Manila Nomads hosts the 34th Manila 10s International Rugby Festival
Manila — This year, we celebrate the 34th edition of the Manila 10s International Rugby Festival. Presented by Nomads Rugby, The Manila 10s was the frst-ever rugby tournament held in the Philippines and was dubbed by ESPN as the best social rugby tournament in the world.
The tournament started in 1989 as a way for the Manila Nomads, then the only rugby club in the country, to play at a competitive level without having to tour regularly.
The frst tournament featured fve teams playing in a one-day tournament. As the popularity of the tournament quickly grew, the feld increased to 16 teams playing across two days.
Today, it is still the premier rugby tournament in the country.
On March 22 & 23, 2025 we will welcome 28 teams to the Alabang Country Club playing 75 matches over 2 days.
The days of Nomads being the only Philippine-based team are long gone. This year features 18 local teams from Manila, Clark, Bicol and Cebu.
The teams visiting from overseas come from Guam, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brunei and Papua New Guinea.
This tournament will bring a mix of rugby cultures to try and beat the heat to win the ultimate prize, the Carabao Cup.
Teams will compete in 3 separate divisions - Mens, Women’s and Over 35’s mens - with matches starting at 8am on both Saturday and Sunday, running through to 6pm in the evening.
We encourage everyone to come visit, entry is free and there will be food and beverage stalls open to keep you fueled and hydrated.
If you’re a seasoned rugby veteran or brand new and curious, the Manila 10s weekend will be one
Gibson-Park the man who makes Six Nations title-chasers Ireland tick
By Pirate IRWIN
Dublin, Ireland — Ireland’s titanic Six Nations match on Saturday with France in Dublin has many engrossing duels but perhaps the most eye-catching will be between scrum-halves Jamison Gibson-Park and Antoine Dupont.
Gibson-Park, New Zealand-born but now an Irish citizen, has been Ireland’s outstanding performer in a campaign in which the Irish have been more clinical and resilient than famboyant in securing the Triple Crown.
Emblematic of the efort put in by Gibson-Park was his scampering back three-quarters of the length of the pitch to put in a try-saving tackle against Scotland last month.
“It’s just being part of this squad; you scramble to even lost causes,” he explained afterwards.
Gibson-Park has been man of the match in two of the three games so far and his performance at Lansdowne Road will have a huge bearing on whether an unprecedented third successive Six Nations title remains realistic for the Irish.
“He is as important to this Irish team as Dupont is to the French team,” former Ireland and British and Irish Lions fullback Hugo MacNeill told AFP on Wednesday.
“Dupont may be on a higher level as an all-round player but Jamison is that important to Ireland.
“If we’ve got ambitions to win another Grand Slam, if we’ve
got ambitions at the next World Cup, he’s going to be very key or somebody really exceptional has got to come along to dislodge him from the position.
“God forbid he should pick up an injury. He’d be very hard to replace.”
Gibson-Park has fully repaid the confdence shown in him when Andy Farrell blooded the Leinster scrum-half in the Six Nations match against Italy in 2020.
The former Maori All Black, who moved to Ireland in 2016, made his frst Test start in 2021 and a year later had broken up the world-class halfback partnership of Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray.
- ‘Turns to gold’MacNeill, a key member of two Triple Crown-winning sides in 1982 and 1985, said Gibson-Park brought to the table something that Murray -for all his qualities -- was unable to.
“Like all New Zealand scrumhalves of a certain age they learned to pass the ball in one movement, not pick it up and stop and then pass away in one movement,” said MacNeill.
“That helps create space outside. Allied to that, he’s a very intelligent player.
“His decision-making, his reading of the game is superb. And he gives great confdence to those in front of him and those behind him.
“Jamison has even stepped up further in his leadership and his encouragement of the people around
you surely don’t want to miss!
