The Date is Finally Here!

There are lots to do, and even though we have been planning and planning, and the last couple of weeks, executing... there are still lots to do.. and we are all EXCITED!

I'm looking so much forward to welcome all the teams, friends I have been making all year long, and can't wait to be apart of the tournament, watching the best people in rugby, warming our Club & the idea of just being here to be with all of them ..... overwhelming... really is.

On top of that.., I must say that I have been really worried as well, hoping all the arrangements are in place and there will not be any last minute hic cups! And I hate to worry.. cause its no fun!

I have not been sleeping well for the last couple of weeks, so I've got these huge panda eyes, which is good, in a way.. at least, it won't make it that hard for anyone to recognise me from far!

Just wanna say thank you to all you guys for supporting us, supporting my blog, and having to keep up with my annoying emails...

I sincerely hope, you guys would enjoy the tournament and I truly hope the friendships we build in the name of Rugby and our passion for it, will last us much longer than Nov 8th & 9th! I know it will, and God Bless us for that !

I'm PROUD to say, 8th BORNEO TENS & 1ST BORNEO WOMEN RUGBY .... HERE WE COME!

Women Team 4 : Thai Women's Barbarians

Based in Bangkok, more than half of the team play for the national women's 7s and 15s squads and have competed in Hong Kong, China,Kazakhstan,Uzbekistan,Qatar and Singapore. The players are drawn from a myriad of tertiary institutions. This year is champion of Blacks Midnight 7s.

SRC's Liaison Exec : Pearl Lim

Women Team 2 & 3 : The Royal Selangor Club (RSC Dinga Linga Ling & RSC Mandingo)-Malaysia

The Royal Selangor Club Dingoes (RSC Dingoes) is the women’s rugby arm of the Royal Selangor Club Rugby Section, one of the oldest rugby club in Asia established in 1884. Based in Kuala Lumpur, RSC Dingoes was formed in early 2008. Although it is newly formed, we’re picking up the pace; a team with its heart in the right place and gearing up for our very first major tournament in November 2008 at the Borneo Women’s 7s.

RSC Dingoes is the only active contact women’s rugby union team in Malaysia! We’re proud to say that in such a short time since the team was formed, we’ve manage to play visiting teams from Hong Kong and the National Laos Team and also to play an exhibition game during the annual Guinness Jonah Jones Rugby Sevens in August this year and soon we will be doing the same at Borneo 10’s on November 2nd. C U in Borneo!

SRC's Liaison Execs : Angel Hon & Kessnah Kwan

Women Team 1: Atlantis (USA)

Atlantis: 23 years and 27 countries

Atlantis was founded in 1986 originally as a men’s invitational team from the Atlantic coast of the US. Since then it has been expanded to include women and the entire USA.

Depending on the level of the tournament we may include players representing the best the US has to offer; for other tournaments we try to improve our level of play by mixing sides of experienced players and novices.

Through July 2008, 810 players – from throughout the US – have represented Atlantis: 509 men and 301 women. We are particularly proud of the many US national team players that have played for us and of Atlanteans that have gone on to represent the US: 171 US Eagles (103 men and 68 women) have played for Atlantis. 95 of these represented Atlantis prior to the US.

The Atlantis men’s first tournament was the 1986 Harvard Sevens, in which they were runners-up, and the women’s first tournament was the 1992 Benidorm Sevens (Spain), which they won. 175 Atlantis squads have played in 125 tournaments in 26 different countries in its first 22 years of existence. On 14 of those occasions – including tours to Trinidad, Brazil, Venezuela as well as tournaments in the US and Canada – Atlantis tours comprised both men’s and women’s teams.

As of July 4, 2008, the Atlantis men’s record is 352-197-6 and the women’s record is 272-54-3. Some of these victories have been quite impressive – Atlantis men beat France at the 1992 Aer Lingus Sevens in Limerick (before losing to them in the finals), defeated Wellington (NZ) in Belfast in 1993, and Queensland in the 1997 Adelaide Sevens, as well as coming back from a 19-0 deficit to stun the Welsh Wizards in Benidorm in 1995.

Atlantis Women won the 1992 Benidorm Sevens over a team composed almost entirely of English internationals. Including that tournament, they have won 29 of the 44 tournaments they’ve entered, including six Caribbean Sevens in Trinidad and Tobago between 2001 and 2007.

Atlantis tries to be a good ambassador of the US wherever it travels and looks forward on this tour to meeting many fellow rugby aficionados from another corner of the world.

