I have long felt that rugby is a form of education, one learnt from the school of life. I have been attending this school all my life and have been privileged to travel widely throughout the rugby world.
This was initially as an unknown player back in the 70s, again in the 80s as an All Black, and the 90s and 2000s as a commentator. What never fails to amaze me are the places that the game is played.
Particularly in the last ten years, the sport has expanded rapidly.
Part of my job with the International Rugby Academy requires that I visit academies at the professional clubs of Europe every year. I cannot believe the growth of the local grounds over that period of time, most of which have doubled their capacity.
In France, the expansion of rugby towards the North, away from the traditional South-West stronghold, has been extraordinary. To have two major Parisian-based sides is marvellous.
Two years ago, I visited these clubs in Paris and could not believe the spectator numbers they were getting: in excess of 80,000 people for almost every home game at Stade Francais. This is something football at club level has never achieved in France.
Second and third tier rugby countries have had rapid expansion and are continuing to expand at a rapid rate now that rugby 7s has become an Olympic sport for males and females.
There are small rugby countries, big in population, who now see they have an opportunity for more success at 7s or 10s rugby than they can at 15s.
The Philippines is an example of this.
I have just had the pleasure of attending the Manila 10s as a guest of the Philippines Rugby Football Union. During this trip, I have presented our High Performance Development services to the PRFU and also Hong Kong Rugby Union.
The Philippines have a population of around 100 million, with 10 million ex-pat Philippino’s living around the world. The strategy for the PRFU is to harness those ex-pat Philippino’s who play rugby, many of whom are living in Australia and to a lesser degree, New Zealand.
This is quite contrary to most developing rugby nations where the game is developed at grassroots level and is funded primarily by the IRB. The Philippine’s focus is from the top down.
There are very few rugby players in this country to date – basketball is the major sport.
In the last two years, however, Philippines Rugby has managed to climb the ladder, and now having beaten Korea, are rated fourth in Asia in 7s rugby, behind Japan, Hong Kong and China.
They have built a flagship and the flag bearers are Philippino, not the ex-pat communities.
The concept is fly the flag at the top end and the players will come. And this appears to be working. As Managing Director of IRANZ, this is music to my ears.
I have long thought that to develop the game of rugby in any environment, there needs to be serious focus on the top end as well as grassroots and mainstream rugby.
The Manila 10s have been a great occasion: professionally run, organized and presented, three divisions, 8 teams in division A, 20 teams in the open division and 8 teams in the Veterans.
Entertaining rugby to say the least, with two good Australian sides working their way through to the final.
The winners were the Cape Crusaders from Queensland University. This was a well-drilled and coached side.
They proved too strong for the competition, beating a Welsh invitation side in the quarter-final, a local team in the semi-final, and an Indigenous Aboriginal side in the final.
The Cape Crusaders were a slick and well-coached combination and clearly the best team on display. The bar has been set at a surprisingly high standard from my perspective.
The real victor, of course, was rugby. Now, haven’t we heard that expression a lot in the past?
In this regard, however, I am talking about how this sport has galvanised communities. Not only the great variety of ex-pats, but also the local Philippino communities.
I see the game going from strength to strength. That valuable team concept exists where people have no option but to learn together if they want to be successful.
Next week at the Hong Kong 7s, the Philippines Rugby Union makes its debut. It will no doubt get a lesson or two from the big teams, but it is a landmark occasion for this young rugby country.
Photo via Philippine Rugby Football Union
Roar columnist and former All Black great, Murray Mexted, is the Managing Director of The International Rugby Academy (IRANZ), the leading global Rugby Academy. IRANZ offer an independent high performance pathway for coaches, players and teams worldwide. More details here.
