• • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • Technorati
  • Reddit
  • Stumble Upon
  • Furl

Brunei is set to be one of the hosts for the inaugural Asian Rugby Sevens Series and will be an annual event beginning this year in October at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium.

The Brunei Rugby Football Union (BRFU) were announced as one of the host unions of the Asian Rugby Sevens Series and have been given a contract to host annual Brunei Sevens rugby tournaments for four years.

Outgoing secretary Mark Pyrgos who was present at the announcement believes the tournament will be very successful.

“It will be a big event which will feature many activities going on around the stadium for families, with rugby as the centrepiece.

"We see the Brunei Sevens as a platform to allow Bruneian rugby players to compete and try a different level of rugby," he said.

Although the Brunei Sevens is a tournament for players above the age of 18-years-old, there will also be a youth tournament running concurrently.

"The reason for the 'Youth Sevens' is to ensure the development of youth players in Brunei. We are doing this to create a much more achievable path for youths in rugby in Brunei,” added Pyrgos.

When asked who the participating teams for the Brunei Sevens were the director of international relations, Ainol Razman, said: "Currently we are awaiting confirmation from seven international teams: Japan, Singapore, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. The eighth team is Brunei.

"We will choose teams (for both the youth and senior tournaments) based on the commitment, skills and physical presence of the players."

The BRFU are still looking for sponsors but with a four year contract, Rugby Sevens should grow into a major sport in Asia.

Schedule for the Asian Rugby Sevens Series 2009:
Shanghai Sevens, China, September 12-13
Subic Sevens, Philippines, October 10-11
Brunei Sevens, October 24-25
Borneo Sevens, Kota Kinabalu, October 31 - November 1
Kish Island Sevens, Iran, November 20-22
Sri Lanka Sevens, November 28-29.