About Rugby in Philippines

2007 has been a remarkable year for rugby in the Philippines, testimony to the growth of the game here and the work of the PRFU.

National Team

The driving force has been the success of the Philippine National Teams’ (Volcanoes) in their respective international events.

It all started with the Philippines again hosting Division 5 of the IRB Asian Nations Test Match Series. The Volcanoes proved dominant over Guam and lost only very narrowly (by 8 points) to India, coming very close to winning the series and gaining promotion to Division 4 - against two teams which are significantly higher in the official IRB rankings.

Then later in the year the National 7s Team competed in the South East Asian Games (SEAG). This was the first time Rugby had been included in this biennial regional event, as an official sport, something that had come about only after the PRFU included it as a demo sport in the 2005 SEAG in Manila. The team came up against regional heavyweights Thailand, Singapore & Malaysia (once again teams ranked significantly higher than the Philippines) and roved that the Volcanoes will be a dominant force in the region, by winning a Silver medal.

The success of the National Team bodes well for the future, especially as the majority of National players are under the age of 25. With such an abundance of young talented players the Volcanoes are only going to get better.

Local Clubs

This year the PRFU welcomed two (2) new clubs to the local competition.

The Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Crusaders is a developmental club made up of players studying at the Police Academy in Cavite. This is part of the PRFU’s effort to grow the sport in the military. Young, fit, disciplined and motivated, these young cadets have taken enthusiastically to the game.

The Manila Hapons on the other hand is made up completely of sons of the rising sun (Japan). They have launched themselves fully into the local scene, playing with the heart and gusto of their Samurai heritage. Their steady improvement throughout the year and rise in the local ranks, mean they will be a growing force in the future.

Women’s Touch Rugby

The number of ladies playing the minimum-contact cousin of Rugby (Touch Rugby) has exploded in the last three (3) years.

In 2005 there existed only one (1) non-high school team, in 2008 there are now seven (7) club teams that play throughout the year against each other and against the three (3) established High School Teams. Furthermore these teams are largely if not fully comprised of Filipino players.

The staggering explosion in the Women’s game, shows that there exists a strong market in the Philippines for Rugby and Touch Rugby.

POC Recognition

The growth and success of the PRFU over the past few years was recognized last year by the Philippines highest sporting body, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), with the POC upgrading the PRFU from a ‘Recognized Member’ to ‘Associate Member’.

Now with the recent success of the Philippine Team in the SEAG, it looks likely that the PRFU will be upgraded again, but this time to ‘Full Membership’ of the POC. With this increased recognition and membership status, the PRFU will now be able to request funding assistance from the Philippine Sports Commission.

The Future

The PRFU is nearing the end of its first four year strategic plan, so this year will be a year of reflection, reorganization and revitalization to refocus on moving Rugby forward for the next four years and beyond.

Much has been achieved, but there is still much to do, but the success of the National teams and the growth of the game locally bodes well for the future of Rugby in the Philippines.