You Will Always Be A Banger 2nd Quarter. July- September 2009 THE BIG CHAIR MY WHISTLE 4 Message from Tom Watters 14 Dave Smith explains the new ELV’s BANGER NEWS ODD RUGBY NEWS 5 Overview of club activity 15 Pub scrap at the Bath Rugby Club THE MOTS du CAPTAINE GEOFF THE CHEF 6 French speak from the club captain 16 Read the label COLT CAPPIE SWEET SPOT 7 Tates on the Banger Colts 18 A littel golf from “Soi Dog” BURGESS BANGER HOROSCOPE 9 The club coach writes - READ 20 Its in the Stars !!!!!!! 10 11 19 24 The Bangkok Bangers Rugby Club Are Sponsored By The Following Fine Companies 2 Banger Banter JULY - SEPTEMBER 2009 You Will Always Be A Banger new MY OPENING SHOT T HAS BEEN A BUSY QUARTER. Tours down to the eastern Iseaboard to the Chris Kays Memorial Tens and to the Overgaard International Tens in Phuket. In addition, there was a game against the Kriel Roosters from South Africa, just prior to the Phuket tournament. The Bangers now play in the Thai Rugby Union competition. Took some getting there. but we have arrived. The trick now is to put two competitive teams out each Saturday. A special thanks to the club photographers Johnn Jaspers and Robert Brewer. Like any rugby publication out there, the Banter is always looking for action shots. It not east to capture these and often in- volves hours on the sideline taking hundreds of shots just to get half a dozen good ones. Johnn and Robert always deliver. Thanks guys. Our club coach has also turned his hand to snapping the odd picture. He has submitted a couple of beauties. So thank you too Pete. We lost a Banger a couple of months ago. Pascal Leray. Pascal was popular player in the old boys squad and toured with the original Bangers to Limerick and to the Golden Oldies tournament in Bris- bane. An appropriate ceremony was held at Wall Street with large turnout of members present for proceedings. One of Pascal’s other interests was sailing. He was an active member of the Ocean Marina Yacht Club. The after training beer record has tumbled again. Amazing.... Just when you think the lads can’t better that, they go out and break it again with style, flair and panache. Maybe the wrong choice of words. Nobody has style, flair and panache after drinking 130 large bottles of Heineken !!! Chris Dunning has done a great job selling the sponsorship packages for the current season. Given the difficult economic times, this was not an easy ask. Hey, he is a Banger. He can do anything. Remember, the Banter is your newsletter. If you have anything you (Conditions Apply) ever want to add, please send your jottings to [email protected] Regards Mike EDITORIAL : Tom Watters, Jean “ Jeff CONTRIBUTORS : Andy Raming, Stewart Gorman WEBMASTER : Jason Manning Francois Klentzi, Peter Burgess, Andy Campbell, : Johnn Jaspers, Robert Brewer Rick O”Shea, Andrew Tatam, Geoff McKenna, PHOTOGRAPHY Doug Ozzane, David Smith, Mike Laloli The Banger Banter is published quarterly for the Old Bangkok Bangers Rugby Club for members, sponsors and friends of the club and available through the website. Club members contribute all editorial and photography. The layout and design is provided by Ruck Graphics - a member of the Old Bangkok Bangers Rugby Club The Bangkok Bangers Rugby Club Are Sponsored By The Following Fine Companies 3 Banger Banter JULY - SEPTEMBER 2009 You Will Always Be A Banger THE BIG CHAIR tour once again and very well organized by Foxy. S YOU READ THIS the Old Bangkok Bangers and the Each year gets better. The performances on the field A Colts will have participated were also commendable in what has become a very in the Thai Rugby Union League Programme for hard tournament indeed. We convincingly retained the very first time. This is a real milestone for the the Weasel Cup with a 36 to 0 drubbing of the Phuket club as it brings us further into the Thai rugby Viagrabonds. More of this will be inside the Banter. community. Let’s show the teams we play not only Once again we sponsored 4 kids schooling including our kills on the field of play but how real rugby one donated by Thomas from Chesa Restaurant who socializing should be. We have a game against has now become one of our sponsors. He did this as the Southerners on 27th June and we plan to host punishment for losing the Tour mascot, a sin of the a party afterwards at our new sponsor Bistro 33 highest order. restaurant on Soi 33. So the club marches on and we have a good On sponsorship, Cris Dunning has done a great programme of games and social events planned. Please job in very difficult times in raising some good keep an eye on the website and on the newsletter. sponsorship both in cash and in kind and I thank