I took my notebook and pen along to Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) last Saturday (July 27) to watch Phuket Vagabonds play a team from Krabi. Vagabonds a mixture of Thais and expats, Krabi a 100% Thai team.
As the game started, a French supporter sat next to me and we proceeded to chat in our respective pidgeon English and pidgeon French. Great fun.
The great thing about watching an amateur sport is what you see is what you get and that was certainly the case at the ACG as a truly fesity match unveiled. My new French friend Yannis was entranced and gasped at some of the physicality (in French of course!).
As a coach I feed off commitment. If you do not have it, please move on! Someone who personifies this is Vagabonds forward Dan Ashburn. He is my type of player. In selection meetings you do not spend much time discussing Dan, you just make sure he is in the squad. He can play in all the back five positions of the scrum, runs hard and regularly and in defence he is a bone-cruncher.
He can turn a game with his willingness to keep turning up. When the pressure is on, and you need a player to make you the tough yards, Dan’s your man.
The early part of the game at the ACG suggested it was experience against speed. The strength of the Vagabonds forwards would surely win the day, but scoring opportunities were squandered through poor technique or lack of concentration.
Krabi found it difficult to put their speedier backs into space before, on the stroke of half-time, one of their centres did create space and exploited it, brilliant footwork and acceleration seeing him beat three defenders and score. 10-10 at half-time.
I suspect the Vagabonds’ half-time team talk focused on keeping possession and building pressure, while Krabi’s may have focussed on not throwing wild passes.
Regardless, the Vagabonds’ message made the greater impact and in a hard fought, competitive second-half they edged away to win 20-10.
COLUMN INCHES
Meanwhile, halfway across the world, another Frenchman was making his mark at his home Olympics.
French rugby superstar Antoine Dupont came off the bench at half time to score two tries in the 28-7 win against Fiji to ensure his team won the Olympic sevens tournament and gold medal.
Many berated Dupont when he chose not to play for the French national 15s side in this year’s Six Nations. Now they are lauding him as he gets more column inches than Macron and joins French folklore figures such as Marie Antoinette, Napoleon Bonapatre and Charles de Gaulles!
Coincidentally diminutive in stature like Napoleon, Dupont will be the heartbeat of French rugby for many years to come and it might be worth considering backing his team to triumph at the next Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027, such is the talet of the man.
I will keep readers updated on upcoming Vagabonds games. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, the refreshments tasty and if you are lucky, you may make friends with a friendly and enthusiastic Frenchman while there!
The Global Rugby Coach, Mike Penistone, is a globally renowned professional rugby coach based in Phuket who is also an ambassador for the Asia Center Foundation, a charity for disadvantaged children. For more information visit: www.rugbycoachingconsultancy.com.