The 34th Manila 10s International Rugby Festival is sponsored by QED (Quest
Exploration Drilling), FLS Group Tailor-Made Global Solutions, RISE (Responsible Internet Sustainability Efort Inc.), The Extinct Volcanoes, and is supported by
International
(Files) Day One Excitement: The Manila Nomads and Eagles RFC clashed in an early match of the 2024 tournament, setting the tone for an action-packed event. Both teams showcased their skills and determination, thrilling the crowd with their competitive spirit and passion for the game.
MARK CRISTINO
Tsunami Sportswear, Suncoast Brands
Corp., and The Foreign Post.
Three things we learned in the Six Nations
By Julian Guyer
Twickenham, United Kingdom —
France rose to the top of the Six Nations table by ending Ireland’s bid for Grand Slam glory with a dominant display that left Les Blues in pole position to take the title when they are at home to Scotland in next weekend’s tournament fnale.
Meanwhile, England stayed in title contention with a decisive victory over Italy after Scotland just did enough to infict yet more woe upon Wales.
Below AFP looks at three things we learned from the fourth round of the championship.
Understudy Lucu takes centre stage
Imagine growing up wanting to be an international rugby player
and then fnding that when the time comes your path is blocked not only by one of the best players who has ever played in your position but someone who is also regarded as one of the best anywhere on the feld?
That is the fate of France scrumhalf Maxime Lucu, deputy to the talismanic Antoine Dupont.
When France captain Dupont went of injured with more than half of Saturday’s match against doubledefending champions Ireland to play, visiting fans in Dublin might have feared the worst.
But it is a measure of how well the 32-year-old Lucu, the lone back on France coach Fabien Galthie’s bench, performed at Lansdowne Road that Les Bleus barely sufered from Dupont’s absence.
Bordeaux-Begles No 9 Lucu -- arguably possessed of an even quicker pass than fellow scrumhalf Dupont -- ensured there was no squandering of the advantage gained up front by France’s hugely powerful forwards.
His performance was central as France produced a display in Dublin that was every bit as sublime as their error-strewn efort in a preceding one-point, Grand Slam-ending, loss to England at Twickenham had been ridiculous.
Sleightholme maintains strikerate
Ollie Sleightholme scored two of England’s seven tries as their backs cut loose in a 47-24 win over Italy at Twickenham that boosted their hopes of a frst Six Nations title triumph in fve years.
Townsend relishing ‘toughest fixture’ in France after Scotland’s Six Nations win over Wales
By Julian Guyer
Edinburgh, United Kingdom —
Gregor Townsend said fnishing the Six Nations at France next weekend was the “toughest fxture in world rugby” after his Scotland side revived their campaign with a 35-29 home win over Wales on Saturday.
Hours before Scotland bounced back from their agonising onepoint loss to England with their second win from four games, France stunned Ireland 47-22 in Dublin.
Victory ended previously unbeaten double-defending Six Nations champions Ireland’s bid for a Grand Slam and catapulted France two points clear at the top of the table with one game remaining.
France also have a colossal points diference of +106 compared to second-placed Ireland’s +13.
“They (France) are a quality side,” said Scotland coach Townsend, who played for three French clubs in Brive, Castres and Montpellier.
“When you saw the French club teams dominating in Europe and scoring 70-80 points against quality English sides on a couple of occasions, it shows you what can happen if you allow them to get on the front foot.”
France have overwhelmed several sides this Six Nations since starting the tournament with a 43-0
rout of Wales.
They also piled on 73 points against Italy and would have been in contention for a Grand Slam themselves but for a bizarre 26-25 second-round loss away to England where they squandered numerous try-scoring opportunities.
“I think they could have scored 40 or 50 against England with the amount of chances they had,” Townsend said.
“Just now, probably this is the toughest fxture in world rugby. They beat the All Blacks in November, so we can’t wait to be involved in it.”
- Russell ‘in the groove’Victory over Wales saw Scotland co-captain Finn Russell regain his place-kicking form, the fy-half converting all his side’s fve tries, including doubles for Tom Jordan and impressive Toulouse full-back Blair Kinghorn, with returning wing Darcy Graham also dotting down.
