By Ric Raymond Bellen Papua New Guinea nationals who are on job training in the Philippines took to the task of playing against local rugby league teams in a unique rugby league tournament which showcased the PNG knack for playing the game last Sunday 26 January at the Challenger Field, Clark City.
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the only country in the world where Rugby League is the national sport!
The tournament was organised by James Franson of Site Skills Training based in the Clark Freeport Zone and this writer representing the Maritime Academy of Asia & the Pacific (MAAP) Rugby League & Union club. It was the inaugural Rugby League tournament between PNG Nationals training at the company and local Filipino Rugby League enthusiasts.
Some 120 PNG nationals are on job training in Clark City, under a program organised by Site Skill Training , the Orion Project Services and the Foundation Services Inc.
The program provides residential training to the 120 PNG nationals from PNG’s Egga province at the Site Skills Training, Philippine campus in areas of heavy diesel maintenance, construction and fabrication and camp services, cookery and logistics.
To correspond with the training program they are studying the PNG nationals formed their rugby league teams into: 1) SITE; Skills Training; 3) The Chefs; 4) The Builders and 5) female team Birds of Pardise.
Meanhile, the 52 MAAP players, some local Filipino rugby league players coming from maritime corporations based in the Philippines comprises the local teams. They are the 16-person Anascor Swires, 15-person Hartmann AG team; 16-person TMS team; 30 male and female students from Quezon City Polytechnic University (QCPU); and 17-person Manila Vipers Rugby League Club.
The tournament was a great and fun day for all Rugby League participants. You could see and feel the intensity and the passion of each team who competed in the PNG Rugby League Invitational Games, with all teams trying their best to win every match.
All the supporters were shouting out loud to support their respective teams and it was fun and a great experience for both the players and their guests.
A total of almost 200 people attended, to witness a very historic Rugby League match held in the Philippines with PNG Nationals and our first Female Rugby League players.
This is just the beginning, we plan to support and assist in organizing more Rugby League tournaments like this in the not too distant future, to spread the word of “The Greatest Game of All”, Rugby League in the Philippines and develop local talent to play this sport.
Our development program is about to grow and I am very happy to be part of it. I would like tor congratulate and thank everyone! More games to come!
Rugby League tournaments against PNG nationals studying in the Philippines will hopefully culminate in a planned International match between these trainees and students, against a Philippines National Rugby League development team, comprising of local Filipinos supported by Fil-Foreigner players from overseas at the end of the year.
For the record results on the day were the Chefs taking out the Rugby League tournament, TMS Titans the men’s touch games and QCPU the women’s touch games.