The Phuket Vagabonds R.F.C. have returned victorious from the T.R.U. Southern Region Rugby Sevens Championship held in Suratthani on September 19 and 20, 2020.
The 20 man squad of enthusiastic players and dedicated supporters produced a dominant performance, remaining undefeated across the weekend as they faced teams from Yala, Krabi, Suratthani and the Price of Songklha University. Saving their best performance for last, they secured the championship with a comprehensive 34 – 7 victory over runn
ers up Krabi in the final late Sunday afternoon.
Team Captain, Dan Ashburn praised his team saying he was “proud and privileged to have been part of such a great weekend. The class showed from our players both on and off the field was a testament to the club”.
In a standout performance throughout the weekend, Shaun Kober was selected as the team’s Most Valuable Player for the tournament. Shaun’s sweeping defense and precision in attack was the key to success with Merrick Fairall following closely at his heels with an excellent performance and fast paced attack. Special mention also goes to Paul “Ringo” Rothwell, voted Best Tourist for his steel in defense on the pitch and jovial participation off it.
Other performances of note include Tom Kilington’s match winning try off an inside ball form Merrick Fairall in a close fought Sunday morning battle with Prince of Songklha. Dan Ashburn’s terrifying kick chases which led to some early tries and will have a few of the opposition having nightmares for weeks to come. And a commendable performance in defense and attack, form Zach Foose in his first ever rugby tournament.
Vice Captain, Dave Walker could not speak highly enough not only of the team, but also an excellent tournament, “great tournament with some fantastic rugby played by all boys and girls through the age groups and of course the Phuket Vagabonds. We played with exceptional team work, playing hard for each other and doing ourselves proud in the process”.
The resurgent Vagabonds were well received by the Thailand Rugby community and look forward to further strengthening relationships with the Thailand Rugby Union and in particular the development of junior rugby players in their home province of Phuket. Club President Anthony van Sleeuwen said he was “eager to continue to help grow the club, and introduce new avenues for young players to find rugby, whilst also raising the profile of the Vagabonds within the greater Phuket community”.
The team will now turn their focus to the National Rugby Sevens championships to be held in Bangkok on October 31st, 2020.
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