Russell’s accuracy of the tee was in sharp contrast to what happened at Twickenham in the third round where Scotland outscored England three tries to one yet still lost 1615 after the fy-half missed all three conversions.
“I think I had my boots on the right feet today,” joked Russell.
“No, it was good. I think I did quite a bit of work this week and just got myself in the groove, which was nice actually.”
The Northampton wing had to wait for his chance at Test level after leading the Premiership try-scoring charts last season with 15 from 14 games as the Saints took the title.
But the 24-year-old son of former England fyer Jon Sleightholme has now scored six tries in just eight internationals since making his Test debut in New Zealand last year, with his haul including scores against Australia and world champions South Africa -- no mean feat in an England team often criticised for lacking ambition in attack.
Wales skipper Morgan still leading from the front
One of the hardest things in rugby is to continually play well in a losing side.
Yet Wales captain Jac Morgan, who plays in the physically demanding role of blindside fanker, has still to let his standards slip this Six Nations.
Saturday saw Wales sufer a
national record-extending 16th successive Test defeat as they lost 35-29 away to Scotland.
The fnal scoreline in Edinburgh was somewhat misleading given Scotland led 35-8 early in the second half at Murrayfeld.
Even during Wales’ wretched start, Morgan -- with blood running from his nose -- produced an immense display in defence whether winning turnovers or carrying strongly.
His eforts could not disguise the lightweight nature of much of Wales’ forward play. Morgan could yet gain some personal reward as 2025 sees the British and Irish Lions in action -- something that only happens once every four years.
There is plenty of competition for back-row places, but it will be a major surprise if Morgan is left out by Lions boss Andy Farrell for a tour of Australia featuring three Tests against the Wallabies in July and August.
Hong Kong opens sports park with 50,000-seat stadium
Hong Kong, China — Hong Kong launched a sprawling sports complex on Saturday, with ofcials and celebrities opening the HK$30 billion ($3.86 billion) Kai
Tak Sports Park at its centrepiece 50,000-seat stadium.
The 28-hectare sports park has transformed the Kai Tak neighbourhood, once the site of Hong Kong’s airport which sat amidst dense urban development at the harbour’s edge -- a famously challenging landing spot for pilots.
Hong Kong is seeking to regain its mojo as a hub for international sports, cultural and entertainment events, after its reputation was bruised by political upheaval and strict COVID curbs.
Thousands focked to Saturday’s opening ceremony held at the waterfront stadium, which boasts a purplish facade dubbed “Pearl of the Orient” and a retractable roof.
City leader John Lee said the
Scotland surged into a 35-8 lead against Wales but, not for the frst time, they sufered a late drop-of in the fnal quarter as the visitors rallied through tries from Ben Thomas, Teddy Williams and Max Llewellyn.
“I think after about 55 minutes, we probably switched of a little bit, so for us, as learning, as a team, we need to stamp that out and make sure we have ruthless 80-minute performances,” said Russell.
“We’ve got a great mental skills coach (Jess Thom) here so I think as a collective we’ll maybe have a chat with her,” he added.
Defeat extended Wales’ national record losing streak to 16 Tests but interim coach Matt Sherratt, whose caretaker stint started with an encouraging 27-18 defeat by Ireland, was buoyed by his side’s resilience in Edinburgh.
“Obviously a real brave efort at the end to come back and get two points, but I’ve seen enough of those games where the reality is they probably thought they (Scotland) had done enough and maybe dropped of fve per cent,” said Sherratt whose three-game reign as Wales boss concludes against his native England in Cardif next Saturday.
“What I did feel, though, is there was a hell of a lot of efort from our boys in that last 20 minutes.
“It was outstanding,” he added.
facilities ushered in a “state-of-theart new stage for Hong Kong”.
The stadium is expected to host the rugby Hong Kong Sevens later this month, and Coldplay concerts in April.
