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dxjayrock20082
Guest
The next big thing in Philippine Sports, rugby! I hoped that Philippine Rugby Football Union will create a youth team. And there should be a pro league for rugby in the philippines.
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b3lowzro2
Guest
well Football (or for us Soccer) even if it has a lot of enthusiast here in our country, the sport struggles to maintain a semi-pro status, unlike Volleyball and Baseball which has solid financial backers (Shakey's and LBC). While Rugby is promising sport for us, there are few enthusiast (and even aficionados) in our country, heck the only place I know where they play is the Nomads field down south. And looking at the NT players, even if they're pinoys (or has pinoy heritage) most of them are not even based here. Its a daunting task and a lot of moolah involved to get it started, but it yeah its not impossible.
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dxjayrock20082
Guest
Well, as rugby fans, we should promote this sport to the farthest provinces. Our local sports channels should invite the pinoy rugby players to guest to their shows. Ayala Corporation is funding this sport if I'm not mistaken.
S
seigle422
Guest
check out china rugby nt. which is deadlast and drop to div 3
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b3lowzro2
Guest
Face it joel23, the Chinese don't play no rugby at all and we got players who has pinoy heritage in them which has better exposure from abroad compared to Chinese.
I hope our Singaporean and Malaysian friends here in the forum can share their knowledge about the sport in their country to.
S
Saskibaloia2
Guest
Video on Philippines Volcanoes
Video on Philippines Volcanoes
Here's a great video on the Philippine Rugby National Squad and their preparations prior to their Five Nations (Division 2) Tournament in India.
As some of you know, the lads did very well and won that tournament and next season (next year) will compete in the Asian Five Nations (Division 1), which is just one level below the heavy weights of Asian Rugby such as Japan.
Video on Philippines Volcanoes
Here's a great video on the Philippine Rugby National Squad and their preparations prior to their Five Nations (Division 2) Tournament in India.
As some of you know, the lads did very well and won that tournament and next season (next year) will compete in the Asian Five Nations (Division 1), which is just one level below the heavy weights of Asian Rugby such as Japan.
D
dxjayrock20082
Guest
D
dxjayrock20082
Guest
News feed courtesy of sunstar.com.ph
News feed courtesy of sunstar.com.ph
Limpag: These rugby girls rock
By Mike T. Limpag
AND I don’t mean those you find in the streets, with their hand hidden under their shirt as they clutch a plastic bag full of rugby.
These girls—Beekay delos Santos and Aiumi Ono—are the real deal. They played for the RP team in China and helped bring home the Div. B title after a 20-0 drubbing of Malaysia.
Sure it’s just the Div. B title but it was also just their first tournament abroad.
First try, first title.
Not a bad percentage.
Rugby in Cebu is relatively new and is alive because of a few rugby-loving individuals who try to help the sport gain a foothold in the local scene.
One club, the Flying Dragons, has been organizing one-day meets and even dual meets with Manila teams to help spread the sport.
Now that’s dedication.
Rugby, like cricket, is one of the sports that I have a hard time understanding—you can’t pass forward and a goal is called a try (So can you try for a goal?). Still, I often watch for a few minutes if I catch a few games on TV. It’s one tough game and it’s not for sissies.
A year ago, when my friend from down under, Graeme Mackinnon, came to Cebu, we got to spend a few hours with the other sports reporters in a mini-reunion of sorts.
I grilled him about the rules of both cricket and rugby and even after that—I guess the drinks were to blame too—I still have no idea about both sports.
But this I am sure.
The local rugby scene is sure to grow by leaps and bounds—international achievements usually do that.
Efren Reyes did it with pool in 1999, Manny Pacquiao did it in boxing in 2003. Sure the RP team are no Magicians and Pacmans, but what they did is just as amazing.
Coming from a nation, whose people think of rugby as one that makes things stick, and being able to compete successfully in the international level is something that doesn’t happen by magic.
It’s the product of dedication, hard work, perseverance and talent.
