Teams and supporters from Australia, China, Dubai, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Malaysia, Reunion Island, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the UK and the United States all descended on the island for an unforgettable weekend of 11s rugby and general fun.
Weather conditions were fine as the traditional Athena Siam Coffin Dodgers Over 35s and the Whitesmith One Foot in the Grave Over 45s kicked off the weekend’s proceedings on the Friday (June 7).
With plenty of experience on show there was no lack of skill and technique as the group games progressed and it was evident early on that Barrelhouse Rugby Club from Dubai had come with purpose in the over 35s division, something their 5-0 victory over charity invitation side Pronto Rugby from the UK demonstrated perfectly. Pronto Rugby would ultimately finish second meaning a chance of revenge against the Middle Eastern-based team in the final.
BROB Parametric Peregrine from Malaysia fought their way through some tough matches to set up a showdown against the Chiang Mai Cobras in the Plate Final, while the Phuket Viagrabonds set up a clash against the Hong Kong Bulls in the Bowl final.
STRONG SILVERBACKS
In the Whitesmith’s over 45s a strong Taipei Silverbacks side battled through to the cup semi-final
where a tense 7-0 victory over the Asian Japanese Dragons took them to Sunday’s final slot and a showdown with an equally determined opponent in the KL Tigers, who overcame the Pally Pigs 7-5 in a tight encounter.
That meant the Pally Pigs and the Asian Japanese Dragons would play off for the Plate, while the HKFC Contemptables would take on old adversaries San Miguel Wanderers Wrinklies in the Bowl final.
The Morrabbin Rams from Melbourne had caused a shock by playing out a 0-0 draw with the Pally Pigs and beating the Grafton Big River Bullrouts, putting them on the cusp of making the finals. However, a loss in the semi-final against the HKFC Contemptables denied them a spot in Sunday’s finals.
In the over 45s finals, the San Miguel Wanderers Wrinklies dominated HKFC Contemptables to take home the bowl and the Pally Pigs were made to work hard against a strong Japanese Asia Dragons side before ultimately claiming the Plate thanks to a 7-0 win.
The cup final was a game of two halves with the KL Tigers doing everything in the first half but
score. The second half saw the Silverbacks begin to get more possession, which they were soon rewarded for with two tries, both converted, to record a 14-0 victory and secure the title of One Foot in the Grave champions.
Sunday’s finals of the Athena Siam Coffin Dodgers Over 35s were just as entertaining with local team the Phuket Viagrabonds winning the Bowl final thanks to a comprehensive win against the HK Bulls.
BROB Parametric Peregrine endured a tough fight against a tenacious Chiang Mai Cobras team before emerging victorious 10-0 to claim the Plate title.
The final between Barrelhouse and Pronto Rugby was a close affair with both teams giving it their
all. The heat was beginning to tell on the UK lads and as they began to wilt in the second half, Barrelhouse took advantage to score twice for a 12-0 win and the title of Over 35s Champions.
IN GOOD SHAPE
Saturday saw the women’s teams kick the action off, with the Sandy Bay Phoonanis from Hong Kong looking particularly impressive and in good shape for a run at the Cup, while the Bangers Belles are always contenders and had come down from the capital with a strong squad, hoping to make it three titles in a row.
Debutants Kafrine Lakour from Reunion Island appeared to struggle with the pace early on but managed to grow into proceedings to deliver some strong performances, while new invitational side the SEA Barbarians performed well, recording a fine 19-0 win against an experimental KL Tigers side and a narrow 10-7 win over Kafrine Lakour to advance to the Plate final against the same opponents.
That final proved to be a very tight affair with the two sides unable to be separated after two halves of extra time after the game was drawn 5-5 at full-time. Rather than take the win using other criteria, both teams decided to share the title, athough the SEA Barbarians, to their credit, gave the trophy to Kafrine as they had travelled so far to join the tournament.
The Bangers Belles won all their group games and were favourites going into the final against the Sandy Bay Phoonanis, whom they had beaten in the group games by the narrowest of margins, 7-5. In a tight affair both teams probed for the opening but solid defense kept the score at 0-0 by half-time, while both teams came close in the second-half, with desperate defense at both ends. With extra time looming, the Phoonanis worked the ball wide and a two-on-one overlap saw them score to be crowned the Aussie Bar Lady’s Open Champions by a score of 5-0.
Women’s rugby has come a long way in a short time and the tournament would not be the same without their participation.
BATTERED AND BRUISED
The much-anticipated men’s open tournament with 12 teams was too close to call. In group A, defending champions Bank Maumalat Bullets were looking strong, winning all their group games. Local team the Phuket Vagabonds finished a credible second with debutants SCAA Causeway Baywatch from Hong Kong and Swamp Dog Rugby from Australia bringing up the rear.
In group B, the other contenders from Malaysia, South Klang Dragon Rugby Club, were looking good, finishing the day with three wins, including an impressive 14-12 win over UK’s Pronto Rugby, who finished second.
Raw Dogs Rugby from the USA were third in a tough group, while Ningbo Rhinos from China, on their first ever international tour, found the going hard and finished the day battered and bruised in bottom place, although happy with the experience.