Ofcials hope the high-profle events will boost the city’s profle in Asia. Last year, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour ditched Hong Kong for Singapore while the NBA inked a deal with Macau.
Hong Kong’s government foated the idea of an Olympicstandard stadium as early as the 2000s, but construction only began in 2019 and was beset with delays.
The complex also features a 10,000-seat sports centre, a 5,000seat public sports ground and three shopping malls.
Aside from song and dance, Saturday’s ceremony also featured a face-of between martial arts movie star Donnie Yen and Olympic gold medallist fencer Vivian Kong.
Gibson-Park the man...
him which is really impressive but it was really badly needed.”
The 33-year-old, who has Northern Irish heritage on his mother’s side of the family, has not always been a big talker on the pitch.
However, like with his kicking game -- he bashfully admitted he could not “kick snow of a rope” before coming to Ireland -- his on-feld presence as a leader has progressed in leaps and bounds.
It is a far cry from when the player from the Great Barrier Island -- population then of 800 -- started out his career with Taranaki, as his coach there, Colin Cooper, told The Irish Times in 2022.
“He had to work on his voice, because he’s quiet and shy,” said Cooper.
“From his background, he’s respectful, very courteous but under all that he’s got a bit of a larrikin in him.”
Cooper believes Gibson-Park made the right call to move away as he thinks he would not have dislodged TJ Perenara as frst-choice scrum-half at Super Rugby franchise The Hurricanes.
Five years later the wisdom of his choice to move halfway across the world paid of as he faced Perenara when the Irish hosted the All Blacks and came out on top 2920.
Perenara said Gibson-Park is not
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only a “super dude” but a winner too.
“He was one of the most gifted players I ever played with –everything that guy touches often turns to gold.”
The Irish will hope Saturday is just such an occasion.
Scotland’s fy-half Finn Russell (5L) holds aloft the Doddie Weir Cup as he poses with teammates after the Six Nations international rugby union match between Scotland and Wales at Murrayfeld Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. Scotland won the match 35-29. ANDY BUCHANAN
Hamilton in red, Verstappen under pressure for F1’s 75th anniversary
Paris, France — The 2025
Formula One season has all the makings of a white-knuckle 24race celebration to mark 75 years since the inaugural seven-race championship in 1950, while Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari provides an intriguing storyline.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen appears to have his work cut out to seal a ffth straight title with Lando Norris poised to knock the Dutchman of his perch.
Hamilton says his move from Mercedes to Ferrari has given him a new lease of life.
Here AFP Sport looks at fve talking points before the season gets underway in Australia on Sunday: Fifth title for Verstappen?
Seventy-fve years after Giuseppe Farina claimed the frst F1 world championship at the wheel of an Alfa Romeo, Verstappen embarks
on the 2025 season in pursuit of a ffth successive title, a feat only achieved once before, by Michael Schumacher.
If he succeeds it will cement the Dutchman’s place as a titan of the sport.
He hoovered up seven of the frst 10 races in his rampaging Red Bull last year, before a 10-race winless run as McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari ran riot.
But Verstappen had the last word, fghting back to win in Brazil and clinch title number four with two races to spare.
McLaren prised the constructors championship away from Red Bull to seal their long road back to the F1 summit.
The tough task facing Verstappen is underlined by the betting, which has him as only second favourite behind Norris (who ended last
season 63 points behind) for the 2025 crown.
Can Hamilton make Ferrari magic?
Hamilton is convinced he can help Ferrari win a frst drivers’ championship since 2007 after the seven-time world champion made the move to Italy.
At 40, the Briton seems full of youthful enthusiasm for the new challenge.
“The passion here is like nothing you’ve ever seen. They’ve got absolutely every ingredient they need to win a world championship and it’s just about putting all the pieces together,” he said.
Class of 2025 rookies
An Italian teenager who only passed his driving test in January is among the six-strong 2025 rookie intake.