Basically what a national sports association needs—aside from funding of course—to succeed.
Now, the RP team is waiting if the Philippine Sports Commission will allow it to compete in the Asian Games. But judging from the doomsday scenario the PSC has been issuing regarding its funds for the Asiad, I doubt that it will get a spot in the roster.
And that’s too bad.
To continue its growth, the team needs more exposure internationally and though it’s been doing well on its own, eventually it’s going to need some support from the government.
Let’s give rugby a fighting chance.
FEEDBACK. Glen Soco wrote me the other day and said he’s still pretty much involved with sports development in the province.
“I realized that there is still so much more that can be done, not only in volleyball but to sports in general. We are working on right now that each of the 51 LGUs in the province to adopt their own LOCAL VOLLEYBALL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM which would include trainings, seminars and organizing their own local volleyball tournaments and activities.
In this way, we can ensure that our volleyball programs will be sustainable.
Hopefully, with the further support of the Provincial Government, Cebu will emerge as another powerhouse in the sport of volleyball and produce more volleyball legends.”
That’s quite a goal and I think it’s doable.
It’s just too bad that there are no national tournaments for volleyball. Had there been one, I’m pretty confident Cebu’s going to own the title.
(mikelimpag@gmail.com)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on August 6, 2010.
News feed courtesy of sunstar.com.ph
Limpag: These rugby girls rock
By Mike T. Limpag
AND I don’t mean those you find in the streets, with their hand hidden under their shirt as they clutch a plastic bag full of rugby.
These girls—Beekay delos Santos and Aiumi Ono—are the real deal. They played for the RP team in China and helped bring home the Div. B title after a 20-0 drubbing of Malaysia.
Sure it’s just the Div. B title but it was also just their first tournament abroad.
First try, first title.
Not a bad percentage.
Rugby in Cebu is relatively new and is alive because of a few rugby-loving individuals who try to help the sport gain a foothold in the local scene.
One club, the Flying Dragons, has been organizing one-day meets and even dual meets with Manila teams to help spread the sport.
Now that’s dedication.
Rugby, like cricket, is one of the sports that I have a hard time understanding—you can’t pass forward and a goal is called a try (So can you try for a goal?). Still, I often watch for a few minutes if I catch a few games on TV. It’s one tough game and it’s not for sissies.
A year ago, when my friend from down under, Graeme Mackinnon, came to Cebu, we got to spend a few hours with the other sports reporters in a mini-reunion of sorts.
I grilled him about the rules of both cricket and rugby and even after that—I guess the drinks were to blame too—I still have no idea about both sports.
But this I am sure.
The local rugby scene is sure to grow by leaps and bounds—international achievements usually do that.
Efren Reyes did it with pool in 1999, Manny Pacquiao did it in boxing in 2003. Sure the RP team are no Magicians and Pacmans, but what they did is just as amazing.
Coming from a nation, whose people think of rugby as one that makes things stick, and being able to compete successfully in the international level is something that doesn’t happen by magic.
It’s the product of dedication, hard work, perseverance and talent.
Basically what a national sports association needs—aside from funding of course—to succeed.
Now, the RP team is waiting if the Philippine Sports Commission will allow it to compete in the Asian Games. But judging from the doomsday scenario the PSC has been issuing regarding its funds for the Asiad, I doubt that it will get a spot in the roster.
And that’s too bad.
To continue its growth, the team needs more exposure internationally and though it’s been doing well on its own, eventually it’s going to need some support from the government.
Let’s give rugby a fighting chance.
FEEDBACK. Glen Soco wrote me the other day and said he’s still pretty much involved with sports development in the province.
“I realized that there is still so much more that can be done, not only in volleyball but to sports in general. We are working on right now that each of the 51 LGUs in the province to adopt their own LOCAL VOLLEYBALL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM which would include trainings, seminars and organizing their own local volleyball tournaments and activities.
In this way, we can ensure that our volleyball programs will be sustainable.