The Atlantis women players that will tour Borneo range in age from 20-ish to 40-ish, and they include a university student, a doctor and a personal trainer. Its two senior citizens – Michelle Persica and Jessica Hammond – have both represented the US.

SRC's Liaison Exec : Tresia Bean

Team 11: Borneo Eagles Development Team (Malaysia)

Photo coming up soon!

Call them what you may - future champions, up-and-coming stars, talented understudies, uncut gems, title aspirants or whatever, the Borneo Eagles Development Team IS the future of Sabah Rugby.

The elite from the Sabah Academy for Rugby Excellence, they are being systematically groomed to be the future flag bearers of Sabah Rugby. And the fact is that several of them have already ‘stood in’ when their seniors were unavailable for major tournaments and have proven themselves to be up to par. The ‘creme de la creme’ of Sabah junior rugby players, these youngsters are being taught to play the game by professional players and coaches from Fiji and Samoa among them the legendary Tomasi Cama.

With enthusiasm and youthful exuberance they play a brand of rugby that is both exciting and spirited. And most important of all they thoroughly enjoy themselves playing the game. All have undergone expert evaluation by a panel of professional coaches who are responsible for charting their progress.

Unpolished stones they may now be, but, after going through the grind of playing regularly against international players, we expect them to emerge as sparkling gems one day.

Team 10: Borneo Eagles of Sandakan Rugby Club (Malaysia)

Formed less than 4 years ago, the Borneo Eagles from Sandakan Rugby Club Sabah, are a comparatively young team. Nonetheless they have leapfrogged to claim a place among the most elite teams in this region.

During the 2007 edition of this Borneo 10s, they wrecked havoc on the seedings and, against all odds, took home the Cup.

During the course of the last few years, their more memorable achievements are: Alor Star City International 7s (Champions 2005), 58th Singapore Cricket Club International 7s (Plate Champions 2005), Manila SEA Games International 7s (Gold medallists 2005), Malaysian Rugby Union’s National Inter-Club Championships (Champions 2006), Negeri Sembilan Royal 7s (Champions 2006), HSBC-COBRA 10s (Plate champions 2006, Cup semifinalist 2007), Jonah Jones 7s 2008 (Cup champions).

They also posted respectable results at other overseas such as the Dubai 7s and more recently the Hong Kong 10s.

Their players also featured prominently in the Sabah State Team that are the reigning champions of the prestigious Agong’s Cup.

The Borneo Eagles comprise of a spirited combination of former and current national players ably backed by guest players from Fiji, Samoa and New Zealand.

Playing on their own pitch at Sandakan Rugby Club (Home of the Eagles), they will be going all out to make this a memorable tournament i.e. to successfully defend the title and keep the Cup for at least another year.

Team 9 : NS Wanderers (Malaysia)

The NS Wanderers are one of the leading rugby clubs in Malaysia. The establishment of the club in 1984 is based on the passion and love for the sport of rugby. From a humble beginning the club has made giant strides in the rugby scene in Malaysia by winning a number of tournaments in 15s, 10s and 7s. The club has a pool of 150 players encompassing under 19s, seniors and veterans categories. A number of players from the club has or is representing Malaysia in international tournaments. The club has also attracted the likes of Waisale Serevi, Tomasi Cama and Lepani Nabuliwaqa as guest players on separate occasions and tournaments. Currently NSW is the National Inter Club Champion of Malaysia for two years in a row.

SRC's Liaison Exec : Kasmin Sait

Team 8 : COBRA (Malaysia)

The Combined Old Boys’ Rugby Association (COBRA) was formed on 8th June 1967, during the time when members of the Commonwealth forces and expatriates dominated rugby in Malaysia. COBRA initially had 19 members and four Life Members.The objective behind the formation of COBRA was primarily to cater for ex-school rugby players who had few opportunities to continue playing unless they were members of teams of institutions of higher learning or of the uniformed forces at the time.

This year alone COBRA competed in 6 tournament both 7’s and 10’s. Manage to qualify to all finals and winning 2 tournaments as champions in Alor Setar 7’s including our most recent 10’s final, The Thiess Bali 10’s.

Without a doubt there will be more to come from COBRA Rugby by keeping the spectators entertain with high scoring, monster tackling and exceptional running style rugby.

2008 Achievements

NS 7’s – Cup Runners Up
Taiping 10’s – Cup Runners Up
Alor Setar 7’s – Cup Champions
Jonah Jones 7’s – Cup Runners up
Singapore Black 10’s – Cup Runners Up
Thiess Bali 10’s – Cup Champions

SRC's Liaison Exec : Dunian Sulong