MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2015 SPORTS Women’s rugby flourishes on an unsuitable ground SINGAPORE: Diving into tackles on the lush country, let alone the district, so to see some- green grass at the Southeast Asian Games is one who hasn’t even finished school go on a rare treat for the Laos rugby sevens teams and do all this stuff it really inspires kids to be who are more used to sidestepping motor- involved ... there is huge benefit.” By offering bikes during training on a gravelly car park in paid work, sceptical families were more will- Vientiane. ing to allow daughters to pursue the alien In the impoverished country, where many sport. “Their parents wont let them just join live without electricity and unexploded ord- rugby clubs as they have all this other work nance litter rural areas, rugby is a sport that is to do,” she said. only just starting to take root. So if the small grass area next door to the United States BIG HEARTS Ambassadors residence in the Lao capital is Knight said poor internet and limited unavailable, the switch moves and passing international rugby access meant none of drills take place in a nearby car park with plas- the Laos women’s team would recognise All tic cones to try and deter the motorbikes. Blacks centre Sonny Bill Williams. Understandably, finding a field of their But while playing numbers are growing, own is the priority for Lao Rugby Federation standards remain low. The women were (LRF) partnerships and development advisor beaten 17-0 by Malaysia and Philippines on Megan Knight, who previously worked with Saturday before hosts Singapore walloped USA Rugby. them 54-0. “Pitches are the most important thing as Physicality is an obvious issue. Khang is the kids in most of the places where we are one of the taller players in the squad at 1.60 playing, play on dirt school grounds, they metres (5-ft-3in), with three of the 12 below can’t tackle, that’s the thing that prevents five feet. “They like to always say they are them from improving,” the American told small people with big hearts,” Knight said. Reuters. While playing at the Olympics “would be “Because of the bombs, the mountains, great”, social development goals are the pri- the gravel there is just a lot of reasons why it ority. The sport’s global governing body, is tough to find a space to play.” The Colorado World Rugby, has taken note. native, who speaks fluent Lao and regularly “They are saying if a small country like plays for the women’s international team, Laos can get so many girls participating we moved to Laos after using the internet to need to learn from the model,” Knight said. find rugby development opportunities in LRF receive only limited funding from Asia. During her time, Laos has seen a grow- World Rugby but were given a grant to aid SINGAPORE: The Philippines team stand on the podium after winning the Rugby 7s men’s gold medal match against Malaysia, at the SEA ing female interest in the game after the LRF their work in a country which has never won Games. —AP partnered with two non-government organi- an Olympic medal and where children nor- sations, ChildFund and Women Win, on the mally play either football or sepak takraw, the Sport for Development project. In a country volleyball-like game popular in South East where many women marry in their mid-teens Asia. The SEA Games experience, a rare for- Schooling sends and often leave school early to help farm eign trip, concludes for the team late yester- family lands, Knight said the rugby project day before they fly back today. It will have was developing life skills, improving confi- cost the LRF $20,000, around a fifth of the dence and fostering role models. annual budget, with no help from the Laos One of those is 23-year-old Lao Khang, National Olympic Committee. records tumbling who had never heard of rugby three years The team’s eye-catching, flowery kits were ago before the LRF came to her small village donated by Hong Kong sponsors. Knight said in Nonghet district. She is now one of 2,000 the job, which only became paid in that play the sport, also coaching and admin- September after four years, was rewarding SINGAPORE: The unrivaled star of the market- istrating at the body. but challenging. “Sometimes it’s really stress- ing campaign delivered gold medals at his first opportunity, with Joseph Schooling winning the “She is such a celebrity when she goes ful, what Hong Kong do with 80 people we 100-meter freestyle and leading Singapore to back, everyone knows who she is, they see try to do with six. It takes us 14 hours driving victory in a freestyle relay yesterday in meet her on