Fiss-Potts to Participate in Manila 10s

The Fiss-Potts Rugby Union Club, featuring former and current players, are gearing up for the Manila 10s 34th International Rugby Festival scheduled to take place from March 22-23 this weekend.

The Manila 10s started in 1989 and was the first-ever rugby union tournament held in the Philippines, which remains the premier tourney in the country.

The Fiss-Potts Rugby Union Club was established in 2012, purposely to run the rugby 10s charity event. This event is aimed at raising funds for charity organizations like PNG Children’s Foundation, Family Sexual Violence Unit, Transparency International PNG, to say the least.

The club made their debut in the Manila 10s last year, and this year will be their second appearance in the annual tournament. They did well in 2024 and finished in the Bowl playoffs. 

Vice President, Malcolm Kulu, gave an update on the team’s preparations, team bonding, and combinations in the last couple of months.

“The team has been preparing for this tournament (Manila 10s) in the last three months. We’ve worked on our strength and conditioning, including offensive and defensive drills, endurance, etc,” Kulu said.

“We have the weight and strength to be competitive, but I believe endurance will give us the edge required to be successful.    

“This is because the Manila 10s is quite a competitive tournament. ESPN dubbed it the most prestigious rugby tournament in Asia, so we aim to bring the best of what we can to the tournament.”

Aside from the Manila 10s, the team has also participated in the Fatboy 10s in Manila since 2015. They won the Bowl three times and the Shield once in the Fatboy tourney.

Kulu added that it was going to be a tough tournament, so they have worked tirelessly to make their mark in the tournament.

“I believe these bunch of men we are bringing over have what it takes to win the tournament,” Kulu said.

“Last year, we barely trained and six of us attended the tournament, so we had to borrow from other clubs. 

“This year, the boys are very serious and we look forward to the challenge.”

The Port Moresby Fiss-Potts confirmed 15-men traveling squad to attend the Manila 10s this weekend are as follows:

1. Malcolm Kulu - Vice President

2. Andrew Bemau - Secretary

3. Ahulo Ottio - Executive

4. David Kulu - Executive

5. Freddie Mathies

6. Nigel Obara

7. Sailosi Druma

8. Daryl Kulu

9. Michael Bai

10. Meli Muga

11. Kerry Walsh

12. Ezekiel Turkai

13. Sebastian Niggins

14. Merv Rangip

15. Murray Menzies