The 2026 Dragon Courier Phuket International Rugby 11s Tournament Report
The 2026 Dragon Courier Phuket International Rugby 11s was held over the weekend of 5-6 June 2026 at the Thanyapura Sports Club, and what a weekend it was. With teams from Australia, Dubai, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taipei, Thailand & the UK it was an eclectic mix of teams, players & supporters who descended on the island for a wild weekend of 11s rugby and fun. The weather leading up to the event had seen torrential monsoon rains lashing the country for weeks prior to the teams arrivals. The traditional Coffin Dodgers O35s & the One Foot in the Grave O45s kicked off the weekend’s proceedings on Friday. With plenty of experience on show there was no lack of skill and technique as the group games progressed. It was evident early on in the Coffin Dodgers O35s division, that Dubai Barbarians Rugby Club, had come to have a crack after narrowly losing out in the cup final in 2025. In a division short on teams but high on quality it wasn’t to be their year. They would lose the plate final to the local Phuket Viagrabonds by virtue of a walkover as injuries and a stomach bug depleted their squad.
The Cup Final was between two quality sides, Just Mahi, from New Zealand, who were previous winners in 2017 under the Ballsmackerz moniker, who were on a memorial trip for Adam Hardey, who had passed away recently and they were motivated to take the cup home. Their opponents, making their debut at the event, were the Late Knights from Australia. In a tense final that ebbed and flowed, the Late Knights had the edge 7-5 as the clock ticked down. Just Mahi were putting the Knights line under serious pressure as time edged towards the red. The Knights defence, which had been immense all weekend, got a turnover in the 22 and spun the ball out to the speedster on the wing, who raced away to score under the posts for a 14-5 victory. The Mahi lads honoured their opponents & Adam with a traditional haka, which had the crowd on their feet.
The One Foot in the Grave O45s division saw the most entries this year with two groups of 5 teams. In Group A, the West Old Boars, from Perth Australia finished top to make the cup final, with the second of the Late Knights team, finishing second to go into the Plate final. The 2024 champions, the Taipei Silverbacks finished third to enter the Bowl, and in the minor placings the KL Tigers, finished fourth and the Mighty Singapore Wanderers fifth.
In Group B, defending champions the HKFC Vintage gents finished strongly to top the group and went into the cup final against the West Old Boars. A quality Wallopers side from Australia finished second to take on the Late Knights in the Plate, whilst the Pally Pigs came in third to take on the Silverbacks in the Bowl. The Asian Japanese Dragons, regular participants, always give their all, but with a smaller squad this year, finished what was for them a disappointing fourth place, and a shield final against the KL Tigers, whilst an aging Moorabbin Rams side propped up the table.
Saturday’s finals saw first up a very entertaining Tea Cup Final between The Mighty San Miguel Wanderers, from Singapore and the Moorabbin Rams from Melbourne Australia. In a nailbiter, the Rams surprised everyone, but most of all themselves, by winning 7-5!
The Asian Japanese Dragons won the Shield over the KL Tigers. In the Bowl final, it was another close game, with the Pally Pigs edging out the Silverbacks 12-5. The plate final was a torrid, all Aussie affair of high quality rugby, between the Late Knights & Wallopers Rugby. A fast paced game which could have gone either way, was won by the Knights 15-7. The Wallopers were in it right to the end, but just like their Coffin Dodgers teammates, the Knights’ defence was just too solid.
The men’s Cup Final between the HKFC Vintage Gents and the West Old Boars, epitomised how far vets rugby has progressed over the last 10 years or so. The Vintage Gents weren’t going to relinquish their title easily, and both teams fought to gain an advantage, but again stubborn defence held strong for both teams. In the end, when the whistle blew, the teams couldn’t be separated at 0-0 and into golden point extra time we went. By now the pace was beginning to tell on both teams. The gents had the early advantage and almost got the winner, only for the Boars to steal the ball and surge upfield and into the 22. Some desperate defence kept them at bay, but it was only a matter of time and with the overlap, the winning try was scored for the Boars to be crowned champions. What a thoroughly entertaining final.
The women’s division saw a late entry with the UUDS Tuskers Womens side joining the fray at the last minute. This was a recently formed team of ex Fijian 15s & 7s players and other athletes, who took the opportunity to use the tournament as a team bonding and training camp. Needless to say they were the dominant team throughout, but strong performances by the other teams, Bangkok Bangers Belles, Rockies Rugby & the Vagabond Sirens kept them on their toes so they didn’t have it all their own way. Rockies Rugby made it through to the Cup final after some fine performances and a tight semi final win over the Vagabond Sirens 5-0. The Sirens would win the Plate in another tight contest against the 2025 champions the Bangers Belles 10-5 to win some silverware as a team, at the first attempt.
The Cup Final was an entertaining affair with the fijian girls showing off all their skills, but they were kept honest by some ferocious tackling by the Rockies. In the end the UUDS Tuskers were too good and ran out 26-0 winners.