Hopefully, with the further support of the Provincial Government, Cebu will emerge as another powerhouse in the sport of volleyball and produce more volleyball legends.”
That’s quite a goal and I think it’s doable.
It’s just too bad that there are no national tournaments for volleyball. Had there been one, I’m pretty confident Cebu’s going to own the title.
(mikelimpag@gmail.com)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on August 6, 2010.
D
donmar2
Guest
The Volcanoes are one division away to be able to play against Japan for the World Cup qualifiers.. our national teams should play tier II and tier III rugby nations to improve and develop.. even in just exhibition test matches...
But I think its too early to play tier I rugby nations... If we play against tier I rugby nations (SANZAR, Argentina, Six Nations), our team will get slaughtered as in all 15 players + the bench of those countries scored multiple tries...
But I think its too early to play tier I rugby nations... If we play against tier I rugby nations (SANZAR, Argentina, Six Nations), our team will get slaughtered as in all 15 players + the bench of those countries scored multiple tries...
F
fthesaint2
Guest
For sure our rugby teams are in the right tract. For some budding rugby enthusiasts, check on touch rugby. Men, women, children can try it. It's non contact. A lot of professional rugby teams use it as part of their training to improve their fitness, speed , agility etc. It's fun!
D
dxjayrock20082
Guest
For sure our rugby teams are in the right tract. For some budding rugby enthusiasts, check on touch rugby. Men, women, children can try it. It's non contact. A lot of professional rugby teams use it as part of their training to improve their fitness, speed , agility etc. It's fun!
Yeah. Definitely.
D
donmar2
Guest
For sure our rugby teams are in the right tract. For some budding rugby enthusiasts, check on touch rugby. Men, women, children can try it. It's non contact. A lot of professional rugby teams use it as part of their training to improve their fitness, speed , agility etc. It's fun!
I agree its fun
... best way to start learning rugby or rugby league... back in high school days here NZ, we usually play touch rugby at lunch time and then when its five minutes to go before the afternoon classes starts, we turn the touch rugby game into hard-hitting rugby league
... good times!.. I miss high school
D
dxjayrock20082
Guest
From BusinessWorld Online Edition.
From BusinessWorld Online Edition.
Posted on 07:41 PM, August 19, 2010
BY SAM L. MARCELO, Senior Reporter
Rugby addicts
TO THE untrained eye, the writhing mass of humanity known as a rugby scrum is pure chaos. Inside the maze of interlocking limbs, however, rules and technique determine how players bind together. There is logic to how heads and shoulders are locked, jerseys are gripped, and feet are placed. Beyond the scrum, there are also proper ways of falling and tackling so that no heads are cracked or teeth lost. Rugby, gentle reader, is a civilized game.
The Philippine Volcanoes in a game vs. India.
It must be made clear however, that "rugby" in this piece refers to rugby union, which is different from rugby league. Entire books have been written on the schism that occurred in 1895 and how preferring one form over the other has social connotations. As one saying goes: "Rugby league is a thug’s game played by thugs. Rugby union is a thug’s game played by gentlemen."
Matt Cullen, consultant of the Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) and national coach, put it bluntly: "Rugby union boys actually go to college and university and are good-looking," he said. "The common rugby league player, on the other hand, has the brain size of a pea."
Several variants exist within the sport. There’s full-contact, 15-a-side rugby that favors beefy players; seven-a-side (or sevens), which caters to all body types; and touch rugby, where laying two hands on the ball carrier is the equivalent of a tackle.
According to Mr. Cullen, Filipinos exhibit the most potential in the sevens format, which just happens to be the type of rugby in the Southeast Asian Games, the Asian Games, and the Olympic Games.
"A lot of Filipinos have this misconception that rugby players have to be big and muscular, whereas you can play even if you’re a string bean," the coach said. "It’s a sport for all sizes."
A good sevens team, for example, is a combination of short and bulky players; tall ones built like basketball centers; and agile sprinters. "Everyone here in the Philippines thinks that, oh my God, rugby is American football but that’s just not the case."
