Manila Nomads Rugby Club
Manila Nomads Rugby Club[edit]
Nomads Rugby Club is the oldest rugby union club in the Philippines. The team is based in Makati, and plays in the SPI 15s and 7s tournaments, as well as many other regional rugby tournaments. The club is an offshoot of the Nomads Sports Club, and continues to bear their name.
History[edit]
Early years (1914 - 1988)[edit]
Nomads were the only club playing rugby in the Philippines, mostly against each other and against foreign touring teams. Due to the foreign nature of the game, the rugby section relied heavily upon expatriates to provide players.
The club was founded in 1914, initially based next to the original Manila Club, on United Nations Avenue in Manila. Following the liberation of Manila after World War II, Nomads temporarily moved to a greenfield site at the site of the former Intercontinental Hotel, at the corner of Ayala Avenue and EDSA. With the development of the Makati area, the club was again forced to move further out, and in 1969, a site in Merville, Paranaque, was established.
Establishment of the Manila 10s tournament (1988 - 1998)[edit]
Seeking to better promote rugby within the Philippines and the South-East Asia region, the club established the annual Manila 10s tournament in 1989. The first tournament consisted only one division, and was won by the Kukris (a British Army team from Hong Kong), beating Nomads 12-9. The following year, the competition was expanded to two divisions, which continued until it was expanded to three divisions in 1998. The competition currently comprises of four open divisions as well as a veterans division (for players over 35 years). The tournament provided a much-needed boost to the Philippine rugby community, and facilitated the path toward national incorporation as a recognised Union.
Union accreditation and team split (1998 - 2004)[edit]
In 1998 the national body, the Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) was founded, however to be incorporated under World Rugby, a national domestic competition was required. It was not until 2003 that a group of Nomads players formed a separate club in Alabang, known as the Eagles, and a domestic competition was founded. The two clubs maintain a healthy rivalry, and are presently the only two Premiership teams in the country. Since that time, many other teams have been founded around the nation. The PRFU became an affiliated member of the International Rugby Board on 1 November 2004.
Current times (2004 - present)[edit]
Nomads presently contests the Premiership division of the SPI 15s, the Philippines' domestic rugby competition. Members of the current Nomads team represent the Philippines at national and sub-national level, with players featuring in the Philippine Volcanoes men's team, the National Development Team (for Philippine heritage players), the Residents XV (for players residing in the Philippines), and the
References[edit]
External links[edit]
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