Phuket Vagabonds Rugby
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| The Front Row |
The Vagabonds after a year of sea, sun & various deviance's & perversions are gearing up for what will be hoped is their best performance in the phuket 10s since reaching the cup final in 2002. With a mix of Thai, South African, British,a bit of French flair & not to mention the flying Fijian, it is certain that this bunch of ugly misfits will scare the pants off the damsels in Soi Bangla but wont exactly have the opposition shaking in their boots. Since the advent of professionalism the Vagabonds have reaped the benefits of that particular idea.However instead of paying players they ended up paying for certain favours of a professional nature whilst enjoying rugby as its supposed to be played, with fun under the sun & plenty of bevvies afterwards!
The Start Of Rugby In Phuket
On a wet Tuesday evening back in November 1995, half a dozen or so, Phuket expatriates and local Thais, met at a bar in Patong, to consider the news that a team from Sri Lanka comprising 12 internationals and 5 “professional” Fijians were visiting Phuket the following month. The trip was a reward for the team, The Kandy Sports Club of Sri Lanka, for winning their national league. Somehow word had reached them that there was a rugby team in Phuket and they were keen for a game. Although, at that time there was no official team, touch rugby was regularly played on the beaches of Patong and Surin. Plus, the year before, a scratch team had played a full game against a Scottish Veterans team returning from a tour to Hong Kong. It was however, not until that fateful Tuesday night, that the Phuket Vagabonds Rugby Club was born. For the following month, frantic training sessions were organized, new players rounded up and players who thought they’d retired persuaded or bribed into cleaning off their boots for one more game. The Teachers College pitch was booked in Phuket Town, the lines marked with lime, wooden posts painted and strapped to the football posts and as many of the larger rocks as possible removed from the rock hard pitch. The game was played in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd and proved a far more competitive game than many had anticipated, with Phuket realizing some genuine talent in their ranks. 
It was only a matter of time before other teams made their way to Phuket. Within several months a four way Tournament was set-up, including Abu Dhabi, the Bangkok Southerners, Australian Tigers (Australian Air force from Penang) and of course the Phuket Vagabonds. The tournament proved a great success and with representatives of the Thai RFU observing, paved the way for the entry of the Phuket Vagabonds into the Thai RFU. Unfortunately, the Phuket Vagabonds remained without a victory to their name. This however, changed the following month when the Phuket Vagabonds took the scalp of the most successful club team in Thailand – the International Corsairs, demolishing the touring side with a superb display of running rugby.
Ensuing games included visiting Australian, British and US ships, the US Marines, Singapore Cricket Club and Riyadh. Yet the Phuket team was still without a regular pitch, having to compete against local soccer teams for use of city or school pitches, often in a shocking
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condition. This changed with the completion of Dulwich International College, who has to this day allowed their excellent facilities to be used by the Phuket Vagabonds. The first game at Dulwich was played 10 years ago and saw the local team defeat the much-fancied British Club Bangkok in what was to become an annual fixture until the dreadful bali Bombing. The opening of Dulwich College also saw an influx of new players from the ranks of the teachers. Unfortunately, completion of Dulwich, also meant it was time for Rod Kerr, Phuket’s inspirational captain and project manager of the Dulwich construction project to return to Bangkok (where he captained the British Club).
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| Winston Stanley in Full Flight |
As the team continued to evolve, the Phuket Gazette newspaper became the official sponsor of the Vagabonds for a couple of seasons. Tours to Bangkok, the annual Had Yai Sevens and Bangkok Tens tournaments followed. Visiting teams came from as far West as Saudi Arabia and as far East as Japan. Numerous visitors to the Island joined the Vagabonds in training or playing, culminating in 2 Canadian International players, joining the Club for the 1998 Had Yai Sevens tournament.
Today, the Club remains firmly committed to spreading the rugby word in Southern Thailand, with a strong emphasis on having fun. With the introduction of the Phuket Lomas Rugby Youth Development program the future of rugby on the island is secure with the introduction of the sport within the local community. Regular games & tournaments against Krabi & Surat Thani ensure that the sport is alive and well in the south. The Lomas recently finished runners up in the City of Manchester Touraid Rugby Festival & 3rd place in the Thai National U 17s Rugby championships
With Phuket hosting the Thai Youth Championships in June a girls 7s side has been developed & will become an integral part of the future Phuket rugby scene
New players are always warmly welcomed, as are any visiting teams. Hopefully, the success of the Phuket International 10’s will see a greater awareness of rugby in Phuket and an influx of new talent into the Club, as well as cultivating the potential of Phuket as a premier sports destination.
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