American football, by Mr. Cullen’s estimate, is about 98% anaerobic and 2% aerobic. In the National Football League, armored players the size of Arnold Schwarzenegger engage in five-second bursts of brutal, intense power. Rugby, meanwhile, is 60% aerobic and 40% anaerobic -- making it more similar to soccer in that a player must be able to run two 40-minute halves, aside from making the necessary hits.
"You have to be able run and know how to attack and defend. You need the physical presence to make tackles, get up, and keep going. Fitness is key to good rugby," Mr. Cullen said. "Huge guys just can’t run for 40 minutes. They really struggle."
The team won in grand fashion by shutting out its competition -- not a single point was scored against the Philippines. The victory was made even more amazing by the fact that it was the maiden tournament for the ladies, some of whom began training just four months before flying to China.
"I first touched a rugby ball last April," said Manila Santos, who has played flag football, soccer and Ultimate Frisbee for the past couple of years. "I was pleasantly surprised by the art and precision that goes into each tackle and play. It takes sheer guts to take -- or even make -- a hit. For me, nothing beats the rush of successfully executing and surviving a full-on tackle."
The Philippine Volcanoes, on the other hand, trounced India to take the Division 2 title of the Asian 5 Nations Championship. This men’s team hasn’t lost since it joined the Asian Rugby Football Union. The climb has been remarkable: the Volcanoes were Division 4 champions in 2008; Division 3 champions in 2009; and Division 2 champions this year.
In 2011, the Philippine Volcanoes will be playing in Division 1 along with the best in the region. Jaime Urquijo Zobel, son of Bea Zobel, is part of this team. His cousin, Jaime Alfonso Zobel, son of Jaime Augusto Zobel De Ayala, is looking to join him after a successful stint with the Under-20s team.
The Men’s Sevens and Under-20s teams are also doing well -- the former is fifth in Asia (as Mr. Cullen put it, "a missed tackle or a dropped ball from a bronze medal in the Asian Games") while the latter is in Laos for the Asian U20s Rugby Union Championships. The Under-20s team is the current Division 2 champion and if it can successfully defend its title like the Volcanoes did, it will move up to Division 1.
The boys are coming back next week and Mr. Cullen promised that they’d be bringing home another title with them.
Under the rules of the International Rugby Board, a player may represent a country as long as any of these three conditions are met: he was born in the said country; one parent or grandparent was born in the said country; or he has lived in the said country for three consecutive years immediately preceding the time of play.
The first ever Philippine National Team was composed of almost an all-expatriate representation (Mr. Cullen was part of that roster). This year was the first time that the country fielded a team composed entirely of locally developed players and Filipino heritage players based overseas.
Mr. Cullen said that tapping players who aren’t "homegrown" shouldn’t take anything away from the PRFU’s victories. "It’s partially the result of the Filipino diaspora. It should be a matter of pride that these guys want to come home and represent the country," he said. "We’re beating the powerhouses of Asia like Korea, India, and China. In what other sport has that happened?"
That being said, the coach plans to grow rugby locally and create a separate national team with players born-and-bred in the Philippines. To that end, there are clubs in Manila, Parañaque, Cavite, Bataan, and Cebu as well as development programs in police and military academies, orphanages, and schools.
"We don’t discriminate," said Mr. Cullen. "Our Under-20s team has boys from orphanages and the International School of Manila. We don’t care where they come from, they can all play."
Australia-based Expo Mejia, a world-class rugby coach born in Manila, heard about the PRFU’s efforts and volunteered to render his services to the Philippine team. He now divides his time between the Philippines and Australia; and Mr. Cullen was only too happy to hand over the main coaching responsibility to Mr. Mejia.
"Because rugby is a new in the Philippines, it gives good individual athletes a chance to represent their country," Mr. Cullen said. He added that sports like flag football and Ultimate Frisbee don’t have national teams while medaling in basketball is next to impossible.
