(29 October, 2019) Vientiane, Lao PDR: Last March, members of the Hong Kong rugby community including Segantti Capital Management, RedBox Storage and Sandy Bay RFC raised funds and supported the U16 girls team from Lao PDR to participate in the world’s largest all-female youth rugby tournament, the All Girls International Rugby Sevens. As the Rugby World Cup has engulfed Asia and all sights are set on the upcoming Southeast Asia Games, the young women who represented Laos at the landmark events in Hong Kong, have been busy using their inspiration from the tour to drive unprecedented growth and development for the sport in their local community over the past six months.
During the tour the U16 Segantii Lao Nagas earned the Title of Bowl Runners Up at the All Girls International Rugby Sevens and had the chance to meet and play against other young rugby superstars from across the globe, including Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore and Japan. In addition to playing in the competition, the Nagas met the senior National teams from Mexico and Uganda who were in Hong Kong for the Hong Kong 7s Women's Qualifier. The young Nagas also played a match against a mixed U16s Hong Kong team at the opener of the Qualifiers and New Zealand Sevens superstar, Portia Woodman presented the Nagas with their medals. To close out their trip, the Nagas also had the chance to experience the Hong Kong 7s firsthand.
“Being one of the U16 Nagas was such an exciting opportunity for me to meet new friends and family, see rugby played at such a high level and to get to know so many rugby players and fans of all ages,” said one member of the squad, Mor Ha. “Since I returned from Hong Kong, I have been working hard to continue to develop myself and rugby, especially around my village in Xieng Khouang.” Mor Ha recently participated in the Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony as a flag bearer and attended the opening match in Tokyo.
As the national governing body for the sport of rugby in the Lao PDR, the Lao Rugby Federation (LRF) oversees the development of youth, club, and elite rugby in the country. As part of its Champa Ban youth rugby programme, the LRF implements the ChildFund Pass It Back rugby and life skills curriculum. More than 3,000 young people have been registered across seven districts in Lao PDR and the LRF maintains a consistently high female participation rate of 52% across all players and Coaches.
All of the U16 Nagas were introduced to rugby through the programme and, like Mor Ha men1oned, after attending the All Girls International Rugby Sevens, many of the Nagas have taken on active leadership roles in developing the sport in their local community.
One example of how these young players have put their inspiration into action in their communities is that 4 of the U16 Segantii Lao Nagas players, Keo, Phommee, Mor Ha and Bang Orn, became Champa Ban powered by ChildFund Pass It Back Coaches in August and are coaching 9 teams across Vientiane and Xieng Khouang helping to train and lead the next generation of young female rugby players and leaders in Laos.
Another of the U16 Nagas, Bang Orn, is now training with the senior DAC Lao National Team in preparation for the Southeast Asian Games. Building on her skill development and progression from her participation as a Champa Ban powered by ChildFund Pass It Back player and from the competitions in Hong Kong, she is an example of some of the skill and talent among the young players and shows huge leadership potential for the future of the Lao National Team.
Eight of the Nagas, Lay Lor, Lay Ya, Keo, Mor Ha, Xiva, Keo, Phommee, and Bang Orn, traveled to Vietnam in July to play in the first women’s full contact international 15s competition ever to take place in Vietnam in where the Lao team was victorious 35-0.
Seven of the Nagas, Lay Lor, Lay Ya, Keo, Mor Ha, Xiva, Keo and Phommee, are members of the newly founded Xieng Khouang Rugby Football Club (RFC) and are leading the way for women’s rugby in their home province. In September, Xieng Khouang RFC lead by the 7 U16 Nagas, participated in the Bangkok 10s. This was only their team’s first competition played outside of Lao PDR, however they managed to beat teams from Thailand and Vietnam and earn 6th place among the 10 participating teams.
All of these examples show the U16 Segantii Lao Nagas have continued to lead in development of rugby in their communities and are actively passing their new knowledge and skills back to their communities through their club and youth work. The LRF looks forward to continuing to support and follow these young women’s progress as rugby players, Coaches, leaders, and role models for other young people in Lao PDR.
In Hong Kong, the team was hosted by HKU Sandy Bay RFC players and their families, who not only shared their homes with the Lao players during the tour but additionally carried out fundraising activities leading up to the tour. The Sandy Bay RFC community’s generous support alongside tour sponsors, Segantii Capital Management and RedBox Storage, made the U16 Lao Nagas’ trip to Hong Kong a reality.
We would like to thank all of the sponsors and supporters who have made the U16 Lao Nagas’ trip possible. We would also like to thank partners, ChildFund Pass It Back, Department of Foreign Affairs Australia, World Rugby and Asia Rugby, for their continued support in growing rugby and cultivating young leaders in Lao PDR.
The LRF thanks DAC Management whose ongoing support makes the LRF’s elite program possible at the junior and senior level. Many thanks also to LRF's Champa Ban sponsors including DFDL Legal & Tax, Pot Bellied Pigs RFC, Cairnhill Structures, DHL Express, RedBox Storage, ESF Kennedy School, Segantii Capital Management, and DAC Management for their ongoing contributions to youth rugby in Laos.
NOTES TO THE EDITOR:
About the Lao Rugby Federation
The Lao Rugby Federation (LRF) was formed in 2001. Since then, the LRF has gone on to gain full membership of Asia Rugby, associate member status of World Rugby and most importantly, registration with the Elite Sports Department of the Lao Ministry of Education and Sport (MoES).
The LRF is the governing body for all rugby activities within the Lao PDR. LRF activities are focused on developing the sport through a school and community development programme, supporting domestic and elite teams to improve and developing a sound structure to provide transparent and accountable financial and administrative support to the sport.
The LRF mission is: To provide opportunities for men and women, boys and girls, social and elite players and those in urban and rural areas to participate in the sport of rugby, whilst ensuring that health benefits and personal development opportunities are realised to their fullest extent.
The LRF understands that this can only be achieved by ensuring that we have the necessary capacities to deliver high-quality playing and participation opportunities; this involves engagement with the government, communities, businesses, schools and other institutions to provide sustainable access to participation (playing and non-playing) opportunities.
If you or someone you know is interested in sponsoring, donating to, or learning about the Lao Rugby Federation, please contact sponsor@laorugby.com for more information.
For more information, please contact:
Pisa Vongdeuanpheng (Lao, Thai) or Ariel Pueyo (English, Spanish) Phone: +856 21 315 795
Email: info@laorugby.com
Website: www.laorugby.com
Editors: Images are available upon request.