The mens open had all the makings of an exciting division. The late inclusion of the UUDS Tuskers, who amalgamated with the Groote Eylandt Mudchooks, allowing them to come and play, made it even more interesting. The Queen’s Royal Hussars and Llantrisant RFC, both from the UK fielded two sides apiece, one in each group. Unfortunately due to flight cancellations because of the middle east crisis, the Welsh boys didn’t arrive until late on 4th June which left them no time to prepare or rest. The QRH also went down with the stomach bug that was doing the rounds, which depleted their squad and forced them to withdraw the Old Guard team from Group B.
Group A saw the Hussars, with a piper piping them on, finish top, winning all their games. A strong KL Tigers side finished second by virtue of points difference over the local Phuket Vagabonds side, who dropped down into the Bowl competition in the knockouts. With Jetlag hitting the Welsh squad hard, they decided to withdraw the Llantrisant Black Knights after two matches.
Group B, shortened due to the Old Guard withdrawal, had the UUDS Tuskers Mudchooks going through to the Cup semi finals finishing top with some exhilarating performances. The CNX Lanna Cobras from Chiang Mai finished in an impressive second place to take the final Cup semi final place, with the 10-7 win over the Llantrisant Black Army being decisive. The Black Army dropped down into the Bowl competition.
The Shield Final was decided between the Old Guard and the Black Knights by virtue of a boat race with the Old Guard taking the honours. The Bowl final was taken by the Phuket Vagabonds after a 19-5 victory over Llantrisant Black Army.
The Cup semi finals had the Hussars scraping through against the CNX Lanna Cobras by 7-0, in one of the games of the tournament that could have gone either way. In the second semi final the UUDS Tusker Mudchooks were too strong for the KL Tigers winning 35-5. The KL Tigers did however, have the kudos of being the only team to score against them!
The Plate final between the CNX Lanna Cobras & the KL Tigers went the way of the Tigers 17-0.
The Cup Final between the UUDS Tusker Mudchooks & the Queens Royal Hussars was eagerly anticipated with both teams having Fijian players bringing the island flair. The final, two x 11 minutes halves had the UUDS boys take the early advantage. The Hussars fought hard and put the UUDS lads under pressure but couldn’t convert it into points. Come half time the army lads were still in it. The second half saw the Tusker Mudchooks up the ante and some superb skills saw them race clear as the Hussars constant defensive efforts began to fade and the gaps appeared. An excellent game of rugby and a fitting end to the tournament.
The Asia Center Foundation was on hand all weekend raising funds for the Scholarship program and the afternoon show to thank sponsors and supporters, brought tears to the eye. If you want to know more about the foundation contact Roelien Muller on roemuthai@gmail.com.
Photos from the event can be found HERE
Tournament Photoes Click HERE. We will add more as we go along. If you have any photos you would like to add to the album please send through and we will have them uploaded.
Tournament results can be accessed HERE
Tournament PDF can be downloaded or read HERE
The winners at the 2026 Dragon Courier Phuket International Rugby 11s
Men’s Open Champions – UUDS Tusker Mudchooks – Dubai
Women’s Open Champions – UUDS Tusker Mudchooks – Dubai
Coffin Dodgers O35s Champions – The Late Knights – Australia
One Foot in the Grave O45s Champions – West Old Boars – Australia
Men’s Plate Winners – KL Tigers – Malaysia
Women’s Plate Winners – Phuket Vagabond Sirens – Thailand
Men’s Bowl Winner – Phuket Vagabonds – Thailand
Men’s Shield Winners – QRH Old Guard Rugby – UK
One Foot in the Grave Plate Winners – Phuket Viagrabonds – Thailand
One Foot in the Grave Bowl Winners – Pally Pigs – Australia
One Foot in the Grave Shield Winners – Asian Japanese Dragons – Asia/Japan
One Foot in the Grave Tea Cup Winners – Moorabbin Rams – Australia
Tour Virgin Beauty Pageant winners – West Old Boars – Australia
Men’s Player of the Tournament – Bill Parry – Queens Royal Hussars
Women’s Player of the Tournament – Mona – Rockies Rugby
O35s Player of the Tournament – Tony – The Late Knights
O45s Player of the Tournament – Hugh Locke – West Old BoarsWe would like to thank all the teams, some of which faced major obstacles to attend, all the supporters and friends along with the sponsors for making it such a memorable tournament. Many thanks to Dragon Courier, The Aussie Bar Patong. Hell Energy Drink. Bangkok Siriroj Hospital with James Cawood and his medical team. The
Fourpoints Sheraton. Macoocoo Tournament Management systems. Baramee Resortel for providing the food. Dopa Health & Wellness Retreat. Big thanks to Jean Luc and his team of officials who put in a huge shift all weekend. To Kai, and the 11 Rugby co Ltd team for providing logistics & refreshments during the weekend.
Next up for 11s Rugby Kempsey Australia International Rugby 11s – 26-27 September 2026.
Chiang Mai International Rugby 11s – 21-22 November 2026.
Phuket International Rugby 11s 2027 – 4-5-6 June 2027.
Chiang Mai International Rugby 11s – 20-21 November 2027.
Chiang Mai Macoocoo Armed Services & Police International Rugby 11s – 27-28 November 2027
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