"Everyone’s welcome," he said. "Just come down and we’ll accept anyone who’s athletic and sporty."
The PRFU is also looking to promote more homegrown businesses along with its expat-owned sponsors in international tournaments. Mr. Cullen pointed out that the Rugby Union World Cup ranks among the biggest sporting events, after the likes of the Olympic Games and the Soccer World Cup. While the Philippines isn’t at that level yet, the coach wanted to emphasize that rugby is big in the international community -- bigger than basketball.
"Companies can ride the wave of our success," he said. "Rugby is a team sport -- what we do, we have to do together."
(Those want to try rugby can join the open training held on Monday and Wednesday, 6 to 8 p.m. at Philsports Complex, formerly ULTRA, along Meralco Ave. in Ortigas. For more information, call 634-5889 or visit www.prfu.com.)
From BusinessWorld Online Edition.
Posted on 07:41 PM, August 19, 2010
BY SAM L. MARCELO, Senior Reporter
Rugby addicts
TO THE untrained eye, the writhing mass of humanity known as a rugby scrum is pure chaos. Inside the maze of interlocking limbs, however, rules and technique determine how players bind together. There is logic to how heads and shoulders are locked, jerseys are gripped, and feet are placed. Beyond the scrum, there are also proper ways of falling and tackling so that no heads are cracked or teeth lost. Rugby, gentle reader, is a civilized game.
The Philippine Volcanoes in a game vs. India.
It must be made clear however, that "rugby" in this piece refers to rugby union, which is different from rugby league. Entire books have been written on the schism that occurred in 1895 and how preferring one form over the other has social connotations. As one saying goes: "Rugby league is a thug’s game played by thugs. Rugby union is a thug’s game played by gentlemen."
Matt Cullen, consultant of the Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) and national coach, put it bluntly: "Rugby union boys actually go to college and university and are good-looking," he said. "The common rugby league player, on the other hand, has the brain size of a pea."
STRING BEANS ARE WELCOME
Rugby union (henceforth referred to as "rugby") is about attacking flair and trying not to get tackled with the ball. The idea, Mr. Cullen explained, is beating your defender by passing the ball backwards (forward passes are illegal), making a tactical move, or running -- all in the name of scoring a "try." The defense, meanwhile, is keen on one thing: stopping the attack.Several variants exist within the sport. There’s full-contact, 15-a-side rugby that favors beefy players; seven-a-side (or sevens), which caters to all body types; and touch rugby, where laying two hands on the ball carrier is the equivalent of a tackle.
According to Mr. Cullen, Filipinos exhibit the most potential in the sevens format, which just happens to be the type of rugby in the Southeast Asian Games, the Asian Games, and the Olympic Games.
"A lot of Filipinos have this misconception that rugby players have to be big and muscular, whereas you can play even if you’re a string bean," the coach said. "It’s a sport for all sizes."
A good sevens team, for example, is a combination of short and bulky players; tall ones built like basketball centers; and agile sprinters. "Everyone here in the Philippines thinks that, oh my God, rugby is American football but that’s just not the case."
American football, by Mr. Cullen’s estimate, is about 98% anaerobic and 2% aerobic. In the National Football League, armored players the size of Arnold Schwarzenegger engage in five-second bursts of brutal, intense power. Rugby, meanwhile, is 60% aerobic and 40% anaerobic -- making it more similar to soccer in that a player must be able to run two 40-minute halves, aside from making the necessary hits.
"You have to be able run and know how to attack and defend. You need the physical presence to make tackles, get up, and keep going. Fitness is key to good rugby," Mr. Cullen said. "Huge guys just can’t run for 40 minutes. They really struggle."
BETTER AT RUGBY THAN AT BASKETBALL
Rugby’s popularity in the country has been given a boost by a recent string of victories. Last July, the Philippine National Ladies Rugby Union Team topped its division in the Asian Rugby Ladies championships held in Guangzhou, China by defeating India, Korea, Laos and Malaysia.The team won in grand fashion by shutting out its competition -- not a single point was scored against the Philippines. The victory was made even more amazing by the fact that it was the maiden tournament for the ladies, some of whom began training just four months before flying to China.
