Kukri Badgers win Phuket Rugby 10s

KARON: In a high-quality match played to a packed Karon Municipality stadium on Sunday, the Kukri Badgers from the UK beat the Loki Odins from Canberra, Australia, by 12-5 to win the Overgaard 10th Anniversary Phuket International Rugby 10s.

The invitational sides played impressive rugby on a relatively hard pitch that could well have done with some of the rain that seemingly fell everywhere on the island but Karon.

The Thai Barbarians, which included about half the Thai national squad, won the Plate competition by defeating the Singapore Wanderers 19-0, while The Singapore Bucks defeated the Balmoral Hellfish from Australia 19-12 to win the Bowl Competition.

In the Raimon Land Coffin Dodgers Competition, the Extinct Volcanoes beat the Asian Japanese Dragons 21-0 to win the Cup.

The Wanderers’ Wrinklies from Singapore beat the Cottesloe Olde Gulls from Australia by 12-10 to win the Plate competition, while the Bahrain Golden Oldies beat the Phuket Viagrabonds 19-7 to win the Bowl competition.

Callum Morris from the Kukri Badgers was named player of the tournament and Mahdi from the Bahrain Golden Oldies was named player of the Coffin Dodgers competition.

“Jim Howard of the Pattaya Panthers received the Legend Cup, which is awarded to stalwarts of rugby. Jim has been deeply involved in the development of rugby in Asia for 30 years,” said Patrick Cotter, one of the key organizers of the international tournament.

“We have also raised close to 650,000 baht for the Asia Center Foundation, which will go towards children’s scholarships,” he added.

Mr Cotter said that the Phuket 10s this year had taken another step up in becoming a major international rugby event. “IRB’s Total Rugby TV crew were there. They will produce a 30-minute special on the event, which will go out to millions of viewers,” he said.

The program will be available for download from the IRB’s Total Rugby website (click here).

Mr Cotter explained that the International Rugby Board (IRB) had agreed in principle for Phuket to host an Asian qualifier for the IRB 7s World Cup. However, the teams to take part have yet to be finalized. “There are some 28 countries in the division. The IRB needs to determine which 16 countries will take part,” he said.

However, the venue in Phuket has yet to be confirmed, Mr Cotter said.

Hopes are high that the local authorities will grant permission for the world-cup qualifier to be played at Surakul Stadium in Phuket City, as Phuket International Hospital staff were kept busy over the weekend treating players for minor injuries sustained on the hard pitch at Karon.