| James Kon |
THE Brunei Rugby Football Union (BRFU) Under-14 team finished sixth place out of 16 in the 1st Asian Rugby Festival in Fukuoka, Japan.
Comprising students from Jerudong International School (JIS) and International School Brunei (ISB), the one-day tournament saw 16 teams competing including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Macau, Taiwan, Philippines and Japan.
The team members are Jonathan Hunter, Jack McCarthy, Muhammad Zaki M Raziq, Austin Greaves, Reuben Brown, Toby Heath, Rynhard Steyn, Frederick Gillam, Jayden Moffitt, Oliver Harris, Daniel Sim and Cameron Smith.
Head coach Colin Dickinson of JIS heaped praise and expressed his satisfaction with his team’s performance.
“They have learnt the game very quickly and were very physical in contact, led by the outstanding captain Oliver Harris.”
Co-coach Grant Macpherson of ISB was impressed with the character and commitment shown by the players.
“Considering many of the boys were new to rugby (with many actually never played an actual game before), the coaching staff were extremely impressed with the commitment and performance of the team.
“The team learnt a lot from their first loss to a tough Japanese Rugby School and continued to make steady progress throughout the tournament. The set pieces in particular were strong, as was the tackling and speed displayed on the wings. The team also made minimal handling areas, which was also very pleasing.”
Overall, he said, “I believe this was a very successful tournament for the Bruneian team. The boys themselves were very happy with their results and the way they played and supported one another. They can be very proud of their efforts and the way they represented Bruneian rugby.”
The rugby exchange festival aimed to grow and develop the game of rugby in Asia and foster next generation leaders of Asian countries while promoting international exchanges through the game. The event was supported by Fukuoka Prefecture as the host city, Japan Rugby Union as the host union and Asia Rugby.