"I first touched a rugby ball last April," said Manila Santos, who has played flag football, soccer and Ultimate Frisbee for the past couple of years. "I was pleasantly surprised by the art and precision that goes into each tackle and play. It takes sheer guts to take -- or even make -- a hit. For me, nothing beats the rush of successfully executing and surviving a full-on tackle."
The Philippine Volcanoes, on the other hand, trounced India to take the Division 2 title of the Asian 5 Nations Championship. This men’s team hasn’t lost since it joined the Asian Rugby Football Union. The climb has been remarkable: the Volcanoes were Division 4 champions in 2008; Division 3 champions in 2009; and Division 2 champions this year.
In 2011, the Philippine Volcanoes will be playing in Division 1 along with the best in the region. Jaime Urquijo Zobel, son of Bea Zobel, is part of this team. His cousin, Jaime Alfonso Zobel, son of Jaime Augusto Zobel De Ayala, is looking to join him after a successful stint with the Under-20s team.
The Men’s Sevens and Under-20s teams are also doing well -- the former is fifth in Asia (as Mr. Cullen put it, "a missed tackle or a dropped ball from a bronze medal in the Asian Games") while the latter is in Laos for the Asian U20s Rugby Union Championships. The Under-20s team is the current Division 2 champion and if it can successfully defend its title like the Volcanoes did, it will move up to Division 1.
The boys are coming back next week and Mr. Cullen promised that they’d be bringing home another title with them.
"SAUNDERS, MORRIS, LETTS, ZAPPIA"
In a June article he wrote for the Philippine Star ("Philippine Volcanoes explode in Asian rugby"), Jaime Augusto Zobel De Ayala brought up a sensitive point: "Some will question just how Filipino the national rugby team is, with players named Saunders, Morris, Letts, Zappia on board."Under the rules of the International Rugby Board, a player may represent a country as long as any of these three conditions are met: he was born in the said country; one parent or grandparent was born in the said country; or he has lived in the said country for three consecutive years immediately preceding the time of play.
The first ever Philippine National Team was composed of almost an all-expatriate representation (Mr. Cullen was part of that roster). This year was the first time that the country fielded a team composed entirely of locally developed players and Filipino heritage players based overseas.
Mr. Cullen said that tapping players who aren’t "homegrown" shouldn’t take anything away from the PRFU’s victories. "It’s partially the result of the Filipino diaspora. It should be a matter of pride that these guys want to come home and represent the country," he said. "We’re beating the powerhouses of Asia like Korea, India, and China. In what other sport has that happened?"
That being said, the coach plans to grow rugby locally and create a separate national team with players born-and-bred in the Philippines. To that end, there are clubs in Manila, Parañaque, Cavite, Bataan, and Cebu as well as development programs in police and military academies, orphanages, and schools.
"We don’t discriminate," said Mr. Cullen. "Our Under-20s team has boys from orphanages and the International School of Manila. We don’t care where they come from, they can all play."
Australia-based Expo Mejia, a world-class rugby coach born in Manila, heard about the PRFU’s efforts and volunteered to render his services to the Philippine team. He now divides his time between the Philippines and Australia; and Mr. Cullen was only too happy to hand over the main coaching responsibility to Mr. Mejia.
"Because rugby is a new in the Philippines, it gives good individual athletes a chance to represent their country," Mr. Cullen said. He added that sports like flag football and Ultimate Frisbee don’t have national teams while medaling in basketball is next to impossible.
"Everyone’s welcome," he said. "Just come down and we’ll accept anyone who’s athletic and sporty."
The PRFU is also looking to promote more homegrown businesses along with its expat-owned sponsors in international tournaments. Mr. Cullen pointed out that the Rugby Union World Cup ranks among the biggest sporting events, after the likes of the Olympic Games and the Soccer World Cup. While the Philippines isn’t at that level yet, the coach wanted to emphasize that rugby is big in the international community -- bigger than basketball.