CD
Guest
My club, the Cebu Dragons played against the Brisbane Warriors for the Bowl Finals in this year's Manila 10's. We were so close! The game was 5-0. We also played against the Brisbane Vulgarians in the semi-finals. Our club is mostly made up of native Filipinos, something that we are proud of. We do have some expats and in Manila 10's, we toured with 2 Americans, 3 Filipinos raised abroad, and the rest are born and raised in the Philippines. Rugby is still growing in the Philippines, and its mostly through the support of the expats that the local clubs and rugby's popularity continue to grow. Rugby is just starting to get noticed by most Filipinos and with victories of the Philippine national rugby team, it will grow more popular. You can watch the games here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UAdWqgCvow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiJaPzDefGE
Louise Strid
Guest
Murray, I was recently at the Manila Tens and visiting my daughter who works in the Phillipines and I had the pleasure of meeting you. Please contact me because there are two props in Brisbane, twins, Ruan and Jean-Pierre Smith who have had their visa applications knocked back by Immigration Australia. Their parents are Australian Citizens and their younger brother an Australian Permanent Resident and very ashamedly I can say our system has refused their visas saying that their study at the Australian Rugby Academy in Brisbane is not valid full time study for a career. I am at present trying to help their parents lobby the Minister for Immigration to keep them here but it appears they cannot do much. What can NZ do to support these South African boys and can you help to convince the Minister for Sports in Australia to fight for these boys. Can you try to openly compete for these boys with the Minister for Sport. I understand that you contacted them about a year ago to get them to play for NZ. Their Mum is really sick and fighting a recurrence of breast cancer and they have exhausted all of their funds to keep their boys here in Australia and to keep their dream of competing internationally in Rugby Union alive. Maybe NZ deserves their abilities. Can you help? I met Barry and James ... last names not known ... they were reviewing touch judges and refs at the Manila Tens. Would love to make contact to see if they can help. Please help this wonderful family ... even if NZ rugby benefits and we miss out. They are very talented boys and are not allowed to work here or take on a contract until this is sorted out which could take up to 2 years. HELP!! Please call me ... I met you personally even though you may not remember. My daughter's partner was part of the Manila Nomads team that won their division. Please please contact me!!
Jon Morales
Guest
A southeast asian club competiton was inaugurated this year for 15s featuring a team each from Manila, Singapore, Jakarta, Saigon, and Bangkok. This was an initiative taken by the club from Manila and Jakarta though and not funded or supported in any way by ARFU or IRB.
Jon Morales
Guest
Craig Wing actually considered playing in the A5N div 1 tournament for the Philippines last year (and this year as well) but his club asked the PRFU to pay for the insurance on his contract for the duration of the tournaments and the PRFU just doesn't have that amount of money.
enzopitek
Guest
Parc des Princes is a very small stadium in european football ... it's why PSG wants to move ... but it will be perfect for french rugby and its championship ....
timbsy
Guest
Agree with you 100 percent kingplaymaker. The only way countries such as Russia, Georgia and Romania will develop is having a side in top tier competitions week in and week out where their top players can develop, the local population have the opportunity to experience and view competitive rugby regularly and the local union has an opportunity to cash in on commerical opportunities which would come from this such as sponsorship and tv deals. They should take it a step further and also allow these countries to compete in the A nations tournamet of the six nations countries....the FIRA Nations Cup just isnt competitive enough for these countries to develop considering they are now competing in the RWC.
kovana
Guest
Wow.. thats a pretty nice capacity stadium.. Capacity for Parc Des = 48,712
enzopitek
Guest
In fact, if PSG moves to Stade de France, Stade Francais will use Parc des princes (they play just next) rather than a modernized Jean Bouin. Metro Racing will move affectivly to a new stadium. In fact, this year, both team will meet in Stade de France.
Working Class Rugger
Guest
Yes, but Racing also play 4 to 5 games a season a Stade and go close to selling it out as well. Racing fell away, along way from its glory days. They have returned to the top and that's a good thing. Both Paris teams are looking to build new stadia with Racing's preliminary plans looking pretty slick.
enzopitek
Guest
Concerning Stade Francais, they dont play all their home games at Stade de France but only 3 or 4 a year. And PSG (the main football club in Paris) could use this stadium in a near future ... We cannot talk about development for the two club in Paris as both played in 1882 the first french championship final.
p.Tah
Guest
An article on the Rwandan team at the HK 7s http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/6625293/Rwandan-rugby-turns-heads-in-Hong-Kong
Lorry
Guest
Working Class Rugger, how do you find out this great info?! I am a rugby internationalist too, and would love to know where to read up on it!
