Rugby fever to sweep Nomads this weekend

Rugby players from as far as Australia, Germany and England and those from Asian countries Malaysia, Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong converge here this weekend for the Sinclair James Manila 10’s 2003 International Rugby Festival at Nomad Sports Club in Merville Park.

Despite the threat of war in Iraq, the British Club from Bangkok confirmed it is coming to defend the Cup championship in the 15th edition of the event hosted by Nomad Sports Club under president Edward Du – the first Filipino to lead the club.

Challenging the reigning champion are 20 teams, including the Pot Belly Lights and the Pot Belly Pigs from Hong Kong, the Flying Elvises from Malaysia, the Sydney Schooners from Australia and the Pattaya Panthers from Thailand.

Also in the field are the Nomads A and B, HKFC Scorpions, Dusseldorf Dragons, Robbers & Floggers, Taipei Baboons, Seoul Survivors, Groin, Royal Brunei Yacht Club, Panaga Crocs, Saipan, Macau Rugby Club, Old Wellingtonians, Leighton Larrikins and Philippine Warriors.

Rugby is a fast, exciting contact sport that is usually played by 15 players a side. The Ten-a-Side, though, allows for faster play over a shorter time, with many points scored. Unlike grid-iron, only the man with the ball may be tackled, and the ball can only be passed backwards.

This means the whole team must be involved, running and frequently passing the ball in order to ground it behind the opponents’ line. Previously a sport virtually unknown to Filipinos, frequent showing of games on cable television has aroused more interest in this country.

Rugby is vigorously played on the field, yet in spite of giving and receiving very hard tackles, once the final whistle is blown, the players freely mix with one another over a few beers. Such is the spirit of the game that many visiting teams adopt amusing names. Two teams this year from Hong Kong have named themselves after an affliction associated with beer drinkers. One has called themselves the Pot Belly Lights while the other Pot Belly Pigs.

The team from Malaysia has for years been known as the Flying Elvises, while the team from Australia is called Sydney Schooners. The "schooner" is the biggest beer glass used in the Sydney area. Other amusing names are Pattaya Panthers, Taipei Baboons, Leighton’s Larrikins and Robbers and Floggers.

Attempting to win its own tournament for a change, Nomad Sports Club will field two teams. For the past years, Nomad’s members have been providing instruction to the students of MAAP, the marine college in Bataan. The students have adopted rugby as their sport and will have the opportunity to now test their proficiency against the bigger and more experienced overseas players. Their games may at first appear as a David versus Goliath situation, but those who have watched this team believe their speedy running and ball passing may well surprise many.