By Stephen Barber, IRFU Chairman
ISLAND STYLE RUGBY returns to the hallowed turf of the Canggu Club, Bali over the weekend of October 27 & 28, when the IRFU hosts the “THIESS Indonesia International Rugby 10’s Bali 2007”. Following on from the success of the National Rugby Team’s grand slam in Brunei, the IRFU is looking forward to next year and will use this year’s Bali tournament as a way of identifying potential new national squad members for 2008, as well as to celebrate what has been Indonesian Rugby’s most successful year ever.
The current level of rugby development in Indonesia is evidenced by 10 Indonesian-based club sides of whom 4 are made up entirely of Indonesian players, participating in the THIESS Indonesia International Rugby 10’s Bali 2007. This is the highest ever participation of Indonesian based rugby players in the tournament’s 13-year history and it is also important to note that over 60% of the players from all of these local clubs are Indonesian-born. The Indonesian teams hail from far flung regions of Indonesia including the flamboyant Kotekas from Papua, the Gosowong Miners from Halmahera, coal miners from Sangatta, oil & gas boys from Balikpapan (both East Kalimantan), Nagas’ miners from Sumbawa, as well as locals from Bali who’ll be putting away their surfboards for the weekend and club sides from the ‘Big Durian’.
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