Rugby Union in the Philippines making strides for relevance

The sport of rugby union had been in the country for more than two decades now, with the formation of the Philippine Rugby Football Union in 1998. Since then, they have made intermittent strides in promoting the sport which was had a niche following.

From its humble beginnings in the old Nomads field in Merville, Paranaque, the sport is well known by the national team, nicknamed the Volcanoes after the Filipino infantry regiment that served in the US Army during World War 2. Like them, they are Filipinos who came from overseas but responded to the call of their motherland.

One of the most prominent names in the sport in the country is Jake Letts. 

The inaugural skipper now turned the chief executive for the PRFU believes that the game is fit for us, despite it was synonymous with burly men with imposing muscle to challenge every scrum.

"The game is built for all sizes and shapes, it really is," he said, noting that those like Welsh star Shane Williams, who speed is fit for the wing position. "If you look at the best players in the world, it’s no surprise some of them are the smallest."

Letts played half-back in his Volcanoes stint, as he lead the team to its biggest stage, when they were part of the elite Asian Five Nations in 2013 and was a veteran of 46 appearances in both the 15s and sevens.

He added that the Filipinos love the fearless nature of the sport that perfectly fits the bill, given that they are willing to risk their bodies for the love of the sport.

"It’s about attitude, passion and being fearless. We see that embedded in Filipinos, and we have seen that today thanks to club development programs," he added.

"Filipinos love a challenge, and our sport offers the opportunity to change lives in a positive way."

Those challenges that Letts have faced since his playing days bode well not just for him but for the union itself, and his leadership abilities have transformed from the pitch to the front office, which brought him confidence in doing the job.

"I was able to be in a position to continue to lead from the front, however more so now in an off field capacity," he added, as he worked his way up in the union all the way from where he is now.

The support for the PRFU is ever growing and on a wide range itself, thanks to the support of the MVP Sports Foundation who came on board in 2014, a year after the country qualified for the Rugby Sevens World Cup in Russia in which Letts was also part of.

"The foundations sponsored our U19 Junior Volcanoes, the Youth National Programs, The Rising Stars (National Development Team), the Men’s 15s programs and the National Women’s program. Each program has progressed in results thanks to the ongoing support of MVPSF."

Since then, the sponsorship has produced results, with the Volcanoes' main team being the reigning and defending Asia Rugby Division 1 champions for two years running, yet he admits that the sport is still a work in progress.

"We still have a long road ahead as with any sport, especially now since the pandemic where every bit helps. Overall our aim is to have Rugby recognized as a popular sport in the Philippines, played by Filipinos."

With the sport having to share a word with an adhesive brand that became synonymous with negative connotations written all over it, he admits that the union is challenge to creaete programs to ensure that it disassociate itself with.

"Some people will recognize the name Philippine Volcanoes and connect it to the National Rugby team. Fifteen years ago this was unheard of. Nowadays, thanks to the success of the sport and the development of Rugby we can slowly transition out of the negative connotation. We are not there yet, small steps to moving forward."

To him, the future of the sport lies with the grassroots as it hopes to permanently erase the stigma, as it aims to for relevance and exposure that the main team sports such as basketball, volleyball and football had in the country.

"That’s our biggest goal. Our youth Rugby programs are amazing, it’s not just about sport but about teaching kids life skills which are embedded in our sport," he then said, as he was all praises to the virtues of the game that he love.

"This will be the lasting effect. Not necessarily championship winning teams, but players adopting the values of the sport of Rugby. These include respect, discipline, integrity, passion, unity and legacy just to name a few."

In order to keep the game in the minds of the Filipinos, Letts knows that the national teams must deliver the results to inspire more people to take up the game.

"We know if we can continue to perform well on an international level, it will inspire more players to play the game and want to be involved in community rugby which is and extremely important place in our foundation."

Photo credits: PRFU, Jake Letts