VO The Lao national rugby side came out second best in both its matches in the Asian 5 Nations Division 3 East Competition on home soil INTRO: The Lao national rugby side came out second best in both its matches in the Asian 5 Nations Division 3 East Competition on home soil despite the efforts of all the players. The team was defeated in both group matches at Chao Annouvong Stadium last week, losing in encounters against Guam and Indonesia. STORY: In the opening match on May 29, the Indonesian rugby team defeated Laos 18-10 in a close encounter and the home side lost a one sided encounter to a much bulkier side from Guam 43 – 10. The Lao players acquitted themselves well in both encounters but in the end they were at a height and weight disadvantage and possibly were lacking in fitness as well. The Indonesian team boasted a number of expatriate players while the Polynesians from Guam were simply too big and strong for the smaller footballers from Laos. Meanwhile the Chinese team, which Laos did not play, then defeated the Guam team by a similar margin that Laos went down, winning 41-10 by to take out the competition. In their other match, the Chinese team sneaked past Indonesia 10-6 to win both their fixtures. The Chinese were crowned the winners after the match against Guam on May 31, taking home the trophy from the Asian 5 Nations Division 3 East Competition. The Asian 5 Nations Division 3 East Competition was hosted by the Lao Rugby Federation or LRF at Chao Anouvong stadium in Vientiane from May 29-31. It was a full 15 man competition, not the popular 7s format. This was the first time that the Lao side had taken part in a Division 3 competition, so expectations were not great. While they may have lost both encounters, it was a valuable experience for all the local players and they will be better off for it next time around. The Lao team is currently being trained by experienced coach Mr Stuart Gunn, who has overseen improvements since taking over the tenure recently.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 05:27:52 +0000