Taiwan’s “Rugby Week” is to conclude today at the Taipei Stadium with the second day of the Taipei 10s, while the national team yesterday suffered a crushing defeat and a Rugby World Cup-winning coach on Friday had words of advice for the game’s development after seeing Taiwan lose on Wednesday.
Former South Africa coach Jake White was in Taipei as the guest of honor on Friday at the British Chamber of Commerce and Taipei Baboons’ rugby dinner in support of the Bali Trust Fund, which was set up to assist people injured in the Oct. 12, 2002, bombings in Bali, Indonesia, that killed five members of the Taipei club, and now also does general philanthropy for rugby and other sports.
“I think the most important thing is to get your club rugby at a competitive level and the best players will come through,” White said in response to a question from Chinese Taipei Rugby Football Union president Herman Huang about how the national team could be improved.
Photo: Grant Dexter, Taipei Times
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“If I look at the national team, I think that physical conditioning has got to be a priority for you guys. I think that what happened the other night [on Wednesday against Singapore] was that they got physically outmuscled and that’s what’s got to happen: A lot more emphasis on physical training,” White said.
The 2007 World Cup winner told the Taipei Times in an interview after the dinner at the Sherwood Taipei that Global Rapid Rugby has a particular interest in club rugby in Asia.
The organization runs an international club rugby competition set up around the Western Force, who were axed from the Australian Conference of Super Rugby after the 2017 season. The competition has four other teams, Fijian Latui, Kagifa Samoa, the Hong Kong-based South China Tigers and the Singapore-based Asia Pacific Dragons.
“I’m not saying they’ve got plans for Taipei, but they are looking at the Asia market and I think this could be an area that they could target as well,” White said of Global Rapid Rugby.
Separately, Baboons player Bernie Moore told the Taipei Times that a local syndicate is interested in forming a joint venture with a Super Rugby franchise to bring a development squad to Taiwan to represent Taipei in the Global Rapid Rugby competition and develop rugby nationwide with clinics and outreach programs.
On Wednesday, Taiwan lost a close encounter against Singapore in their opening game in the short-form Asia Rugby Championship Division 1 tournament, going down 13-18 at the Taipei Stadium.
Taiwan yesterday fell to a 72-17 defeat to Sri Lanka in the playoff for third and fourth at the same venue.
In the other semi-final on Wednesday, the Philippines downed Sri Lanka 39-22, setting up the final against Singapore yesterday, which the Philippines won 29-21.
At the Taiwan International 10s yesterday, Max Murphy — who was with the Baboons in Bali in 2002 and in the bar targeted by bombers, but was not injured — highlighted the social nature of rugby.
“They say: ‘In the darkest hour, the greatest avenger is being born,’ but I don’t think that’s happening,” he said after his team, The Great Ballers, lost their opening match 27-0 against the Taiwan Ronins in the Veterans’ division.
“It’s just great to be out here and play again; that’s what it’s all about,” said Murphy, who has been instrumental in organizing top names in world rugby, including White, to speak and guest coach in the nation.
Saffas Blesbokke and the Taipei Silverbacks were the top teams in that division.
In the men’s division, Keelung City and the Samurai Pacific Warriors were the top performers with three wins from three apiece, while Hong Kong-based Kowloon were the top performers in the women’s division with two wins from two and no points conceded.
The rest of the pool games are to begin today at 9am, with the finals to start at 4:12pm.
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