A sevens tournament with a difference

Those of who have experienced a visit to Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore or any of the other numerous sevens tournaments throughout the region, will have realised that many get as much pleasure from the party style atmosphere, more often than not fuelled by generous helpings of alcoholic beverages, as they do from the quality rugby on display.

Next weekend will see the second stop on the new Asian Sevens circuit in Brunei Darussalam, a country with a strict ban on the sale and public consumption of alcohol. For this reason, the organisers are adopting a novel approach to the staging of the biggest rugby event to be held in the country.

 

Brunei Rugby Football Union Director of International Relations Ainol Razman told us, “We hope to change the concept of rugby to one which is more family-oriented, with a carnival or fun-fair like atmosphere outside the Belapan Sports Complex. The idea is to show the world that rugby can be a family-oriented experience, fun for all the family. We want to promote eco-tourism in Brunei, replacing nightlife featured at rugby sevens tournaments in other places, with Brunei’s eco-tourism.”

 

Five countries will compete for the Brunei Sevens title, with three of them having won their respective divisions in this year’s Asian Five Nations Championship. Malaysia who won Division 2 will probably start as slight favourites; they are the highest placed in the IRB rankings and two of their club sides NS Wanderers and COBRA are dominating at sevens and tens tournaments throughout the region.

 

They will however be wary of the Philippines after the hard tackling Volcanoes dumped them out of the 2007 South East Asian Games in semi-final extra-time. The Philippines were champions of this year’s Asian Five Nations Division 3.

 

Also serious contenders are the Indian team whose squad members are part way through a year long training camp in preparation for their participation in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which they will host in Delhi. They have received specialist sevens coaching at the Stellenbosch Rugby Academy in South Africa, which included sessions with former Springbok national sevens players.

 

Laos travel to Brunei as underdogs, however they won their regional pool in the 2009 Asian Five Nations and are a country where rugby is very much in the ascendancy. If the other teams take them lightly they will do so at their peril. Laos are certainly not just turning up for the carnival.

 

The home side Brunei completes the field. Coached by Zakaria Hj Hamzah, the captain of the 2009 Darussalam Cup and Kamaruddin Cup champions Belait Pythons they must be viewed as extreme long-shots to lift the trophy. However they will have the advantage of huge home support and ‘nothing to lose’ and will look to spring a surprise or two.

 

The first leg of the Asian Sevens Series was won by South Korea in Shanghai in September. The weekend after the Brunei tournament the road-show moves to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia for the Borneo Sevens.

This article is also available in the following Country/s. Philippines, Laos, India, Brunei