Johnno
Guest
And WCR another article yesterday it was published march 22 about the Hong Kong sevens and how many Asian teams are competing for 3 elite spots on th top flight world sevens series circuit. A good article. http://www.irbsevens.com/destination/edition=5/news/newsid=2061539.html#who+will+join+sevens+elite
Johnno
Guest
WCR here is a good article i found on rugby in India. it is about a leg of the Asian 7evens series held in Goa India in November 2011. A good article , 7evens rugby is growing in India as is phillipines great for rugby. I see rugby having more potential than American football for all sorts of reasons WCR. Much easier to develop via 7evens for a start. And rules simpler as well. http://www.espnstar.com/rugby/news/detail/item708203/
Working Class Rugger
Guest
An Indian Rugby player has recently signed with a Japanese club on the Union's (Indian) first professional contract. There are plans afoot in Germany to develop another Tier of Rugby above the Rugby Bundesliga involving a round robin format with six regions with its preliminary name the Deutsche Rugby Liga. This is an attempt to raise the standards of play to develop the talent pool for the national team that after a few seasons of decline is beginning to find its strength once again (lead by a young first five) as demonstrated last weekend when they ran Belgium as close as you can get (Belgium will be promoted to the ENC 1A in place of the Ukraine. Additionally, Germany, Belgium and the Nederlands (that's how they spell it) have been participating in the North Sea Cup. With the Germans looking to create an elite regional competition, the potential is there for the IRB to encourage at the very least the Belgians to look to form a cross border championship with regional teams. Ideally, the Dutch would be included but they are looking to focus on their internal championship. The Polish could be a good option as well in such a competition. Ten to 12 teams, perfect. The Spanish will be expanding their top division, the Renfe Liga, from 9 to 12 teams next season, meaning a longer season. This seems to be mimicking the resurgence of the national team that has become really competitive once again in the ENC 1A and are attracting quite reasonable crowds as well, 10,000 tends to be their home average. What is really needed at their end is a push to re-establish the media relationship and coverage on mainstream TV that the Union scuttled last year. Those are just two opportunities to develop two more genuine Leagues in Europe in my opinion. Having a develop Spanish league would provide not only Spanish but Portuguese player's a good level of competition and having a regional competition further north involving Germany and Belgium would further advance both nations. Funding teams individually in existing professional competition would be a very expensive and Pyrrhic exercise. They should,however, do as I suggest and use their position to strongly encourage leagues with potential to look to take the first steps to developing viable, competitive leagues. Same in South America, they should be looking to focus intensively on Chile, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay. All four nations now have access to the Argentine domestic structures and the IRB should be looking to bolster the levels of development in each nation. Finally, Asia. This would likely be my exception to the rule. This is a region the IRB should be really looking to put its money where its mouth is. There is a professional American Football competition kicking off in India (guess which sport they are looking to cannablise for talent). From a base of zero. On the other hand, Rugby has a small but rapidly expanding base. The IRB should be looking to investigate it's options in India in this regard. Paired with Sri Lanka and they could have a developing league reasonably easy. Ambitious to say the least but potentially worth the pay off. Another couple they should be looking to develop are a Central Asia Championship with the Arab nations competing as their nation states in a regional league. Would be quite competitive. The last one would be a sought of South-East Asia Super Series with teams from Hong Kong (2), Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines initially. Asia needs more regular competitive leagues, with the focus initially on raise interest, awareness and most important quality to start to peg back the gap between Japan and the rest. After those objectives, looking to slowly but progressively professionalize each competition would be ideal.
Johnno
Guest
India and Brazil have now had some players try out in lower NZ divisions i was reading, great for rugby.. Mexico too rugby is growing. ANd looking forwad to Brazil and chile and i think uruguay being part of some comp in Argentina.
Onor
Guest
give it time.. it takes generations to get to be good.. its learning.. more learning and more learning.. form one generation to the next. you dont just give a country funding and say "now you're teir one."
AndyS
Guest
Sorry KPM, but I'd argue that is not their job...the I in IRB stands for "international". The IRB is about the competition between countries, which is why they are responsible for all the various World Cups, the PNC, the Olympics, Nations cup, etc. They are not and should not be about how rugby is run within a country. That is for the locals to figure out. The IRB just has to find something appropriate for the resulting national side to do.
NC
Guest
Good stuff. Nice run off the back of the scrum Murray. Made some good yards there. Best thing you've written so far.
tc
Guest
Great article Murray it's great to read about whats happening around the world ,I know you will have your finger closer to the pulse of rugby growth around the world then most of us ,so could you please keep us informed about what the latest developments are thanks.