100 Days To Go To Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009

With 100 days to go until Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 kicks off in Dubai, the showpiece tournament is on course to deliver a festival of breathtaking Rugby, world class facilities and a memorable event for fans attending from all over the world.

The tournament, which for the first time in RWC Sevens history features a women’s competition alongside the men’s event, is on course to take Rugby World Cup Sevens to new heights after a record-breaking tournament three years ago in Hong Kong.

Ticket, travel, commercial and broadcast programmes are all on track as Dubai looks set to welcome up to 120,000 supporters from all over the world to Emirates Airline’s purpose-built facility ‘The Sevens’ over the three competition days.

Rugby World Cup Sevens Tournament Director Beth Coalter, speaking from Dubai ahead of this week’s opening round of the hugely popular IRB Sevens World Series at The Sevens, said that she is impressed with the high level of planning and preparation for the tournament – the largest RWC Sevens to date.

“With 100 days to go until the start of Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai we are confident that we are on track to deliver the best ever Rugby World Cup Sevens. The new Sevens facility looks superb and will deliver world class facilities for the teams and for the thousands of fans who will travel from all over the world to attend this special event to watch the best players,” said Coalter.

“The tournament will be played on two Rugby pitches with men’s and women’s matches played on both over the three days ensuring that the teams get to experience the special atmosphere of the main pitch. The finals will all be played on the main pitch and I am sure that both the men’s and women’s tournaments will deliver wonderfully competitive and exciting matches.”

The global qualification process for the tournament is now complete.

Defending champions Fiji, New Zealand, England, South Africa, Australia, France, Scotland and Argentina all qualified automatically after reaching the Melrose Cup quarter-finals at RWC Sevens 2005 in Hong Kong.

They will be joined by Host Union, the Arabian Gulf, plus regional qualifiers Uruguay (South America), Portugal, Wales, Georgia, Ireland, Italy (Europe), Samoa, Tonga (Oceania), Japan, Hong Kong (Asia), USA, Canada (North America), Kenya, Zimbabwe and Tunisia (Africa) in the men’s tournament.

In the women’s event Brazil (South America), England, Netherlands, Russia, France, Spain, Italy (Europe), Australia, New Zealand (Oceania), South Africa, Uganda (Africa), Japan, Thailand, China (Asia), Canada and USA (North America) have all confirmed their places in Dubai through regional qualifiers.

“The global qualifying process has been a great success,” added Coalter. “It is the largest ever qualification process for a RWC Sevens with 87 men’s teams and 83 women’s teams from all six IRB regions competing to secure a place for Dubai.

“In addition, the standard of competition across every qualifying tournament has been extremely high. Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 promises to be a spectacular event and the IRB looks forward to welcoming the global Rugby community to Dubai in March.”

Gary Chapman, President Group Services and Dnata, Emirates Group, added: “With just 100 days to go to the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009, we are thrilled with the way everything has come together at Emirates’ new sports facility, The Sevens.”

“This weekend’s Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens will see the public and players getting their first glimpse of the spectacular new venue. And we are certain that in 100 days time it will be even more impressive when we welcome the world back for the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 – the largest global sports event Dubai has hosted to date.”

The pools and tournament schedule for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 will be announced at a Rugby World Cup Sevens press conference in Dubai on January 19.

This is the time to convince your partners / spouses / mothers that Dubai is the New Paris when it comes to shopping – ed

IRB Adopts New Player Availability Regulation for International Matches

The International Rugby Board Council today adopted a new regulation on player availability for international matches. The new Regulation 9 will apply from January 1, 2009 and follows extensive consultation with all stakeholders.

IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said, “Over recent years the IRB has been engaged in a detailed consultation process with its Member Unions to develop a player release regulation that is consistent with the needs of the modern Game and is fair and proportionate for all stakeholders.”

“I believe we have achieved an outcome that will now provide more certainty and clarity for everyone in the Game. The adoption of this new Regulation 9 follows on from various initiatives undertaken by the IRB recently to establish a global consensus on the Game and how its regulatory structure should meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving sport. The IRB is continuing to review all of Rugby’s regulations with relevant stakeholders to ensure they remain fit for purpose.”

