In Full Contact

CEBU, Philippines - Contact sports give me the chills; cause my hands and feet to sweat even though I’m just a mere spectator on the bench, wishing nothing surprisingly upsetting happens in the next few gaming minutes. Oh well, a contact sport is not for the faint-hearted and weaklings, but if you belong to the hyperactive category who exude a beastly demeanor in the playing field, then you should be where the action is.

Rugby is a new outdoor contact sport being played here in Cebu since expats Dave Smith and Damien Allison brought it here in 2005. Of course, some Cebuanos were at their portals waiting to get into the action while others can’t simply take off their fear of getting tackled, like me, but are willing to take it easy and slowly; and still others are perhaps best labeled as fans and are contented to cheer at the sides. When the Philippine Rugby Football Union was founded in 1999, it was only then that the Filipinos got abreast with the sport. At present, there are more than five clubs under PRFU and one of which is the Cebu City Rugby Football Club.

I found myself at The Sandtrap game field along Maria Luisa Road, Banilad, one Sunday afternoon to get acquainted with the sport. Seated on the grass in one corner, I watched the Black Dragons, the all-Filipino team, have some real practice in preparation for today’s competition dubbed as Cebu 10’s International Rugby Festival at the Aboitiz Field, where they get in full contact with the international players and some of the best players in the country. As the game progressed, the adrenaline rush increased, giving no room for traumatophobia (fear of injury) to creep in. The goal is to try to get the ball by passing, carrying and kicking the ball into the end zone while the other team tries to stop the ball-carrier using whatever means possible. There was also a group of ladies and kids playing Touch Rugby in the opposite side of the field which I later found out is a skill game minus the “tackle.” The ladies were members of the CCRFC giving a crash course on the sport to the kids of Operation Restore Hope, an organization that helps kids with cleft lips, the beneficiary of the event.

The CCRFC has three teams namely the Black Dragons, an all-Filipino team; the Low Flying Dragons composed of expatriates, and the Ladies’ Touch. According to Black Dragons team captain Noel Flowers of the SEAGames National Team, for one to be good in this sport “you have to practice and train with everything. The good thing about Rugby is whatever your body type, there’s usually a position for you. You just need a little bit of hand-eye coordination. Athletic helps but it’s not necessary; it’s more of understanding the game. The more you watch the better you become.”

The general idea: There are some rules regarding what you can do. In general, you can only pass the rugby ball backwards. If you want to move the ball forward, you either have to run with the ball or kick it but the opponents who are chasing the ball have to come from behind you. “If you’re not scared of full contact and you can run a little bit and catch the ball, then you can play rugby and the rules just come when you learn how to play,” enthused Flowers. The team players suggest that if you are interested to pursue Rugby, start playing Touch to be well-versed with the fundamentals.

I was amazed seeing the ladies played “contact” with the men, thinking how delicate women are. Flowers emphasized that there is no rule against women playing in a men’s league but men can’t play in a women’s league. In that case, women can be tackled but they can wear protection if they opt to. The team is currently training four ladies to play contact. Isn’t that neat? CCRFC’s Ladies’ Touch team recently won bronze in the Girl’s Manila Touch Tourney , the first major Touch tournament in the country.

Taboo: “The main restriction is because there are no helmets and pads, you’re not allowed to tackle above the neck,” underscores Flowers. Safety is vital. Any tackles above the neck and in the head is dangerous. Players only tackle the ball-carrier.

There are different kinds of rugby that are played. The rugby that is played international level and that you see on TV is the international competition, the 15-a side game, meaning 15 people on each side play for over two forty-minute halves, that is a little shorter than a soccer game. On Saturday, the team is set to play a 10-a side game where there’s a little bit more running in a 10 on 10 yards field for 90 minutes. The 7-a side rugby is what they’re planning to put into the Olympics, SEAGames, ASEAN Games. The 7-a side is for specialists since it requires a lot of running because of the less number of players. Here’s the catch: Just like the soccer game, once you’re being substituted, you can’t go back in the game anymore so better work on your stamina to stay longer in the field.

Lester Loma, the youngest player of Black Dragons at 17, shares he started his obsession with the sport when he was only 14. After rigid trainings in Touch Rugby he eventually got into Contact. Later on, he earned a spot in the touring squad and on that same year, he was selected to be part of the National Team for the under 20’s category along with Jong Chu and Ted Velez. “Di man hadlok ang Contact. This is my ideal sport that I consider a man’s sport for real. Murag sakit tan-awon pag once naa ka sa game, di na gyud na ingon sakit plus the adrenaline rush pa gyud. As long as kahibawo na jud ka unsaon, okey na gyud kaayo. Kung mahadlok ka, mas mainjured pa jud ka,” said Loma. After conversing with Lester, I got more convinced to give Rugby a try...one step at a time.

 “One thing that I really love about the sport is more on the camaraderie than anything else. The idea of the game is when you’re out there in the field, in full contact rugby, part of the idea is to hurt your opponent. But after the game is done, there are no hard feelings. I really maintain good friendships with them. I’d like to quote Joe Theismann the NFL Quarterback, that sums up rugby perfectly: ‘I love rugby. They go out on the field with no pads, no helmet. They try to kill each other and then all go and have a beer after’,” concluded Flowers whose love for the game keeps on growing since he started at the age of 10.

 Interested to play Rugby and start burning calories? The CCRFC practices at The Sandtrap every Sunday if they have a scheduled game at the Aboitiz Field and in Cebu City Sports Complex every Tuesday and Thursday. Anyone is welcome. They are in Facebook and Multiply. Or another option is to check out the International Ruby Festival today, starting at 10AM until 5:30PM and look for Noel Flowers, Jethro Estimo or anyone from CCRFC. Teams from Hong Kong (Kowloon and Hong Kong University), from Manila (Alabang Eagles, Manila Nomads and Nomads Carabaos) and teams from Cebu (Black Dragons, Low Flying Dragons and Barbarians Team) will come in full contact today. Come one, come all!