Kimi Antonelli is an exciting
18-year-old who uses the nickname of his uncle who was a fan of Ferrari’s last world champion, Finn Kimi Raikkonen. He takes Hamilton’s seat alongside George Russell at Mercedes.
“I really want to make my own story” insists last year’s multiple Formula 2 winner, brushing of suggestions he is the seven-time world champion’s ‘replacement’ at the Silver Arrows.
Kiwi Liam Lawson, a ‘veteran’ of 11 grands prix already, makes his fully fedged debut as Verstappen’s new wingman at Red Bull.
Ferrari’s British academy driver Ollie Bearman was thrown into the F1 deep end when he was called up as a last-minute replacement for Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Grand Prix last year, becoming the youngest ever driver to compete for the Scuderia.
He seized his chance, holding of Hamilton and Norris to fnish seventh. He joins Ferrari-powered Haas. Brazil has a presence on the grid for the frst time in fve years in F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto at Sauber.
Australian Jack Doohan will be hoping to enjoy even a small slice of his dad Mick’s success on two wheels in MotoGP as he graduates from reserve driver to become Pierre Gasly’s teammate at Alpine.
Last but not least is RB’s Isack Hadjar, the 20-year-old FrenchAlgerian who narrowly missed out to Bortoleto for the F2 title.
FIA in drivers’ crosshairs
In the volatile unpredictable high-octane bubble that is F1, one thing seems assured in 2025: renewed tension between the governing body and the drivers. Notably over the FIA’s crackdown on swearing.
Verstappen and Charles Leclerc fell foul of the rules in 2024 for turning the air blue at press conferences.
The guidelines were strengthened in January, triggering an indignant response from drivers, who took a swipe at FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
“We urge the FIA president to also consider his own tone and language when talking to our member drivers, or indeed about them, whether in a public forum or otherwise,” they wrote, adding: “Our members are adults. They do not need to be given instructions via the media, about matters as trivial as the wearing of jewellery or underpants.”
From Australia to Abu Dhabi Australia hosts the frst of the 24 races next weekend with Bahrain moved to April as Ramadan runs throughout March. 2025’s six sprints are at Shanghai, Miami, Belgium, Austin, Sao Paulo and Qatar.
The FIA is trying to liven up the jewel in the calendar -- Monaco -- where overtaking is nigh-on impossible, imposing a mandatory two-pit stop strategy.
With the traditional three-week summer break in August the F1 circus pitches up in the desert of Abu Dhabi for its fnal show on December 7.
“2025 will be a special year as we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the FIA Formula One World Championship, and it’s that legacy and experience that allows us to deliver such a strong calendar,” said F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
Testing times
The times from three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain last month did not tell anyone much.
With fuel loads unknown, and team set-ups kept under wraps, it was hard if not impossible to pinpoint the winners and losers.
Russell’s Mercedes was top of the pile on the last day, with Sainz’s Williams topping the times on the middle day and Norris’s McLaren taking the frst day honours.
Ferrari were bang in the thick of it, and Verstappen will have been pleased with his fnal-day showing.
One thing seems certain -- the bulk of the teams look closely matched, prompting McLaren CEO Zak Brown to predict: “I can see it being super competitive. Last year four teams won multiple races, this year I could see that being even more. I’m more excited than nervous.”
Six things about the first F1 world championship of 1950
By Barney SPENDER
Paris, France — This year marks the 75th anniversary of the very frst Formula One world championship in 1950 which featured seven races and was won by the Italian Giuseppe Farina.
AFP Sport picks out six things to know about that frst summer of speed.
- OriginsGrand Prix racing dates back much further than 1950, almost to the moment that the frst automobiles appeared on the road. In fact the frst recorded race took place in 1894 when Count Jules-Albert de Dion won the 126km Paris–Rouen rally at an average speed of 19kph (12mph).
The frst closed-circuit race came in 1903 in Athy, Ireland and the frst race to carry the label of Grand Prix is thought to have been at Le Mans in 1906 - although some vouch for Pau in 1901.