“As a world governing body we are conscious of the need to create a defined framework and schedule for the organisation of international and domestic matches. This is reflected in the revised Regulation 9 which caps the number of international matches for which players must be released and identifies when they are released back to their clubs or provinces.”

“Due to differences in playing seasons and tournament structures the number of international matches is 11 for Northern Hemisphere Unions and 12 for Southern Hemisphere Unions. Furthermore, Council decided not to include fallow weeks in international tournament periods as part of the release periods,” added Mr Lapasset.

Regulation 9 will only apply to the following:

Release for Designated Events

* Rugby World Cup and Qualification
* Rugby World Cup Sevens
* British & Irish Lions Tour
* Olympic Rugby Tournament and Qualification

Global release periods

* June international window – the right to release for the senior national representative team, the next senior national representative team and the Under 20 national representative team. Three matches played in June.
* November international window – the right to release for the senior national representative team, the next senior national representative team and the Under 20 national representative team. Three matches played in November.
* There are no Global Release Periods in a Rugby World Cup year.

Hemisphere Release Periods

* Annual release period for Northern Hemisphere eligible players: Five weeks (matches) out of the seven weeks from the first weekend of February to the third weekend of March for the senior national representative team, the next senior national representative team and the Under 20 national representative team.

* Annual release period for Southern Hemisphere eligible players: Six weeks (matches) out of the nine weeks from July 1 to August 31 for the senior national representative team, the next senior national representative team and the Under 20 national representative team.

Release for pre-match assembly, training and squad sessions

* The Assembly period begins five days prior to the kick off of an International match
* The Rugby World Cup Assembly period begins 35 days prior to the start of the tournament during which warm-up matches may be played
* Three squad sessions per year are permitted, each session is for a maximum of three days for up to 30 players from the senior national representative team, to be taken as follows:

For all Unions, the Monday to Wednesday of the week preceding the Assembly period for the November window

For Northern Unions, the Monday to Wednesday of the week preceding the Assembly period for the Northern Hemisphere release period

For Southern Unions, the Monday to Wednesday of the week preceding the Assembly period for the Southern Hemisphere release period

The third session may be taken from a Monday to a Wednesday, subject to notification in advance of the relevant season

How about the non-professional players that can’t get leave from their employers … can we use this ruling to get time off.

-Ed-

IRB Awards of the year

Shane Williams Named IRB Player of the Year 2008

Wales wing Shane Williams has been named the International Rugby Board Player of the Year for 2008. He received the prize at the IRB Awards ceremony in association with Emirates Airline, which was held in London on Sunday evening.

The 31-year-old, who scored six tries during the 2008 Six Nations to break the Wales all-time try scoring record, is the first Welshman to pick up the most prestigious individual award on the Rugby calendar.

Williams fought off stiff competition from New Zealand fly half and 2005 IRB Player of the Year Dan Carter, his Wales teammate Ryan Jones, Scotland scrum half Mike Blair and Italy captain Sergio Parisse to win the nomination from the IRB Awards judging panel convened by double Rugby World Cup winner John Eales.

“It’s quite mad to be honest,” said Williams moments after receiving the award. “It’s been a hell of a year and this has just capped it off really. It’s the biggest honour you can get as an individual in rugby and it’s totally overwhelming.”

On an evening of celebration and reflection at the ceremony hosted at Old Billingsgate, Williams’ success prevented a clean-sweep for New Zealand of the top awards as New Zealand reclaimed the IRB Team of the Year award while Graham Henry was named IRB Coach of the Year.

For the All Blacks and Henry, the awards cap a tremendous year that saw the team bounce back from a disappointing Rugby World Cup to win the Tri Nations in 2008. To date New Zealand has a record 12 wins from 14 Test matches with the possibility of a successful grand slam tour of the northern hemisphere on the cards if they beat England at Twickenham on November 29.

“It’s been very satisfying,” said Henry reflecting on the year and his award. “There have been 15 or so players who left us after the Rugby World Cup to play in this part of the world so it’s great to have a team that’s relatively young and inexperienced come through and do the business.”

Continuing a successful evening for New Zealand, DJ Forbes was named IRB Sevens Player of the Year. A key player in New Zealand’s dominance of the eight-round Grand Prix style Series, captain Forbes led by example, scoring 130 points as his side claimed the title for the eighth time in nine seasons.

