Kouprey

Cambodia win Asian 6th Div Hosts Cambodia won all three of their matches in the inaugural Asian Nations Series Division 6 Tournament, played in the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh this week, ending with the final matches on Saturday.

The swift Koupreys were far and away the best of the four sides taking part in the tournament.

In winning the tournament, Cambodia also retained possession of the Mekong Cup, which it won last year in its inaugural test match with Laos.

After their defeat at the hands of Cambodia on the opening day and well down against Brunei on the final day, Indonesia bounced back to take second place, leaving Brunei third and Laos without a single victory.

The week's results: Brunei vs Laos, 32-17 Cambodia vs Brunei, 41-10 Cambodia vs Indonesia, 30-7 Cambodia vs Laos, 30-0 Indonesia vs Brunei, 32-20 Indonesia vs Laos, 34-12 Day 1 Cambodia’s Koupreys took advantage of their speed and quickness in the back line, along with some strong defensive play to route Indonesia 30-7 in the opening match of the tournament.

Cambodia jumped out to a 22-0 advantage at half-time, and then relied on several strong defensive stands near the goal to seal the victory in the second half.

Inn the second match on Tuesday, Brunei cruised to a 32-17 win over Laos Day 2 Cambodia once again combined its trademark speed game with some spirited defensive play as it routed Brunei on Thursday afternoon.

The dominating play of the Koupreys has surprised many at the tournament, including their own coaches.

As with Indonesia on Tuesday, Cambodia came through with some inspired defending deep in their territory to turn the tide of battle. Trailing 12-5 late in the first half, Brunei drove to Cambodia’s one-metre line, making repeated attempts to pierce the Cambodian defence by using its sizeable weight advantage in the forwards.

Yet despite being outweighed by as much as 20 to 30 kg in the pack, the Koupreys would not break, and Brunei’s efforts proved futile, as they were unable to cross the goal.

Cambodia opened the scoring at the 10 minute mark, as flyhalf Francois Bleriot found a gap near the sideline and scampered in from 15 metres, giving his team a 5-0 lead. Flank Out Vuthy added another try just three minutes later, when he eluded a host of would be tacklers and dashed 40 metres for a score. Scrumhalf Pich Ratana added the conversion, giving Cambodia a 12-0 advantage.

But Brunei came right back, using their pack to move methodically down the field. Steve Lai, the team’s captain capped off the drive with bull like effort, scoring off a penalty from 10 metres out by carrying three Cambodian players on his back to the goal.

After the kick-off, Brunei moved down the field again, making it to the one-metre line, only to be denied by the determined Cambodians.

Cambodia broke the match open in the second as they their explosive and quickness to wear down the weary Bruneians, with tries by Chey Sophal, Vannak Vireak, Ralf McMillan, and Phan Sophear putting the nail on the coffin.

Mohamad Zailaini-Zainal Abidin scored Brunei’s final try seconds before full time.

In the other match on Thursday, Indonesia used its size advantage to break open a tight first half and cruised to a 34-12 victory over Laos.

Centre Nico Alfius-Imerson led his team with two tries, while two veteran props, 49-year-old Aussie Rod Bridges and 50-year-old Englishman Dave Keefe powered their way to scores late in the game.

Lao flyhalf Viengkhone Vongphengsy led the way for his team with two tries, including a nifty 20-metre dash in the 35th minute of the first half, giving Laos a short lived 12-5 lead.

But Indonesia quickly control after that as its pack dominated the smaller but valiant Laotions. Alfius Imerson barreled his way into the goal from 5 metres out, tying the score. Bridges scored his try off a maul from 3 metres out just moments into the second half, giving his team a 17-12 lead and from then on, Indonesia never looked back.

Day 3 In their final match, the one which gave them the championship on Saturday, the Koupreys once again dominated play with blazing speed from the backs and solid scrummaging from the forwards.

Fighting back tears of joy in the boisterous Cambodian dressing room after the match, team captain Chey Sophal said the whole week was an unforgettable experience. “What we did is great for Cambodian rugby,” he said. “But it was also great for Cambodia and the Cambodian people.”

He also credited coaches Laurence Karatau and Brian Thomas for keeping the team prepared and focused.

“We believed in them and their program, they are why we succeeded this week.”

Both teams came out somewhat ragged in the opening minutes of the first half, with numerous penalties and knock-ons slowing down the pace. After Cambodia took a 5-0 lead on a penalty try three minutes into the match, Laos moved twice deep into Cambodian territory, only to see its drives ended by knock-ons.

Finally, Cambodia turned the tide in the scrums, enabling its speedy backs to take control of the match, with wing Sun Malen and Centre Lach Sopheara both scoring on runs off scrums to give the Koupreys a 15-0 advantage at half-time.

The second half saw more of the same with the Koupreys doing what they do best - run, run, and run, capping their scoring drives with tries from props Ralf McMillan, Andrew Newman, and skipper Chey Sophal from his No.8 position.

Led by the hard charging running of No. 8 Nico Alfius-Imerson, Indonesia won its second match in the tournament on Saturday, as they bested Brunei 32-20.

The Indonesians quickly jumped off to a 14-0 advantage within the first ten minutes of the first half, on tries

by Alfius-Immerson, both coming off five-metre scrums, with flyhalf Kirk Arundale taking on both conversions.

But Brunei refused to fold, answering back on a try by fullback Lim Quan in the fifteenth minute. Ivan Petrus added the conversion, making the score 14-7.

The rest of the first half seesawed back and forth, with neither team able to take control. Petrus narrowed the score to 14-10 with a penalty kick in the twenty second minute, but Indonesia answered with AlfiusImerson tiptoeing along the sidelines on a 25-metre jaunt for his third try of the match.

Then Brunei answered right back just before the half-time whistle, as lock Mohammad Shafiee-Matali pushed his way in for a try, scoring off a maul at the 39th minute, making the score 19-15.

Indonesia took control in the second half, as its forwards began to dominate play. Two penalty kicks by Arundale gave Indonesia some breathing room, with prop David Keefe providing the clincher with a try just ten minutes before the end. Arundale’s conversion provided a 32-15 cushion.

Quan made the score respectable for Brunei, scoring the final try of the match with a minute to play.

Indonesia coach Nico de Ribas felt that playing three matches in five days took a toll on his team. “It was a difficult thing to manage,” he said. “But I am proud how we turned things around after the loss (to Cambodia) on Tuesday. The last two matches have confirmed what I thought this team could do. Next time we play Cambodia, we will be ready for them, I promise you.”

By Ray Leos in Phnom Penh - planet-rugby.com - Sunday July 02 2006