A good rugby lesson for Brunei national team
Monday, May 21, 2007
THE provisional national rugby team who are set to compete in July's Asian Rugby Football Union (Arfu) Division VI Championships know that they have a long way to go and yesterday's match against members of the New Zealand Army will only strengthen the players' resolve and commitment.
Consisting of more than 30 players, the team will be trimmed down to 15 players by next week, when training will begin in earnest.
The New Zealanders won convincingly against the Bruneians, who had only been training as a team one week before the match at the Royal Brunei Land Forced camp in Berakas.
Battered but not broken, the Bruneians never shirked from any tackles and never failed to keep their heads up as the match and the score progressed.
The Bruneians' lack of fitness and defensive organisation were their main concerns throughout the match, but more time on the pitch should change all that.
According to one Bruneian player, competing against the army team was a good way to gauge the team's standard, and the score line of 96-0 was no cause for the team to be ashamed of and was not reflective of their performance.
His comments were justified, as in fact, the forwards constantly out-scrummed their counterparts.
Adding that rugby only started developing at the grassroots level for less than a few years, it was a stark comparison to the New Zealanders who had been raised with rugby and live in a country in which the sport is a defining part of their culture.
The Brunei Times
Consisting of more than 30 players, the team will be trimmed down to 15 players by next week, when training will begin in earnest.
The New Zealanders won convincingly against the Bruneians, who had only been training as a team one week before the match at the Royal Brunei Land Forced camp in Berakas.
Battered but not broken, the Bruneians never shirked from any tackles and never failed to keep their heads up as the match and the score progressed.
The Bruneians' lack of fitness and defensive organisation were their main concerns throughout the match, but more time on the pitch should change all that.
According to one Bruneian player, competing against the army team was a good way to gauge the team's standard, and the score line of 96-0 was no cause for the team to be ashamed of and was not reflective of their performance.
His comments were justified, as in fact, the forwards constantly out-scrummed their counterparts.
Adding that rugby only started developing at the grassroots level for less than a few years, it was a stark comparison to the New Zealanders who had been raised with rugby and live in a country in which the sport is a defining part of their culture.
The Brunei Times
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