New Zealand’s evening of awards was rounded off with promising talent Luke Braid winning the IRB Junior Player of the Year. The new category, introduced to reflect performances at the IRB Junior World Championship which made its debut in 2008, was hugely competitive with Braid facing stiff competition from teammate Chris Smith and England’s Joe Simpson for the prestigious age grade accolade.

The International Rugby Players’ Association (IRPA) Special Merit award went to former Argentina captain Agustin Pichot. This was in recognition for his tremendous service to the Game on and off the field and in particular his role over the last decade in helping drive Argentina into the top five of the world. The IRPA Try of the Year was awarded to the Irish team and Brian O’Driscoll who scored a wonderful try against Australia in June.

The IRB Women’s Personality of the Year was awarded to Carol Isherwood OBE, one of the driving forces behind England’s success on and off the field over the past decade and a champion of the global development of the Women’s Game. The IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service was awarded to 1999 and 2003 Rugby World Cup final referee and SA Rugby Referee Manager Andre Watson.

The Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service went to former Australia international Sir Nicolas Shehadie OBE, the Spirit of Rugby Award was presented to Roelien Muller and Patrick Cotter, organisers of the Phuket 10s who raise funds for orphans of the 2004 Tsunami. The IRB Development Award was given to the TAG Rugby Development Trust who introduce thousands of children to Rugby in Africa and India each year through the non-contact form of the Game.

The ceremony also saw the announcement of five inductees into the IRB Hall of Fame. Established in 2006 to chronicle the achievements and the special contribution of Rugby’s players, coaches, administrators, match officials, institutions and individuals, the 2008 inductees are; 1888 Natives Team of New Zealand and their captain Joe Warbrick, Melrose Club and Ned Haig, British Lions legend Dr Jack Kyle, Argentina great Hugo Porta and France’s record breaker Philippe Sella.

IRB Awards 2008

IRB Player of the Year: Shane Williams (Wales)

IRB Team of the Year: New Zealand

IRB Coach of the Year: Graham Henry (New Zealand)

IRB Junior Player of the Year: Luke Braid (New Zealand)

IRB Sevens Player of the Year: DJ Forbes (New Zealand)

Spirit of Rugby Award: Roelien Muller and Patrick Cotter

Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Sir Nicholas Shehadie

IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Andre Watson

IRB International Women’s Personality of the Year: Carol Isherwood

IRB Development Award: Tag Rugby Development Trust and Martin Hansford

IRPA Special Merit Award: Agustin Pichot

IRPA Try of the Year: Brian O’Driscoll, Australia v Ireland

IRB Hall of Fame inductees: 1888 Natives Team of New Zealand & Joe Warbrick, Melrose & Ned Haig, Dr Jack Kyle, Hugo Porta and Philippe Sella.

On Behalf of BRFU, we would like to congratulate Phuket Vagabond for their achievement!

The wrong mix

China’s rugby union team have pulled out of a landmark tournament in Taiwan due to visa problems, sporting officials said yesterday, although they denied any political reasons were behind the withdrawal.

“There was lots of paperwork [for the visas] and we needed to hand in lots of material for each member of the team,” said an official with the China Rugby Association surnamed Zhang.

“In the end there were some problems with the material we handed in so we had to pull out,” he said.

The tournament, to take place in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan this week, was meant to see China line up against Taiwan, Singapore and Sri Lanka.

It is part of the Asian Five Nations series, involving 25 teams from across the region.

The South China Morning Post reported yesterday that China may have pulled out because it was concerned about protests by nationalist Taiwanese, and that the competition was described as a “nations” tournament.

But Zhang insisted politics had no influence on the team’s withdrawal.

“It is not that,” he said when asked about the alleged political concerns.

Recent visits by two Chinese envoys to Taiwan were met by protests.

China’s top Taiwan negotiator, Chen Yunlin, made history when he visited Taiwan last week, but protests against his visit ended in clashes between police and demonstrators that left more than 110 people injured.

Last month, his deputy Zhang Mingqing — in Taiwan to prepare for Chen’s visit — was jostled by independence activists in Tainan and fell to the ground.

Taiwanese rugby officials said that China’s visas had been approved on Oct. 25, so the problems lay with the Chinese side.

