Contact Information WEB: www.laorugby.com TEL/FAX: +856 (0) 21 223 812 EMAIL: [email protected] Silver Heritage Lao Nagas excel in Hong kong Full Member Associate Member The Silver Heritage Lao Nagas pose before their matches at the Abacus Kowloon RugbyFest in March. The Silver Heritage Lao Nagas returned from Hong Kong with a high finish in the Abacus Kowloon RugbyFest, the support of new friends from across the globe, and knowledge and experiences which they will use to drive forward the growth and development of rugby in the Lao PDR. The Abacus Kowloon RugbyFest is one of the most highly renowned club rugby tournaments in the world, with teams traveling in from all corners of the globe to parGcipate. The SHL Lao Nagas, led by Head Coach Shirley Russell and featuring five athletes joining the elite touring side for the first Gme, beat teams from Australia, Malaysia and Singapore to finish 11th out of 24 teams. The Nagas’ 11th place finish was an improvement on last year’s results, which saw the SHL Lao Nagas capture the Bowl Title on their way to finishing 15th out of 20 teams. “We are very pleased with our results this year, as we had several new players in the squad who hadn’t ever played against teams from outside of Asia. The European and Australian teams had a lot of speed and size, and it was a good learning experience for us to test ourselves against such tough compeGGon,” said team captain and LRF Development Manager Pisa Vongdeuanpheng. In addiGon to compeGng in the Abacus Kowloon Rugby Fest, the SHL Lao Nagas gathered knowledge, experience, and new friends by visiGng elite rugby tournaments such as the GFI Hong Kong Football Club 10s, the Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens, and the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, by passing out hundreds of brochures and sGckers with informaGon about Lao Rugby and the Lao PDR, and by parGcipaGng in several outreach acGviGes throughout the week within business and rugby circles in Hong Kong. The LRF also connected with the growing Lao community in Hong Kong, with the Vice Consulate of the Lao PDR in Hong Kong paying a visit to the tournament and the Bolaven Cafe, Hong Kong’s first Lao restaurant, treaGng the team to a delicious Lao meal. The Lao Rugby FederaGon will now turn its efforts towards preparing its Men’s NaGonal Team, which will feature many Lao Nagas, for the HSBC Asian 5 NaGons Division 4 CompeGGon in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from 611 May, 2013. The Lao NaGonal Team will face off against Pakistan in their first match and will take on either Uzbekistan or Lebanon in its second match.