Gentlemen playing the hooligan's game.

That ‘s “hookers” as in “front row” or “head butts” or “squashed nose and no ears” . In other words, rugby – the hooligan’s game played by gentlemen (as opposed to soccer which, it is said, is the other way round).

All of which is a roundabout way of announcing that 600 or so rugby players of all sizes and ages, along with family, friends and fellow-drinkers will descend on Phuket at the end of this month for the three days of the 2009 Overgaard Phuket International Rugby Tens.

The Tens is one of Phuket’s oldest sporting tournaments – this is the 11th time it has been organised, and even for non-rugby types it is a friendly, fun, three days for all the family. Last year the International Rugby Board, which organises, among other things, the Rugby Union World Cup, handed the Phuket Tens its  Spirit of Rugby award for 2008.

Unlike in previous years, when the organisers had difficulty finding a good field to play on, this year’s Tens will be played at Phuket’s premier ground, Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town. In the past, the reaction of the Provincial Council, which owns the stadium, was, “Rugby? That hooligan’s game where people knock each other over, wrestle in big piles and get covered in mud? They’ll ruin the pitch. No thanks.”

This year, however, following elections, there’s a new crew in charge of the council and they have seem to have seen the light and decided it’s worth sacrificing a bit of turf to keep 600 players and hundreds of fans happy – and to send the message that Phuket is happy to host more sports tournaments.

The Tens take place on May 29-31 (Friday to Sunday). Main sponsor is construction company Overgaard of Hong Kong, which also sponsors the Manila Tens and Fatboy Tens in the Philippines, and the Dubai Rugby Sevens.

The first day will be taken up with the now infamous Coffin Dodgers competition, featuring players who are old enough to know better but still play anyway, most likely as an excuse to work up a thirst (as if they needed one…).  The organisers are hoping for 16 teams to compete for the Weasel Cup, but so far 12 have confirmed. They are:

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All games will be played on the Friday, stating at 1030, apart from the final, which will take place on Sunday, just before the final in the main competition.

Twenty four teams of rather slimmer, fitter players are signed up for the main competition, battling it out for the Clive Williamson Memorial Trophy, Plate and Bowl. Games will be played on the 30th, starting at 0730 and the 31st, starting at 0800. The teams in this competition are:

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Copious supplies of amber liquid will be on hand for spectators with throats dry from shouting for (or at) their favourite teams.

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