“They apologized to us saying they could not get their visas processed,” said Pian Ying-hui, from the Chinese Taipei Rugby Football Union.

This is what happens when you mix Politics & Sports – Ed

Asia for 2015 World Cup

Rugby’s power-brokers would be foolish not to hold the 2015 World Cup in Asia, according to Japan coach John Kirwan.

Japan lost out to New Zealand for the 2011 tournament but former All Blacks winger Kirwan says an Asian country should get the nod ahead of England and other rivals for the next one.

“I think it would be very silly not to give it to Asia,” Kirwan told Reuters after returning from last weekend’s Bledisloe Cup clash between New Zealand and Australia in Hong Kong.

“People are probably talking about England getting the World Cup more than us (Japan) which I believe would be a mistake.

“Obviously, for (Britain) having the 2012 Olympics that would be the icing on the cake for them, to pay for the infrastructure they’ve already had to shell out for.

“But the strategy of the game going forward is what? To grow rugby or not? That’s the only question the people running this game have to answer.

“If we want to make this game a serious global contender for the sports market then it has to come to Asia.”

The former Italy coach insisted there was still work to be done to convince the International Rugby Board (IRB) to award the 2015 World Cup to cash-rich Asia.

He rejected the notion that IRB officials could feel Japan was “due” having missed out for the 2011 tournament.

“I don’t think it’s a shoo-in,” said Kirwan, who has just signed an extended contract keeping him in the Japan job until 2011.

“There’s plenty of support from the public but from a political point of view there’s still a lot of work to be done.”

OLD STEREOTYPES

Kirwan said his biggest hurdle was breaking down old stereotypes about Japan, Asia’s top rugby nation, among the game’s establishment.

“There are three pretty big misconceptions out there about Japan,” he said. “Firstly, there is an incredible infrastructure here — we’ve got the stadiums, we’ve got everything.

“Second (the misconception) that Japan is expensive for tourists. That’s wrong. You can really live cheaply here. If you want to have $6 noodles for dinner you can.

“Third, will an Asian World Cup make money? Well that’s just ridiculous.”

South Africa and Italy have also expressed in hosting the 2015 World Cup but Kirwan insisted Japan was the logical choice for the IRB.

“They are really concerned about making money but I keep saying this is the second richest economy in the world — tell me there the problems are,” said the 43-year-old.

“We have the biggest companies in the world sponsoring our game — why wouldn’t you want to marry us?.”

My 2008 Dream team / World XVs

We’re at the end of the end of 2007/2008 Rugby Season and the Beginning of the 2008/2009 season. Here is my choice of World’s 1st XV.

Tight Head Prop: Tony Woodcock (New Zealand)

Hooker: Mario Ledesma (Argentina)

Loose Head Prop: Jon Smit (South Africa)

Locks: Victor Matfield (South Africa) / Ali Williams (New Zealand)

Blindside Flanker: Rocky Elsom (Australia)

Openside Flanker: Ritchie McCaw (New Zealand)

No.8: Sergio Parisse (Italy) – Vice Captain

Scrumhalf: Jean-Baptiste Elissalde (France) – Captain

Flyhalf: Dan Carter (New Zealand)

Blindside Wing: Shane Williams (Wales)

Inside Center: Juan Martin Hernandez (Argentina)

Outside Center: Jamie Noon (England)

Wing: Vincent Clerc (France)

Fullback: Cedric Heymans (France)

What say you?

BlogCatalog

Do your bit to put Rugby in the Olympics

Interestingly, after my last post, the following article was forwarded to me by a reader. Please register yourself to the site listed below and have your say for rugby to be included in the Olympics. Don’t let the those yanks dictate what sports should the world play. (baseball and softball … volleyball and beach volleyball …duh gimme my Duff!)

Let us help IRB promote the game in the Olympics .…. YOU CAN DO IT!

The IRB is asking all Rugby players and supporters to assist in spreading the message that the sport of Rugby should be included in the Olympic Games. The successful re-introduction of Rugby into the Olympic Games is an objective of the Strategic Plan for the Game as agreed by all Member Unions.

