After a successful talent identification and recruitment day in Hong Kong last year, Philippine Rugby will be fielding a team in the 2022 Charitable Rugby Tournament, the 2022 Fat Boy 10s at Kings Park, Hong Kong.
 
The charitable event is hosted and organised by the Pot Bellied Pigs (PBP), an organisation that raises funds for rugby development, children’s education and disadvantaged children.
 
“The sponsorship from PBP towards Philippine Rugby has been one of the longest standing sponsorships for the Union, each year the donation to our Rugby Development Fund ensures we as an organisation can continue to grow the game all over the country. A big thank you for their loyal support, especially in these financially challenging times due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic” shares Jake Letts General Manager for Partnerships for Philippine Rugby.
 
The 2022 event will be the second time the Pot Bellied Pigs has hosted their event outside the Philippines, mainly due to adapting to the covid-19 environment which had limited their overseas footprint for their annual charitable tours. This year’s tournament will be hosted on September 10 sanctioned by Hong Kong Rugby Football Union.
 
“We moved our event in Hong Kong in 2021, due to covid travel restrictions. The tournament was a qualified success supported by the HK rugby community. It was the first time the competition was held across two pitches and outside the Philippines. It was a great day enjoyed by all and fabulous to see women’s rugby represented further in our tournament” Andrew Green of the Pot Bellied Pigs shared.
 
An event highlight will see a full Filipino team fielded to represent Philippine Rugby, the team will be coached by Philippine Volcano Robert Luceno Fogerty. “We are excited for the opportunity to play, it’s a great event that not only raises much needed support for Philippine Rugby but also an event that showcases Filipino rugby talent” Fogerty says.
 
The tournament will see 38 teams compete for the title, however most importantly the day is celebrated to support social rugby and raise funds for the organisations the Pot Bellied Pigs support.
 
“Saturday 10th September at Kings’s Park, a great day for rugby and we are happy to play our part to support growing the game” John Hamilton, Chairman of the PBP expresses.

In the Open division,  the teams who reached the semis were Eagles RFC (Eagles), SKF Makati Mavericks (Mavericks), Manila Nomads (Nomads), and Clark Jets (Jets). The Eagles defeated the Mavericks in extra time - golden point of 17 - 12 to secure the first finals slot. The 2nd semis match, which was between the Nomads and the Jets, ended at 5 - 17 in favor of the Jets – to set up an exciting finals match with the Eagles. Winning the championship with 4 tries and 3 conversions are the Eagles RFC, with Timothy Bweheni named as the MVP of the Open division. 

In the Women’s division, the first semis match was between sister teams SKF Makati Mavericks Ricky (Ricky) and SKF Makati Mavericks Franky (Franky), which ended with a 22 - 0 score in favor of Ricky. The second semis match up was between Clark Jets (Jets) and Eagles RFC (Eagles), with the Eagles securing a finals slot after beating the Jets with 39 - 0. An intense finals match between two of the most experienced teams in Philippine Rugby ended with a single try and conversion deficit for Ricky at 17 - 10 against the Eagles. Eagles RFC’s centre, Dixie Star Yu, was named the MVP of the Women’s division.

Looking forward to the next legs, Women’s division MVP Dixie Yu shares that she “feels great to witness the rugby community alive again [because] it’s honestly very encouraging to see young blood and new faces in the field.” When asked what this championship meant, Yu shared that “winning the first leg of the 2022 Globe 7s Series competition is the cherry on top” for their team. As both divisions were dominated by the Eagles RFC, Yu stated that her main motivation to play  was her love for rugby, and of course, the opportunity of playing for a club with very passionate members.

Tetsuro Nokuo, a member of the Manila Hapons (Hapons), a team that took a very long break from the competition scene also shared their team’s excitement to participate in a high-level competition again. Although limited due to work commitments, the Hapons are looking forward to performing better in the second leg of the Globe 7s Series. When asked what made them return to the playing field, Tetsuro expressed that the opportunity to play is what got them to sign up for the tournament, despite the lack of player availability. 

Final rankings after Open and Women’s division Leg 1:​

This Sunday a contingent of Philippine heritage players will compete in Harpenden Rugby’s 2022 National Pub and Hen 7s festival. The sevens team is built on the backbone of a United Kingdom Philippine Rugby select program largely thanks to Philippine Volcano Vincent Amar Young with the help of the unions national management program.

“It’s great to see Filipinos get together outside the Philippines to represent the Union as we continue to grow our program both domestically and internationally. Last weekend we held our first 7s rugby festival at Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub, this weekend our domestic based players will be playing at Ayala Country Club while at the same time we will have some players competing in the United Kingdom” shared Jake Letts of Philippine Rugby.
The select team will feature a number of capped experienced national players, including Vincent Amar Young, Steve Pagtalunan Howorth, Jobel De Castro and Raphael Concepcion Barberis. The rest of the side will be boosted by a number of newly recruited players to the program, as well as others having represented the Philippine Maharlikans or have represented the Philippine National Youth Programs in the past.
“It’s going to be an exciting group to play with, some new faces mixed with some experience. We have a well balanced squad with size, skill and speed” Young shares.
Twenty five teams across the United Kingdom have entered the competition. The competition will also serve as a selection stage for the upcoming annual Asia Sevens Series in October and November.

“The competition will be a great platform for these players to aid in their selection for national team honours later in the year, we will be competing in international events in Thailand, Korea and hopefully the UAE” Letts added

Philippine Rugby continues to navigate forward in a post pandemic era, with rugby restarting and being played across Asia and the world once again.
“After a challenging few years, it’s great to see Rugby back playing again in the Philippines as well was abroad. Programs locally and such as the one in the UK is evident the passion for Philippine Rugby is strong and hopefully success on the field follows alongside” Letts adds.
For more information on the competition and rugby development, follow Philippine Rugby on Facebook and Instagram

2022 Harpenden Rugby National Pub & Hen 7s Team:

1. Steve Pagtalunan Howorth
2. Christian Cawagas Gapuz
3. Michael Urbano Greenhalgh
4. Vince Amar Young
5. Finn Dela Cruz Mulholland
6. Justine Palacio Catubig
7. William Obienta Anderson
8. Robert Gabona Orr
9. Jobel De Castro
10. Raphael Concepcion Barberis
11. Rafael Julian Philipps
12. Charles Vicente
13. Judd Urbano Greenhalgh

Coach: Travis McIntyre
Manager: Matthew Orag Bellenie