Blog Posts

Milby certified as first female World Rugby Trainer for Philippine Rugby

3/18/2020

Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) are proud to announce to have their first Filipino World Rugby (WR) certified Trainer, Ms. Ada Milby.

Milby made her international rugby debut in 2012 and was selected as the Team Captain for the Philippine National Women’s Rugby Team later that year. She served as the Head of Development for grassroots rugby in 2013, launching the Get Into Rugby program in the same year and was later nominated to take a seat on PRFU's Board of Trustees.

Since 2013, Milby has continued to make waves across all levels of Rugby, for Philippine Rugby, Asia Rugby and most recently World Rugby (WR). She became a World Rugby certified Educator in 2014, leading the way for more Training & Education for coaches in the Philippines. As a certified WR Trainer for coaching and match officiating, Milby will now be able to train and certify WR Educators both locally and internationally to increase the growth and participation of Rugby in Asia.

"Ada Milby is a welcome addition to the World Rugby Trainer workforce. Her background in working with other entities along the educational track has enabled her to quickly grasp and apply World Rugby Trainer skills, concepts and processes. Her experience in the game at both development and elite levels also mean that other than delivering courses, she is able to work with Unions in terms of setting up their infrastructure and processes", said Gene Tong, World Rugby Regional Training Manager of Asia.

“I’m excited to join the ranks of trainers in Asia and globally. It not only means being able to deliver more training and education in general, but I hope can also reduce barriers for other women interested to take up roles in rugby outside of being players. The more women taking up these type of roles, the easier it will become for others to see themselves doing the same” shared Milby.

Milby will begin courses with Philippine Rugby as early as this year before continuing to develop Rugby participation across fellow Asian nations.

For more information on Training and Education for Rugby in the Philippines you can contact the PRFU via our website.

Philippine Rugby to postpone all events until April 18

3/12/2020

Considering the current situation surrounding COVID-19 brought forward by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Department of Health (DOH) and the state of emergency declared by the President of the Philippines, the Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) will be postponing all local competitions in Luzon until April 18.

The PRFU recognise the importance of ensuring the health and safety of the entire Rugby community, particularly our players, teams, officials, staff, families, and spectators. In turn, the PRFU have decided to ensure the spread of the virus is contained at any cost. The competitions that have directly been affected include the 2020 JML Luzon Cup, the PRFU Premiership Shield and the Santos Knight Frank Junior Festivals. All regional events sanctioned by the PRFU outside Luzon will be contacted by the PRFU directly.

Philippine Rugby will continue to assess the effects and spread of the COVID-19 on a regular basis. Consistent assessment will determine if it is indeed safe to continue to host domestic Rugby competitions after April 18 in a safe and responsible manner.

We advise everyone to remain pro-active, take precautionary measures to limit the spread of the virus and contact health professionals if in need.

From strength to strength, Fitness First and Philippine Volcanoes renew long last partnership

2/10/2020

Renewal for Country Manager Mark Ellis alongside Jake Letts of Philippine Rugby

Fitness First, the premium fitness and gymnasium provider has renewed their support for the Philippine Volcanoes after recently signing on for another two seasons with the Philippine national rugby team.

“We are truly proud of their achievements the past year and we continue to support the whole team as they advance further in the sport of rugby, at both the regional and international arenas” shared Mark Ellis, Country Manager for Fitness First Philippines”.

The Volcanoes will continue with their strength and conditioning programs alongside Fitness First utilising the extensive number of equipment options the gymnasium offers. “Having access to Fitness First provides the cutting edge equipment our athletes require to perform at their best. They can train at their closest Fitness First gymnasium and know they have everything they need to improve and maintain what it takes to become better, faster and stonger” shared Jake Letts of Philippine Rugby.

The Volcanoes and Fitness First have been partners since 2016 and since have improved their rankings in both Asia and the world. With the consistent strength and fitness training it has allowed each player to develop and perform for the Philippine national rugby team. The women's recently finished with a silver medal at the Southeast Asian Games with the men bagging the gold.

The Volcanoes will have a number of international competitions for 2020, mainly the Asia Rugby Championships in April to June and the Asia Sevens Series from August to September where Fitness First will play a crucial role in their preparations.

JML Luzon Cup kicks off 2020 rugby season

2/7/2020

After the highs of the sevens Rugby in the SEA Games last December, Philippine Rugby alongside headline partner JML Philippines will launch the 2020 JML Luzon Cup at Club United this Saturday. The upcoming season will feature a total of 12 teams across three divisions for both the men and women.

For the first time Philippine Rugby have adopted an all national Philippine 15s division that will be implemented to help foster the development of local talent, as well as provide a pathway to play the countries most experienced players who will be featured in the Premiership Shield. The JML Luzon Cup shapes up to be a competitive season, the opening round will see the Santos Knight Frank (SKF) Mavericks take on Eagles RFC with the newly led Makati Chiefs facing the Albay Bulkans. The newly formed Nomads Kalabaws team will have the first bye round of the season. For the women’s division prominent clubs SKF Mavericks, Eagles RFC, Nomads Rogues and the Makati Chiefs will be vying for the title in another tightly contested competition.

The domestic competitions for Philippine Rugby are not only weekly features for local teams to participate in, they will also act as scouting grounds for up and coming talent. The competition runs for a total of 16 weekends from February to first week of July. Some of the competitions top talent will be on show this weekend with national reps Lyndon Adlao, Mike Llanera, Jovic Paypon, Ryan Padilla, Ian Pausanos and Reymarc Bustillo representing their local teams.

“Overall, the competition is going to be exciting for 2020, focusing on pathways and competitive matches this year. Last year we had one division, this year it is catered to development and ensuring matches are played competitively with the spirit of Rugby in mind. Rugby has come leaps and bounds since it was first introduced, it’s going to be great to see how far it’s come and witness the players in action. Not only for the JML Luzon Cup, but to see these players progress to the Premiership Shield in years to come” shared Jake Letts of Philippine Rugby.

The matches tomorrow will be played at Club United, Merville. The gates will open at 10:00am and encourages all local Rugby supporters to join in for what looks to be a family friendly Saturday. The women’s match kicks off at 10:00am between the Nomads Rogues and SKF Mavericks. The men’s division follows with the Eagles and SKF Mavericks at 11:30 am and the Makati Chiefs taking on the Albay Bulkans at 1:30 PM. Entry is free.