The IRB believes the ideal form of Rugby for Olympic inclusion is Rugby Sevens which has a proven and very successful record in similar multi-sports Games such as the Commonwealth Games. The IOC will vote on which sports to include in the Olympic Games in Copenhagen, Denmark in October 2009.

The key messages that we believe are important and highlight why Rugby should be in the Olympic Games are:

• Rugby reinforces the ideals of Olympism, thanks to Rugby’s long-standing ethos of fair play and friendship
• Rugby Sevens would reach a new and young audience, including Rugby’s 3 million players in 116 countries and the tens of millions of fans worldwide
• Rugby Sevens does not need a purpose built stadium and would fill the Olympic Stadium in the first week of competition, adding an additional vibrant and youthful tone for the Games
• Rugby Sevens would extend the number of potential medal-winning nations in what would be a true world championship. Countries that could aspire to Olympic success in Rugby include Fiji, Samoa, Argentina, South Africa, Kenya and New Zealand.
• Rugby would increase funds to grow the Olympic Movement, by attracting new commercial partners and spectators. At the same time Rugby would enjoy increased funding and access to facilities from National Olympic Committees as an Olympic sport.

Presently we are providing a lot of information to the IOC on why Rugby should be reintroduced to the Olympic Games and you can assist Rugby with this ambition.

How can you do this?

Respond to the IOC’s Virtual Olympic Congress at http://www.2009congress.olympic.org/. (please click here, register and follow the following instructions ….)

The International Olympic Committee is asking the general public all around the world for feedback as its progresses its plans for the future of the Olympic Games. The IRB believes that future should include Rugby. The IOC has created a specific website called the Virtual Olympic Congress to record this feedback between now and December 31 this year.

The online process for submitting information on this website is very cumbersome but we ask you to persevere with it as we believe it is important that the IOC hears from the Rugby family. To help you here is some information on the online feedback process:

1. Please register and accept the General Conditions

2. Once you have done this you will be asked to comment on two of the five core themes:

• The Athletes
• Olympic Games
• The Structure of the Olympic Movement
• Olympism and Youth
• Digital Revolution.

3. We believe the best places to place your thoughts are: the “Olympic Games” ; and “Olympism and Youth”. Before adding your online contribution you might like to read the five points above again, and read the IRB’s Olympic magazine “Drive” and “Rugby in the Olympic Games“

4. Under “Olympic Games” there are three sub topics. Please add your contribution in the forms that are provided for each topic

5. Under Olympism and Youth there are three sub topics: Please add your contribution in the forms that are provided for each topic

Another way of promoting Rugby’s inclusion in the Olympic Games is to write to or contact your National Olympic Committee. Remember to ask the NOC to forward your comments to the IOC members within that country.

Download the IRB’s Olympic brochure here:-

Drive – Rugby and the Olympic movement

BlogCatalog

20:08hrs 08.08.08 When will our day come?

It’s not well known that rugby has been on the Olympic program on four occasions — in Paris in 1900, London in 1908, Antwerp in 1920 and Paris in 1924, with the US being the reigning Olympic Champions.

In 1900 in Paris three teams — France, Germany and Britain — entered. France took the gold medal beating Germany 27-17. Germany took the silver beating Britain 27-8 in the only other game, with the Brits awarded the bronze.

In London 1908 there were only two teams, Britain and Australia. In the only match, a straight final, Australia won 32-3.

In 1920 in Antwerp there were again only two teams, the USA and France. The USA had an unexpected 8-0 win in the only match.

Paris in 1924 saw three teams, France, USA, and Romania, enter. Both France and the USA beat Romania in a type of round robin and then played each other in a final at Colombes Stadium, Paris. The USA won the gold with a 17-3 victory in front of a crowd of 30,000.

It seems the USA victory was not popular in France. The American anthem was jeered and the match is reported to have ended in an uproar when a walking-stick brandishing French fan attacked one of the American reserves.

At the Amsterdam games in 1928 the International Olympic Committee turned down a request to include rugby. The reasons thought to be behind the decision were that the IOC sought more emphasis on individual sports; that women’s events had increased the number of competitors; and that the sport didn’t receive the backing expected from the British entries.

In 1980 the Soviet Union, and in 1988 South Korea, attempted to have rugby reinstated as an Olympic sport, with the 1988 attempt nearly achieving success.

