National rugby team face ABDB ahead of ARFU tourney in Guam

THE national team which is set to compete in the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) Asia Pacific Regional Tournament in Hagtna, Guam, will be finalised after today's friendly match against the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (ABDB) at the Berakas Camp at 4.15pm, according to a press release issued by the Brunei Rugby Football Union (BRFU) yesterday.

Four regional divisions were set up to help the developing rugby nation to improve their standard of the game, and Brunei, hosts Guam and Philippines make up the three-team Asia Pacific Regional Tournament running June 28-July 5.

Training together since May 21 to select a team to represent the country for the tour, 24 players will be selected for the squad which will be headed by BRFU President, Dr Hj Kamaruddin Dato' Seri Paduka Hj Talib as the team manager and Zakaria Hj Hamzah as the head coach.

They will be assisted by Ainol Razman Ghazaly as the assistant manager as well as the forwards coach.

Open selections were held in the Belait district at the Lorong 5 field in Seria on May 28 to choose players for the tour, with players from the Brunei-Muara district getting their chance two days later at the Berakas Sports Complex.

The Asia Pacific Regional Tournament is considered vital for the development and expansion of rugby throughout Asia and will give elite players the chance to perform in front of a significantly expanded TV audience, whilst providing a platform for development at all other levels.

Cambodia, Indonesia and Laos were grouped together in the South East Asia regional division which will be played in Jakarta.

Iran, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan were grouped under the Central Asian division while Macau, Mongolia and Qatar were grouped together in the other regional division. No dates have yet been announced for those divisions.The Brunei Times