In Group C, the Bangkok Southerners edged out the Chiang Mai Cobras to claim top spot. The Groote Eylandt Mudchooks put in some stirring performances to finish third in the group, while the Hyde Street Gulls from New Zealand were on the end of some close losses to prop up the group.
In the Cup quarter-finals, the Bullets made the semis with a comfortable win over the Mudchooks, while the impressive Cobras team battled to a 5-0 victory over the Vagabonds.
The Southerners went down to Pronto Rugby 7-5, agonisingly missing a conversion with the last kick which would have taken the game to extra time, as the South Klang Dragons continued to
show their pedigree, easing to a win over the Raw Dogs.
The Bullets moved up a gear to defeat the Cobras in their semi-final while South Klang were equally impressive to take out Pronto Rugby to set up an all Malaysian final, while Pronto and the Cobras would contest the Plate final.
In the quarter-finals matches of the Bowl competition, Causeway Baywatch overcame a determined Mudchooks 12 -5 and the Vagabonds beat Ningbo Rhinos. The Swampdogs went down to a resurgent Southerners and the Raw Dogs saw off the Hyde Street Gulls 7-5.
The Vagabonds produced one of their best performances of the weekend to take down Causeway Bay to reach the final where they would face the Southerners, who overcame the Raw Dogs, while the Swamp Dogs were to play the Hyde Street Gulls in the Shield final.
If there was an award for the unluckiest team of the tournament then the Gulls would surely have won it as they went down in the Shield final in another nailbiter 15-10 to the Swamp Dogs.
The Bowl final was another cracker with the Southerners edging out the Vagabonds 7-5, while Pronto won the plate against a plucky Cobras 12-0.
The Cup final was all that a tournament organiser could ask for, full of end-to-end action with last ditch tackles and missed opportunities as fast, skillful players gave it their all.
By the end of full-time it was amazingly still 0-0, taking the game to extra time where a ‘golden point’ would be decisive. By the half-time stage of extra time there was still nothing separating the two outstanding teams. However, as the clock ticked down, a mistake at the breakdown by the Dragons gave the Bullets the opportunity to finish the game, which they duely did as the penalty was dispatched for a 3-0 win and the cup. A breathtaking final that will take some beating in the years to come.
The awards were presented by Amora Hotels & Resorts Group Director Narej Farik along with Rugby 11s CEO Dilip Kumar and Whitesmiths’ John O’Brian, while Koji Tokumasu of Japan Rugby fame was on hand to present the Women’s Champions trophy.
The Asia Center Foundation was present all weekend raising funds for the scholarship program and their afternoon show to thank sponsors and supporters brought a tear to the eye. To learn more about the foundation contact Roelien Muller at roemuthai@gmail.com.
WINNERS LIST:
In summary, the weekend’s winners at the 2024 Amora Hotels & Resorts Phuket International Dimbulla Rugby 11s were as follows:
Men’s Open Champions: Bank Maumalat Bullets (Malaysia)
Women’s Open Champions: Sandy Bay Phoonanis (Hong Kong)
Coffin Dodgers Over 35s Champions: Barrelhouse Rugby Club (UAE)
One Foot in the Grave Over 45s Champions: Taipei Silverbacks (Taiwan)
Men’s Plate Winners: Pronto Rugby (UK)
Women’s Plate Winners: SEA Babarians (New Zealand) / Kafrine Lacour (Reunion Island)
Men’s Bowl Winner: Southerners Rugby Club (Thailand)
Men’s Shield Winners: Swamp Dogs Rugby (Australia)
One Foot in the Grave Plate Winners: Pally Pigs (Australia)
One Foot in the Grave Bowl Winners: San Miguel Wanderers Wrinklies (Singapore)
Coffin Dodgers Over 35s Bowl Winners: Phuket Viagrabonds (Thailand)
Coffin Dodgers Over 35s Plate Winners: BROB Parametric Peregrine (Malaysia)
Tour Virgin Beauty Pageant winners: Pally Pigs (Australia)
Men’s Player of the Tournament: Muhamad Nilam (Bullets)
Women’s Player of the Tournament: Mandy Lam (Sandy Bay Phoonanis)
Over 35s Player of the Tournament: Kurt Michael (Barrelhouse Rugby)
Over 45s Player of the Tournament: Dave Lee (Taipei Silverbacks)
The tournament organisers extend sincere thanks the sponsors who made the weekend possible: Amora Hotels and Resorts; Dimbulla; Whitesmiths; The Aussie Bar Patong; Athena Siam Co Ltd; The Phuket News; Hell Energy Drink; Bangkok Siriroj Hospital with James Cawood and his medical team; The Fourpoints Sheraton for sponsoring the refs and providing the food trucks; Macoocoo Tournament Management Systems; Jean Luc and his team of officials who put in a huge shift all weekend; Anthony and the Vagabonds for providing a quality venue; and Kai, Bubble Bee and the team for providing refreshments during the weekend.
Next up for 11s Rugby is the Amora Hotels & Resorts Da Nang International Rugby 11s (Aug 31 – Sept 1); Colombo International Rugby 11s (Oct 26-27); and the Amora Hotels & Resorts Chiang Mai International Rugby 11s (Nov 23-24).