THE robust performance of the Philippines’ Tamaraws at the Cabramatta 9s rugby league tournament on February 2, 2013 told the rest of the world they now mean business.
”We can’t even beat the Filipinos,” said a supporter from one of the long-standing rugby league nations, the Cook Islands, as it went down 12-10 to the unheralded young Filipinos.
The Pacific Ocean nation is a recognised rugby league-playing country and competing in this year’s Rugby League World Cup in Great Britain.
Present at the tournament were delighted Philippines Government officials Consul General Anne Jalando-on Louis and Consul Marford Angeles.
Earlier, the Philippine Airlines-sponsored Tamaraws had announced their bid to be taken seriously at this tournament.
Last year, in their inaugural appearance at this tournament, the Tamaraws played another touted Pacific nation, Niue, to a 16 all draw. In their final pool game, the Tamaraws tore this rugby league stronghold to pieces, 30-4.
The defeat of these teams, comprising of players from recognised rugby league-playing countries meant that the Philippines finished first in their pool. It was the first time an Asian-heritage team has topped the pool in this tournament and the first such team to reached the first tier finals draw of the Cabramatta 9s.
In the quarter finals, the Philippines faced the only country in the world where rugby league is the national sport and very much the nation’s religion : Papua New Guinea (PNG).
PNG is ranked sixth in the rugby league world. At this tournament, it was preparing for the Rugby League World Cup and was fielding its local full time professional players.
The Tamaraws gave their much bigger PNG players a scared in the first half of the match, holding them to a two try to one lead. But the Filipinos’ fairytale ended in the final period of the second half, finally going down, 30-4.
The Tamaraws’ head coach Clayton Watene said he was proud of the team’s attitude, commitment, passion and courage captain Luke Srama and forward Rez Phillips as his best performers.
The Philippines’ national development team and the Philippines’ national development/U20 team made their debut this year, allowing the Tamaraws coaching staff to assess the depth of talent among the Filipino-Australian and New Zealand rugby league community.
Photos by Darryl O’Brien
