consistently able to draw at least two defenders with each attempt. Ending the match, another quick ball from the backs gave Nikki Lira the change to score Manila's third try. The second game ended with a final score of 17-5 in favor of Manila, and Most Valuable Player for the ladies division was later awarded to Manila fly half, Acee San Juan, and Cebu lock, Cherry Manaug.

It was two tough matches, but both teams demonstrated a much-improved brand of women’s rugby in the Philippines. These matches served as a tryout for the ladies who hope to be included in the National Women’s 15s and 7s teams

The Falcons started the day with an easy friendly against the Vipers in the Bowl division.  The Falcons, with minimal experience in the game play of rugby, still had the edge over the Vipers. Their flair in passing and precision running resulted in a 22 – 0 victory over the Vipers.   

The Hapons played a tough and expansive game plan in the first half, running the Falcons from side to side, but their effort was matched with the tough defence of the Falcons.  The Falcons utilized their more experienced and seasoned players, which was evident in the second half of the game. The strong running of the PNG players broke tackles and left the Hapons’ defence wanting.  The Falcons beat the Hapons 17-0. With this win, the Falcons were crowned the Bowl Champions.

Captain Chris Hettel led the Ibons through a tough and exciting game against the Carabaos.  It was necessary for the Ibons to beat the Carabaos with 18 or more points to walk away the victors in the Plate division.  With the Ibons under pressure even before the game started, the Carabaos were the clear favourites for this epic show down. The Carabaos displayed their strength and scored the first try of the game. With an unsuccessful conversion, they lead 5-0 in the first 5 min of the game. The Ibons answered with hardened defence which led to Nixon ripping the ball in a tackle. Scoring between the uprights, they left the Carabaos puzzled.

With the score now at 7-5, Ibons captain had a hard talk with his team. His encouraging words were evident and the Ibons scored next with some good backline play. Running the ball from within their own half, they scored in the right side corner. With an unsuccessful conversion, the score was 12-5. Captain Chris Hettel stepped up in the forwards with some good strong running, putting the Ibons on the front foot in attack. With the backs receiving good ball, they scored again just before half time and took the lead 19-5.

The second half was all about which team was the fittest. The strength of the Carabaos’ forwards, just could not keep up with the Ibons agile and speedy forwards. It was soon evident that the Ibons would walk away with a victory. When they scored the first try only a few minutes into the second half, the score was 24-5. It was not long after and they scored another try bringing the score to 29-5. The Carabaos manned up in defence but it was too little too late and the Ibons walked away with a victory of 29-5. The Ibons’ 24 point lead victory, guaranteed them as the Plate division victors, earning them the spoils of this exciting and courageous performance of rugby.