"Companies can ride the wave of our success," he said. "Rugby is a team sport -- what we do, we have to do together."
(Those want to try rugby can join the open training held on Monday and Wednesday, 6 to 8 p.m. at Philsports Complex, formerly ULTRA, along Meralco Ave. in Ortigas. For more information, call 634-5889 or visit www.prfu.com.)
E
eindhow2
Guest
Manila Santos?? The former DLSU volleyball player??
E
eindhow2
Guest
Nah.. It is possible right now..
D
dxjayrock20082
Guest
In few years, basketball and rugby will competing each other for the most popular sports in the Philippines.
D
dxjayrock20082
Guest
Junior Asian Division 2 Championship Update: Final score Philippines 52-0 Lao. Well done boys!!!
D
donmar2
Guest
I doubt it... trust me.. I love both basketball and rugby (and football)... but rugby is made for big and fast blokes... if you look at the current Volcanoes, almost everyone came from outside the country and almost everyone are part-Filipinos.. and we all know how racist the mindsets of some of our kababayans.. they think if someone are not pure-blooded.. he's a mudblood.. and the experience of Asi Taulava earlier in this decade is the proof of that... and even today, some Filipinos treated Taulava as a foreigner..
Plus, in order to form a competitive national team.. we have to rely on our Overseas kababayans playing club rugby in countries were rugby is competitive (UK, Australia, NZ)..
In rugby, it will take a while before we can have our own homegrown talents.. of course, its a growing sport in the country and I'm very happy about it.... but we don't even have a national league for rugby in the country and if we do.. we should look at football's experience in the Philippines... we have over 100 years of football history yet it still way behind basketball.. maybe because our football league is not professionalize and commercialize enough... rugby is a growing sport and as much as I want it to be popular in the Philippines.. the game is long way from being able to compete for popularity with basketball in the Philippines...
Thats my two cents
(P.S. I think a younger Asi Taulava is a shoo-in if he wants to play for the Volcanoes)
D
dxjayrock20082
Guest
I doubt it... trust me.. I love both basketball and rugby (and football)... but rugby is made for big and fast blokes... if you look at the current Volcanoes, almost everyone came from outside the country and almost everyone are part-Filipinos.. and we all know how racist the mindsets of some of our kababayans.. they think if someone are not pure-blooded.. he's a mudblood.. and the experience of Asi Taulava earlier in this decade is the proof of that... and even today, some Filipinos treated Taulava as a foreigner..
Plus, in order to form a competitive national team.. we have to rely on our Overseas kababayans playing club rugby in countries were rugby is competitive (UK, Australia, NZ)..
In rugby, it will take a while before we can have our own homegrown talents.. of course, its a growing sport in the country and I'm very happy about it.... but we don't even have a national league for rugby in the country and if we do.. we should look at football's experience in the Philippines... we have over 100 years of football history yet it still way behind basketball.. maybe because our football league is not professionalize and commercialize enough... rugby is a growing sport and as much as I want it to be popular in the Philippines.. the game is long way from being able to compete for popularity with basketball in the Philippines...
Thats my two cents
(P.S. I think a younger Asi Taulava is a shoo-in if he wants to play for the Volcanoes)
As far as I know, the Philippine Rugby Football Union has formed a under-18 team. Some of them are from southern Philippines.
D
donmar2
Guest
Our junior level is definitely developing really fast... I think a year ago the U-20 won the Asian U20 champs... I know the guy who is the PRFU's recruiter here in Oceania (Aus and NZ)... he is always on the look out for potential players.. half Filipino or not.. regardless of their age
Same thing with football, the sources of players are either the overseas or the provinces (Negros and Iloilo)... still as long as rugby doesn't have a competitive league in the Philippines I doubt that it can compete with basketball in terms of popularity.. even football, financially supported by FIFA, failed to do that..