By Erick Elefante, Date:2/8/13
The last time these groups of local Filipino Rugby League enthusiast were together, was at the inaugural Clark International 9s tournament on Saturday the 27th October, 2012.
Nine months from their first experience of Rugby League in 2012. The graduates of the Maritime Academy of Asia & the Pacific (MAAP) from Mariveles City, Bataan – the Alumni Warriors, the Merchant Marine cadets of Anscor Swire Ship Management Corporation and the senior high school students of Don Bosco Technical Institute Makati (DBTI), got together for their first Rugby League run in 2013 at the SM Mall of Asia, in Bayshore Ave. Pasay City last Saturday the 26th of July.
With many of the local Rugby League enthusiast, being Merchant Marines it has been difficult getting these groups together because more often than not they are out to sea on Merchant Ships up to 9 months of the year. So last Saturday was a difficult training run to organise by MAAP graduate Bj Brutus Echano and Philippines National Rugby League (PNRL) board member Rick Hartley.
So the PNRL would also like to thank the Management of Hooters Bar, Baywalk, Mall of Asia Pasay City, who have supported the work of the PNRL since October 2012 and their current support of the training in Pasay City.
This much needed training run has come at the right time for MAAP, being the first All Filipino Rugby Union team formed in 2002 and first local team to play Rugby League in 2012. As they prepare for the Clark Rugby League International 9s on the 19th of October.
The Alumni Warriors of MAAP, the cadets of Anscor Swire Ship Management Corporation, the cadets of the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy from San Narciso, Zambales, and the cadets of Wärtsilä Subic Inc. as well as the Senior High School students of DBTI will compete in either the full contact Rugby League or touch tournaments in Clark City on October 19.
They will be joined by two teams of Filipino-Australians and local Filipinos being formed by PNRL board members Rene Payne with the Cebu City Chiefs and Michael Holt with the Clark City Crusaders.
It is also hoped that they will be joined by the Batanganeo Mandirigmas, translated into English the Batangas Warriors. Who are a group of Papua New Guinea (PNG) University students, Filipinos who grew up in PNG and local Filipinos studying at local Universities in the province of Batangas.
For local Filipinos wanting to try out Rugby League in the Manila area visit the PNRL Facebook page which you can access on our website www.pnrlf.com, where you will find details of the training sessions at the SM Mall of Asia, in Bayshore Ave. Pasay City.
