Fat Boy Tens 2009

The 6th Fat Boy Tens as expected was a roaring success and all expectations are that it will raise more money than ever for various local charities and for the development of the game of rugby in the Philippines. The first of a series of articles will deal with the rugby itself.

 

Pigs take the spoils

The not so Pot Bellied Pigs from Hong Kong regained the cup at the 6^th Fat Boy Tens in a bruising and bad-tempered final, which was in no way reflective of the spirit in which the day’s previous 35 games had been played. Perhaps smarting from losing their title to Royal Selangor Club last year, for whom a couple of this year’s opposition in the final, the Manila Nomads, had guested, or maybe still remembering 2007’s battle in the mud which was also a prickly encounter, they seemed determined to stamp their authority on the game by fair means or foul.

Nomads were far from blameless themselves and the collective hot-headedness, which often blights their game, effectively removed any chance they had of defeating the Pigs, by far the most accomplished rugby playing outfit, particularly in the three-quarters, in the 16 team field.

Both of these teams sailed through their pool games; Nomads accounting for Baretto Blues, Beijing Devils and the Akebono Barbaric Rams, where former international prop Dave Thomas had the dubious honour of packing down against all 510lbs of Akebono Taro himself. That’s one story that won’t require any embellishment when he tells it to his grandchildren. The Pigs looked to be playing totally within themselves in defeating Causeway Bay Buccaneers, Manila Carabaos and the Shanghai Hairy Crabs.

The semi-finals pitted two Hong Kong teams against each other, with the Pigs opponents being the Causeway Bay Pirates. They provided stiffer opposition than in the pool games, but ultimately were well beaten. The other semi-final was where the fireworks were expected, but thankfully absent. Alabang Eagles, with a back-line looking more and more like the Papua New Guinea national team scored first against Nomads, but missing a handful of their first choice players and more importantly the direction of an experienced captain, they then saw little of the ball and were overhauled by the Nomads.

The final was dominated in terms of clean possession by the Pigs, who had they chosen to stick to expansive rugby could have won by a considerably wider margin. As it was they seemed determined to have a pitched battle and that’s what they got. Twice the game erupted into a melee and that there were no more than two yellow cards issued is somewhat surprising. Former Scotland international Doddie Weir was introduced into the fray in the second period and will be pleased to have finished on the winning team; most of his appearances for various teams throughout the day, some of whom played the 6’6” lock forward out on the wing, had not been so fruitful.

In the end the Pigs ran out 17-0 winners and regained the cup in their home tournament and the Nomads were left to wonder what could have been if they could restrain themselves from the urge to retaliate.

Last year’s cup winners the Royal Selangor Club again took home some silverware; this time the plate. Having travelled with the bare bones of a team, some of whom are well into veteran rugby playing years, they used their considerable experience to go through the pool stages with two wins a loss and then defeat the Shanghai Hairy Crabs in the semi-final.

Their opponents in the final were to be Cebu’s Low Flying Dragons. What was at one time Cebu’s second team are now proving to be a real handful. Cebu has split their players along national lines; Filipinos in the Dragons, foreigners in the Low Flying Dragons and it works very well for this thriving Visayan club. Thank God we are not subject to the righteous indignation and whims of the loony left who police such matters elsewhere on the planet!

 

The Dragons, with former Tongan rugby league international Hola Iketau to the fore, turned over the SCC Titans and the Arabian Pot Bellied Pigs and lost to the Alabang Eagles to secure their plate semi-final berth against the Akebono Barbaric Rams. The Rams marshalled by Trevor Lewis and with the occasional foray of Akebono onto the park, also recorded two wins and a loss. The big man himself is clearly no rugby player, but he totally immersed himself in the atmosphere of the day and was as enthusiastic as any about the progress of his team.

This semi-final threw up the only run off of the day, after the Low Flyers had twice come from behind to draw the game 12-12. Cameron Booth took on his opposite number from the Rams over the length of the field and won by about twenty bellies.

In the final, Royal Selangor Club needed every ounce of experience to drag themselves back into the game and break the hearts of the local team, recording a come from behind 12-5 win. Tony Andres thankfully restored to the front row after some self-deluding efforts to convert himself into a scrum-half, managed to sneak in under the posts for a converted try, then Dave Riggs added a nail in Cebu’s coffin right at the death with a second.

The bowl was won by Causeway Bay Buccaneers, the second string side from a sizeable touring party celebrating the stag weekend of one of their number, who defeated the Arabian Pot Bellied Pigs in the final 19-0.

The fourth trophy of the competition, the shield, was the only one won by a local team this time round. Last year’s bowl winners, the Carabaos started out the day with a win and two losses, but managed to step up a couple of gears in defeating local rivals the Dragons in the semi-final before trouncing SCC Titans in the final. Hero of the final was the effervescent Bruno Vergnes whose illusive running bagged him a brace.

As an overall view, the standard of rugby has again moved up a notch, but long may the focus of this tournament stay on the camaraderie and goodwill of rugby. The Fat Boy Tens, organised by a magnificent, charitable bunch of guys is a rugby weekend like no other in the region, let’s hope that the ethos behind it fails to be clouded by a handful of egos.

Images courtesy: Gareth Jones and Goran Hellstrom

This article is also available in the following Country/s. South Korea, Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Arabian Gulf