A manufacturers’ championship took place in the 1920s but it was only after World War Two and the emergence of the FIA as the new governing body that the new competition would begin.
- Programme -
The previous three years had seen a variety of one-of Formula One races with no overall competition. That changed with the 1950 championship which comprised six races in Europe - Britain, Monaco, Switzerland, Belgium, France and Italy - and one in the US.
The Indianapolis race was efectively a stand-alone as it took place one week after Monaco and none of the European racers took part.
The European races involved four works teams - Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Maserati, and Talbot-Lago - and 26 privateers. Mercedes only joined the championship in 1954.
- Champion Farina -
History remembers well the exploits of Juan Manuel Fangio for his fve world titles but this inaugural season belonged to his Alfa Romeo teammate, the Italian Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina.
They won three races each but Turin-born Farina’s fourth place in Belgium gave him the championship with 30 points to Fangio’s 27.
He won the frst race in front of an estimated 200,000 spectators at Silverstone on May 13 and secured the title with victory in Monza on September 3.
At 43 he remains the secondoldest champion, behind only Fangio who was 47 when he took his fnal title in 1957.
Farina was also the frst champion to die when he was killed in a road accident on his way to the 1966 French Grand Prix where he was due to perform as driving double for Yves Montand in the flm ‘Grand Prix’.
- Monaco pile-upAlthough not as fast as today, the early cars were far more dangerous, the frst serious pile-up happening on the opening lap in the second race at Monaco, when a wave fooded the track at Tabac Corner.
Farina, who was second at the time, spun and crashed. Leader Fangio drove clear but eight more drivers crashed and retired, albeit unhurt.
On the second lap, Jose Froilan Gonzalez crashed his already-
damaged Maserati which caught fre. Only seven of the 19 starters completed the race.
Gonzalez recovered from his burns, going on to win the 1951 British Grand Prix and the 1954 Le Mans, but others competing in the 1950 season were not as fortunate as the ‘Pampas Bull’.
- Dangerous games -
Less than two months after driving a Maserati 4CL at Silverstone, Joe Fry was killed at the Blandford hill climb while Raymond Sommer, who was fourth in Monaco, died when his car overturned during a race at the Circuit de Cadours - just one week after he placed eighth in the Formula One season-closer in Monza.
Another fve of the class of 1950 - Alberto Ascari, Louis Rosier, Guy Mairesse, Peter Whitehead and Harry Schell - would lose their lives in racing accidents while David Murray perished in a road accident in the Canary Isles in 1973.
Ascari is the only Italian to win the title for Ferrari and he remains the only driver along with Michael Schumacher to deliver back-to-back world titles for ‘Il Cavallino’.
- The PrinceFormula One has attracted its share of wealth and glamour, such as Johnny (the Earl of) Dumfries but few can match the royal bloodline of His Highness Prince Birabongse Bhanudej who fnished eighth in the 1950 championship after taking part in four races.
B. Bira, as he was known on the track, started auto racing in a Riley Imp in England in 1935, adoping the pale blue and yellow racing colours of Siam.
That’s right, Siam. His paternal
grandfather was King Mongkut, loosely portrayed by Yul Brunner in the movie ‘The King and I’.
Aged 36 and driving a powerful Maserati 4CLT/48, he fnished ffth in Monaco and fourth at Bremgarten in Switzerland.
Other characters in that frst season included Belgian Jazz trumpeter Jonny Claes and Monegasque Louis Chiron, who was a driver for Marshals Petain and
Foch of the French army during the First World War.
Born in 1899, Chiron would become the oldest driver ever to have started an F1 race when he came sixth in Monaco in 1955 at the age of 55.
Luigi Fagiola, meanwhile, was the only driver born in the 19th century to win a Grand Prix when he took the chequered fag in France in 1951 at the age of 53.
Aston Martin’s Canadian driver Lance Stroll poses for a portrait at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, ahead of the Formula One Australian Grand Prix. WILLIAM WEST