While it would be logistically difficult to hold a full fifteen-a-side rugby competition in conjunction with the Olympics, the popularity of Sevens rugby at the Commonwealth Games has been such that a Sevens competition at the Olympics would surely be a worthwhile addition to the program.

Tomorrow, the Olympic torch will set alight again in Beijing for 17 days, and again, there won’t be any Rugby event in this tournament. But, what saddened me most is when the IOC decided not to have Rugby in the 2012 Olympics in London.

Rugby World Cup is now the 3rd most watched Sporting event and the 2nd most watched single sporting event in the World, but yet, IOC still refuse to include rugby in. I wonder why? Is it because the Great US of A (they were the defending Champions, mind you!), Russia, China and the other big nation has no chance winning a medal? Or is it because England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales need to play as team Great Britain? Only they have the answer!

Until then … I’ll just have to put Synchronize Swimming as my MUST watch event …

Ainol Says Women can play Rugby!

An interesting article Ainol Razman found in Al-Jazeera online:

Rugby and women may not seem an ideal combination in Islamic Iran, but females are enthusiastically taking up the rough sport amid official encouragement for them to participate in physical activities.

Women in Iran proudly see themselves as the most liberated in the Middle East, but are still expected to combine their careers and leisure activities with traditional expectations of childbearing, cooking and cleaning. All women must cover their heads and bodily contours in Iran, with the rugby field being no exception.

Players wearing the ‘maghnaeh’, a garment that fully covers the head, shoulders and neck, along with a loose blue waistcoat, a long-sleeved dark T-shirt and loose tracksuit trousers run from rucks to mauls all over the field.

It is not the most appropriate uniform for playing rugby, but the players don’t seem to mind, especially when the game allows them to let off steam in a way that is unimaginable elsewhere in their lives.

“I am extraordinarily interested in rugby and it does not matter what I wear. It is not uncomfortable,” said 16-year-old Sahar Azizi, a high school student.

Elham Shahsavari, a 24-year-old Iranian woman, believes she has found a sport perfect for her, and is a member of the Tehran women’s rugby team.

“In early 2006, Gorgan University advised me to play rugby because of my physical power,” said the well-built Shahsavari, who overcame objections from her family who worried about her travelling to training in a Tehran suburb.

“Rugby Union was just my thing.”

A quarter of a century ago, in the early years of the 1979 Islamic revolution when competitive sports for women were strongly discouraged, it would have been unthinkable for Iranian women to play a sport as physical as rugby.

However much has changed since then, even if women playing sport in Iran still have a long way to go before they are truly competitive at an international level.

In the 1990s, encouragement from Faezeh Hashemi, daughter of then-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, helped women to take up sport again.

Initially women mainly participated in stationary sports such as archery and shooting but now compete in a wider range of physical activities including strength-based disciplines like rowing, martial arts and rugby.

Alireza Iraj, Tehran women’s rugby coach, admitted that the team’s Islamic dress would make it impossible for them to play against sides from Western nations as “the long sleeves and loose clothes gives the opponents an easy chance to grab them.”

“They have to play with Muslim countries who have similar clothes,” he said.

As a man coaching a female team, 37-year-old Iraj knows he has to stay in line with one of Iran’s Islamic rules which states that members of the opposite sex cannot touch each other unless they are married couples or immediate members of a family.

When advising the team on how to tackle, Iraj keeps a decent distance away from the women and then instructs one of the players to demonstrate how to grab an opponent rather than carrying out the move himself.

“This is not a violent sport for women at all, despite what people think. We need to discharge our energy,” said Zahra Nouri, team captain.

Pouran Taherabadi, the mother of one of the players, was happy to see the level of physical activity, saying it would make it easier for her to deal with her energetic daughter at home.

“It is good for us that she has the chance here to discharge her energy,” she said.

“I have nothing against it.”

The Tehran women’s rugby team was set up in 2003 and a year after it won the national championship.

Other women’s rugby teams in the country are from Golestan, Kerman, Kermanshah, Semnan, North Khorasan, Shiraz and Isfahan.

So Ladies …. if you are interested playing the game, we’ve already started one. Please contact the union (bruneirugby@yahoo.com) for more details.

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We believe in Us

“Boy .. did you guys play cricket or rugby?”

