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By Ruben Manahan IV, Researcher
DESPITE playing for the first time in the
Southeast Asian Games, the Philippine rugby team is confident of
winning the gold medal in the biennial meet slated this December in
Thailand.
“We are very confident that the Philippine
Team will gain a medal. We think that the color of that medal will
be gold,” Philippine Rugby Football Union General Manager Rey
Gigataras told The Manila Times Tuesday.
The Papua New Guinea-born Gigataras, whose
parents are both Filipinos, said the team is composed of 12 players,
some of them locals and the others Fil-foreigners.
“We hope to finalize our lineup late next
week. Our overseas players will come from Australia, United Kingdom
and US,” said Gigataras, who was educated in Australia.
Last month, the national team joined the Asian
Nations Series Division 5 at the Nomads Sports Club in Merville,
Parañaque. The squad also won the Division B title via a three-game
sweep in the 2006 Asian U19s Championship held in Taiwan to earn the
right to play in the Division A tournament this year.
“Those who played in the Asian Nations Series
will most likely see action in the SEAG,” added Gigataras, who
also played for the RP team which competed in Sri Lanka last year.
Rugby is among the three teams which will
shoulder its expenses in the forthcoming SEAG. The other two are
polo and futsal.
The PRFU will be spending approximately P900,000
for the food, board and lodging and airfare of the 12 players
joining the Thailand trip.
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