Last Sunday, May 31 marked the beginning of the Cebu Pink Dragons advancement to full contact rugby.
The Dragons Challenge: Revenge of the Fallen was followed by a 7-a-side full contact rugby game by the Pink Dragons, the first and only women’s rugby team in Cebu. The Pink Dragons have been playing touch rugby since 2005 but have started joining full contact training with the Cebu Dragons for the last few weeks. Jennifer Pondoc and Blessie Kate delos Santos, both of whom have significant exposure to full contact rugby in the Cebu 10’s International Rugby Tournament served as team captains. It was a rather frenzied competition as the first-timers adjusted to the different rules and strategies of the game –not to mention the rough body contact it entailed. Nevertheless, the girls showed interminable enthusiasm and exceptional skill, even scoring a couple of tries—once by Cherry Manaog and twice by Catherine “Dodong” Calayong.
Finally, the girls ended the day with a short but intense training by Clause Beck, the first coach of the Cebu Rugby Club.
At present, a number of girls from Cebu Pink Dragons are aspiring to make the first Ladies Philippine Rugby national team and are training incessantly with the Cebu Dragons every Sunday under the tutelage of the men’s captain Noel Flowers. Concurrently, the team still holds touch rugby practices a few days during the week and continues to promote rugby in Cebu and in the Visayas.
Training Schedule:
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 6:30pm, Abellana Field
Sundays: 2:30pm, Sandtrap, Banilad
For inquiries, contact:
Jessica Anne R. Filoteo
Mobile number: 0923-6797667
0917-3609577
Email: 
Article by Jessica Anne Filoteo
Pictures by: Tonnette Gambito