Mike Laloli is our media and communications him for that. I also thank all the sponsors who are manager and he will ensure (so he tells me) that our continuing to support the Old Bangkok Bangers. communications will continually improve. Please give your support to our sponsors as much as they support us. Aw ra best The annual tour to Phuket has come and gone as Hamish Watters has a few more brain cells of the tourists. Great Chairman The Bangkok Bangers Rugby Club Are Sponsored By The Following Fine Companies 4 Banger Banter JULY - SEPTEMBER 2009 You Will Always Be A Banger Banger News PASCAL LERAY (1956 - 2009) EX BOKS TO SUPPORT BANGERS IN SA Pascal Leray, a member of The Banger Old Boys tour to Cape Town in 2010 is the club passed away recent- finding its legs. Support has now come from the South ly. The popular Frenchman, African Rugby community. The latest Banger signing is one of the original Bangers, Naas Botha, the former great Springbok pivot who has toured with the club to decided to play for the Bangers during the tournament. Limerick and to Brisbane. Ground support and assistance has also come from He will always be remem- another former Springbok Bobby Skinstead a popular bered for the eternal smile, visitor to Bangkok with the Jam Boys, who will be on that seem to light up a room. hand to welcome the boys to Cape Town. His other interest in life was BANGERS RAISE FUNS IN SWIMATHON sailing. As a member of the Ocean Marina Yacht Club in Jomtien he regularly The Bangers entered a team in Patana International sailed in the local and regional regattas. He sailing School Charity Swimathon. Twelve Bangers turned up strategy was, “start fast and accelerate”. Celebra- and the team came third in the competition. Scoring tion of life activities were held at Wall Street with points was not what it was all about. Raising funds for Banger RC members and at the Ocean Marina charity was the goal - 15.700 Baht. amongst the sailing fraternity and family who trav- BOTTLE RECORD SMASHED AGAIN elled from France. After cremation rites, Pascal’s The Banger after training drinking sessions are stuff of ashes were scattered on the Gulf of Siam. legions. In such pleasant surroundings it is easy to see COLTS TAKE BOWL N PATTAYA why. The Red & White restuarant is just a short canter The Banger Colts entered the annual Chris Kays from the training pitch. After a cold shower and change International Rugby 10’s with high aspirations. All you could have an ice cold Heinekin in your hand weekend they toiled on the paddock at Horseshoe in five minutes. The record now stands at 130 large Point however, were eliminated from in Cup com- bottles of Heineken. petition by a Thai composite side. the Thai Legends. RUGBY CELEBRITIES IN TOWN They regrouped as the Bangers do, to scoop the The recent Bangkok Lions Celebrity Dinner at the Cen- Bowl in a tough final against our cross city rivals tara Hotel was another success. Guest speakers: Spring- The British Club. More silverware on the bulging bok: Naas Botha, Wallaby: Owen Finnegan and Welsh- Wall Street trophy shelf. man: Mike Watkins entetained the audience with rugby SILVERTAILS KEEP WEASAL CUP stories from the distance pass. The Bangers present, The Banger Old Boys entered the Overgaard Phuket enjoyed the evening, with post dinner activity extend- Tens 2009 knowing a lot was expected of them. ing well past bed time. As would be expected ......... The first task was keeping the Weasel Cup in the OWEN FINNEGAN VISITS WALL STREET annual match against the Phuket Viagrabonds or put While in Bangkok, former Wallaby Owen Finnegan succinctly, keep the Weasel Cup bolted to the shelf one of the keynote speakers for Bangkok Lions Celeb- at Wall Street were it has gathered dust for the last rity Dinner, took time to visit Wall Street for a couple two years. Mission accomplished 36-0. The second of beers. He joins a long list rugby celebrities that have challenge was winning the Coffin Dodgers division made the effort to visit Wall Street while they are in of the competition, The silvertails won the their first town. They include; Eric Rush, Dean Richards, Glen game against the Cairns Old Crocs however, they Ella, Bobby Skinstad, Richard Loe, Steve Thompson, were eliminated in the second match, against a pol- John Mitchell, Bob Dwyer and Dilap Kumar. ished outfit from Singapore, the Wanderer Wrinkl- ies. The Bangkok Bangers Rugby Club Are Sponsored By The Following Fine Companies 5 Banger Banter JULY - SEPTEMBER 2009 You Will Always Be A Banger the mots du captiane COMME CHAQUE ANNEE OMME CHAQUE ANNEE, la troisieme edition de la Banter marque la fin d'un Ctrimestre tres rugbystique.