“It must be hard on the boys ..”

“We shouldn’t be in this group, Laos Cambodia and Indonesia is where we should be …”

It’s a week to this day when we were beaten by Guam … our biggest losing margin in an International test match (so we thought) but 3 days later, we were thrashed by the Volcanoes by a bigger margin.

What went wrong?

We need to work on the 4Ms in rugby:-

1. Method,
2. Material,
3. Manpower &
4. measurement

To have all these Ms we need the most important M of all – MONEY!

The boys did the best within their capabilities. I feel for them when I saw a couple of them shed their tears after the games. It is not their fault. What they are lack of are these 5Ms.

Manpower

After the great BRFU Season, the management team has narrowed down 40 of the best players in the league. Sadly only 18 turned up during the first training session, and a lot of them has turned the offer down based on their other commitments. This is very crucial for any National Team, we need a large pool of players to choose from. We need players who are willing to forgo everything … and having the pride of representing his nation. To represent the nation is a privilege and not their rights. We need players to compete within the training camp to be the best. Only with this .. we can have a strong national team as they will be a healthy competition within the training camp, everyone will give 150% effort to be chosen.

Material

When we were in Guam, we were given training equipments that most of our players used for the very first time. Some of the boys didn’t even know how to put on the contact suit. We need these materials for us to prepare our boys physically and psychologically. We need the boys to receive big hits by their peers, and we need their peers to give them the big hits without injuring them. When they are use to receive all these hits, they body and mind will be prepared for it, hence they won’t be any more fear when you get the big hits from their opponents. Rugby is all about contact.

We also need Machines to bulk the boys up. The boys need to have more muscle in order to compete internationally. We do have the height and the weight, what we need is for them to tone up a wee bit. (or bulk up for the others … you know who you are.)

Method

Coaches need to go for trainings too, the coaches need to improve their method of coaching. For 25 years of playing (minus 10 years here and there) I’ve learned the same method over and over again, until I met Mr. Willie Hetaraka who was in Guam coaching the Guam National Side. His coaching method was based on the law of the game. It is something new to all of us, and with this knowledge we can improve our strategy of the game. We need to work on our Strength and improve our Weaknesses. We need to know where we went wrong, only with mistakes we learn to be better.

Measurement

How do you measure yourselves in this game? Through experience. The more you play the more rugby knowledge you’ll get.

We also need specialize measurement for each players in the team. For example:-

1. heavy and Mobile front row forwards
2. Tall and mobile 2nd rowers
3. Fast and aggressive back row forwards
4. agile, fast and cunning scrumhalf
5. precision, fast and agile fly half
6. fast and robust midfield backs
7. very fast wings and fullbacks

How do we measure this, let the coaches set the target!

Best the MOST important M for us to achieve all these is MONEY. The Union has spend a lot of moolahs trying to develop the game in the country. We need Cash to send our players abroad to play more international TEST matches. Only by playing more, the players can gain more experience and know where they are lack in.

To send a team for a weekend test match abroad, we will need at least BND20K. But the question is always chicken or egg first when it comes to the sponsors. Prove to us that you can win, we will give you the grant, but for us, without the grant, we can go further than where we are.

We have a very young team now. 7 of the players have not reached the age of 20 yet whilst the rest of them are below 23. Three of them are between 23-25 and 2 of them are below 30. Only Granpa Hansie and Uncle Qadir are well above their 30’s. I believe in this team. I see their camaraderie and I am proud to say, THIS is the team of the future for the next 5 years. With the right Method, more Manpower having enough materials and ready to be measured with some money … I believe the current team will make Brunei Proud of their achievements. Only Time will tell.

So for the potential sponsors out there, who believe in us, please do not hesitate to contact us at bruneirugby@yahoo.com

Let’s do this for BRUNEI!

footnote:

We would like to thank Stephan Gratham, Janice Sablan, Guam Marriott Resort and the rest of Guam RU for their hospitality, Jay Savage of Philippines RU and Sean Moore of ARFU for their assistance, Willie Hetaraka for the pointers, Jarrad of IRB, Team Guam and Team Philippines for the hard knock lesson, Brunei’s Youth and Sports Department … and last but not least … the rest of you who believe in us.