TV,” said Knight. “Most people in to get to some of the places we are working. record times at the Southeast Asian Games. Nonghet don’t get a chance to leave the It’s really hard but really fun.” —Reuters That’s half as many gold as Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Ahn Vien, who got the jump on Schooling by winning two in meet record times on the open- ing day of the swim competition and adding another pair - the women’s 200 backstroke and the 200 individual medley - on day two. The 18- year-old Nguyen’s bid for medals in 11 events ended in the opening final of the night, when she finished in fourth place in the 50 butterfly and more than a second behind gold medalist Tao Li, who won in a meet record 26.58. Schooling’s meet record in the 100 freestyle was 48.58 seconds, edging teammate Quah Zheng Wen into second spot and Hoang Quy Phuoc of Vietnam into bronze. By the time the swimming session was fin- ished, Singapore was still holding top spot in the medal standings with 25 gold and 81 over- all. Vietnam had 21 gold and 47 overall, while Thailand had 20 gold and 63 overall. Indonesia was in fourth spot with 11 gold medals, fol- lowed by Malaysia with eight, Myanmar with SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Joseph Schooling swims in the opening leg of the Men’s 4x200m seven and Philippines with six. Cambodia had Freestyle Relay Final at the SEA Games. —AP one. ROSEAU: Australia cricket fans wave their national flag in this file photo at the end of Competition will take a backseat to solidarity his second race over the distance. netball final was an afternoon highlight for the a first cricket Test match against West Indies. —AP for a small period of reflection in all venues on Only 10 of the 12 male starters completed the local crowd after a closely-contested competi- Monday, with organizers announcing a minute course, with a tropical deluge causing issues for tion. of silence will be observed in remembrance of most runners. The Oregon-based Soh won in 2 Philippines went through unbeaten in the Attacking cricket the the victims of the magnitude-5.9 earthquake hours, 34 minutes, 56 seconds, almost the length return of rugby sevens to the SEA Games pro- which rocked Mount Kinabalu in nearby of the final straight ahead of an exhausted gram after eight years, winning all five group Malaysia on Friday. Rescuers are searching for six Srisung Boonthung of Thailand, who led most of games and then outplaying Malaysia 24-7 in Aussies Ashes mantra climbers and have recovered 13 dead, including the way. the men’s final. “It’s a massive step for us. The people from Singapore, Malaysia and Hoang Nguyen Thanh of Vietnam was third, pressure was on us - we knew we had to win ROSEAU: Captain Michael Clarke is expecting possession since and return to Sabina Park Philippines. “Even as we continue with the followed by Sayuit Hamdan Syafril of Indonesia, gold, we couldn’t settle for anything less and Australia to maintain their attacking brand of not having lost a Test to the Caribbean side Games, let us together as a community of ath- Filipino veteran Eduardo Beunavista and Kuniaki we stood up to that,” Philippines captain Jake cricket heading into the second and final Test anywhere since 2003, a run of 13 matches letes, officials and people unite - to remember Takizaki, a Japanese-born comedian who is com- Letts said. “We stuck in there. The Philippines, against the West Indies in Jamaica next week unbeaten. and honor the lives lost, and keep in prayers peting for Cambodia. Thanaronnawat Natthaya we’re in it to win.” Thailand thrashed Singapore and the Ashes series beginning in England “We had to work hard for the wickets and those who are still missing,” organizers said in a of Thailand won the women’s marathon in 39-0 in the women’s rugby sevens final. Nikko just three weeks later. we did it in the end, which is a good sign for statement. 3:03.25, more than a minute ahead of Mary Tabal Huelgas won the men’s triathlon in 2:04.32, giv- “That’s the way we play our best cricket, us,” said Steve Smith, who led Australia in the Yesterday’s competition started with a tropi- of the Philippines and almost four clear of ing Philippines a double after victory in the the way Davey (David Warner) and Shaun latter half of the home series against India cal downpour, which relented only shortly Hoang Thi Thanh of Vietnam. women’s race Saturday, and Rikigoro Shinozuka Marsh went about it the second innings,” said when Clarke was sidelined by a hamstring before Soh Rui Yong won the marathon in just Singapore’s 46-43 win over Malaysia in the took silver for Malaysia in 2:05.35.