 Women's Mavericks’ Janin Puig attempting to extricate herself from the tackle by Acee San Juan of the Manila Nomads Rogues. Photos by Mark Cristino. by Mark Villamora MANILA, Philippines - With its first full-blown XVs season after the pandemic, the Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) Domestic League concluded its 3-month-long tournament on June 15 at the PSC Ultra Philsports Complex, Pasig City. Three divisions—women’s, championship, and premiership— took home their crown as the best rugby XVs teams in the country. Women’s Mavericks Sweep Season It wasn’t even two minutes on the clock when the SKF Makati Mavericks Women’s team executed a smooth passing sequence, with Jas Torio grounding the ball firmly on the try line, marking the first try of the season finals. The Manila Nomads Rogues then tried to catch up, being stuck near the try line rucking, until Acee San Juan made a fluid pass to Ace Muyco, tying the score at 5-5. The Women’s Mavericks then scored back-to-back tries from Janin Puig and Jas Torio, both successfully converted. However, the Rogues attempted to gain momentum in the final five minutes of the first half, as Luisa Jordan dotted down the ball despite four Lady Mavericks tackling her, cutting the lead to a 9-point difference. In the second half of the game, the Nomads staged a comeback, with San Juan effortlessly dumping the ball over the try line during a ruck near it, narrowing the gap to a four-point difference, 15-19. This marked their highest score achieved in the entire season. In the remaining 30 minutes of the match, the Rogues left no chance as the Women’s Mavericks went into try after try, ending the match with a commanding lead of 50-15. The Women’s SKF Makati Mavericks was hailed as the 2024 PRFU Domestic League champions, finishing with a perfect 3-0 record for the season against their sole competitor, Manila Nomads Rogues. The 10 AM Saturday game concluded with Janin Puig of the Mavericks Women’s Team crowned as the MVP of the season finals, while Jas Torio, also from the Mavericks, secured the title of top try scorer with 2 tries.  Fernan Tudoc making his entrance as the Championship Division finals were about to start. Photos by Mark Cristino. SKF Roosters Intense Victory The SKF Makati Mavericks Roosters maintained their momentum in a nail-biting championship division match against the returning Clark Jets Rugby Football Club. The head to head match between the Roosters and Clark Jets started aggressively, with possession swiftly shifting between the teams amid numerous tackles. The intense rally persisted until Clark Jets’ Marlon Catepon dove over the try line with the ball. The next rally lasted 15 minutes as both teams intensified their aggression, culminating in Jets' John Pons, scoring a try to increase their lead 10 - 0. The aggressive match continued as the Roosters got in the scoreboard, with Sway Pillic scoring between the posts off a kick off. Conversion wasn't successful, leaving the score at 10 - 5 for the Jets. The Roosters attempted another try but were thwarted by a successful tackle from the Clark Jets. The rally persisted with both teams trading attacks, with the Mavericks' Connor Browne scoring a try from the base of the scrum, resulting in an intense, 10-10 tie score at the end of the first half. The Mavericks Rooster halted the Clark Jets’ momentum by scoring first early in the second half through John Denmer Tulabot. However, three minutes later, Clark came back with a significant try and a successful conversion from Jonel Madrona, taking the lead 17-15. The Clark Jets tried to maintain the two-point lead during a 12-minute rally, but their efforts were interrupted when Rooster’s Sean Rasing scored a promising try from an awesome assist from Janno Puig, bringing the score to 20-17 in favor of the Roosters. The Mavericks successfully held onto their lead for over 20 minutes, with both teams maintaining the 20-17 score despite the aggressive exchanges between them. A try attempt from Jonel Madrona, breaking at least 3 tackles, was thwarted by a chase tackle from Roosters speedster, Fernan Tudoc. Both teams entered the finals with a clean record of 2-0 in eliminations and semis, but the SKF Roosters emerged victorious in the 6th game of the tournament, solidifying their position as the season’s leader in the championship division. Meanwhile, Tudoc of SKF Makati Mavericks Roosters finished as the season’s MVP, while Sway Pilic, who scored 1 try secured his position as the top try scorer.  MVP Tim Bweheni of Eagles RFC receiving a gift certificate with PRFU President Ada Milby. Photos by Mark Cristino. Eagles Reign as Back-to-Back Season Leader
The final division to compete in the PRFU Domestic finals is the highly anticipated Premiership division match between the Eagles Rugby Football Club (RFC) and the Manila Nomads Rugby Club. The tournament began with Francis Tagalia and Justin Villazor Coveney scoring back-to-back tries in the 2nd and 8th minutes of the first half. The rally continued for 20 minutes until the Eagles committed an offside penalty, resulting in Nomads’ Kai Ledesma Stroem successfully converting a 3-point penalty kick. The Eagles then regained the penalty points by scoring a try through Tyrone Whaanga, followed by another try in the last minute of the first half by Syprien Yasinduma, bringing the score to 20-3. The early second half, the Eagles faced adversity when they committed two consecutive penalties at the 6-min and 11-min marks, giving the Nomads a 6-point penalty advantage. Stroem successfully kicked one, bringing the score to 20-6 still in favor of the Eagles. About 2 mins after the back-to-back penalties by the Eagles, Hamish Flores Seddon of Nomads nearly scored a try but was tackled by Eagles Team Captain Tim Bweheni. The rally continued for another 10 minutes until the Eagles’ Whaanga finally scored his second try of the match, followed by a successful conversion, extending their lead to 24 points in the last 15 minutes of the match. Eagle’s Valu Raturibi didn’t conclude the match without scoring a try in the final minute of the season's tournament, adding another 5 points to secure a 32-6 victory in their favor. Tim Bweheni of Eagles RFC was awarded the Premiership Season’s MVP, while Tyrone Whaanga earned the title of Top Try Scorer with 2 tries scored. The 9-week-long tournament culminated with the Women’s SKF Makati Mavericks, SKF Makati Mavericks Roosters, and the Eagles Rugby Football Club reigning supreme in the women’s, championship, and premiership divisions respectively, solidifying their positions as the country's top rugby XVs teams. About Philippine Rugby Football Union The Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) is the governing body for the sport of rugby in the Philippines. Established in 1998, PRFU is dedicated to the development and promotion of rugby across the country, from grassroots to elite levels. PRFU oversees various rugby programs, competitions, and national teams, aiming to make rugby a major sport in the Philippines. For inquiries, please contact: [email protected] Comments are closed.
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