The Rugby Forum

The All Blacks sent out a strong message to the rest of the world with a crushing 4-try, 32-12 win over the Springboks at Eden Park.

The opening fixture of the Tri-Nations was expected to be a tight affair, but Graham Hendrys men had other ideas as they put the reigning world champions to the sword and picking up the five pointer.

DISCUSS THE TRI-NATIONS HERE

That's not all the rugby this weekend though as the Currie Cup begins in earnest later as the GWK Griquas take on Natal Sharks to start things off.

CLICK HERE FOR THE CURRIE CUP

Regular rugby is back and TRF is the best place to find it.

I left my grandmother’s house and hopped on a taxi towards the Rhinos training camp, with all my bags, sitting eagerly behind on the back seat. The conversation’s always the same with taxi drivers in Jakarta; it’s always about the traffic, and politics. As an athlete in this country, only if you’re a footballer or a badminton player will you be noticed out in the city.

I really couldn’t care much about what the driver’s view on politics or the government is, I could only think of what is going to happen at camp, what I have to do at camp, how I’m going to be selected, and play to win. I start to wonder, who are the new names I read on the training squad list? This year, Indonesia has selected more uncapped players in the squad than ever. A well balanced squad of youth and experienced players make up the Rhinos squad this year.

As the taxi stops at the apartment lobby, I saw two familiar faces, A Rhino we call “the Hitman” who is from Papua, in the eastern side of Indonesia, where they are built more like the Fijians than Asians, and another Rhino who calls himself Kiwi-Indo, who as the name suggests is a kiwi, and after years of living in Indonesia, and made himself eligible to play for Indonesia currently ply his trade in Saudi. There are two more Kiwis in the squad, both as eager and proud to have a chance to represent Indonesia as the next Indonesian Rhino hopeful.

There were 40 selected for the initial squad, then after more selection phase, only 28 made it into the camp, and out of the 28 only 24 will make the Tournament Squad, and only22 will make the game day squad. In the 28, we have 4 Britons with Indonesian heritage; 3 “Kiwi-Indo”; 1 Australian with Indonesian heritage; 2 Indonesians who lives abroad; and 18 Indonesians who plays their rugby in Indonesia. Out of the 10 “imports” 7 made the first test starting XV, and one import didn’t even earn his cap until the second and last test. Indonesian based rugby players have improved in skills, fitness and experience tremendously over the years, thanks to the solid development programs set out by the PRUI (Indonesian Rugby Union).

I'm rooming with a guy who is also from Papua, George is his name, and he is also in the Indonesian 7s squad, called the Harimau (Tiger in Indonesian). Pretty interesting fellow, with an interest in music, and he let everyone know he loves music by playing it pretty loud in our room, perfect.

We all had our first dinner together as a squad, and met up with our new coach, Duncan Hall, an ex-Wallaby, head coach of USA and assistant Coach at Leicester Tigers. It’s such a cheerful mood around the dinner table, all happy to be the best 28 Indonesian Rugby player – in a country of almost 300 million populations – and all competing for the 15 jerseys. Training will be hard, we only have 10 days to train together, and gel as a team, as the Indonesian Rhinos – It all starts by who wants it the most.

As I was standing on the check in counter queue, waiting to check in for my Qatar Airways flight to Jakarta, someone grabbed my attention with her hand waving calling me to her empty counter. To my pleasant surprise, I knew her from a few days ago, at an Indonesian expat gathering. “You’re flying back to Jakarta?” She said, as she browses through my passport and the printed e-ticket. “Yea, going back for the Rugby” I replied, and as quickly as I said that she gave me a look, filled with questions and she burst out “Oh right, you play Rugby for our country right!? Let me upgrade you to Business Class then.”

That flight was excellent; I opted to stay with my grandma for a few days before reporting in for the Rhinos Rugby camp. I haven’t been in Indonesia for about a year, and for that whole year I’ve been thinking about this moment, the moment when I will, once again don the Rhinos jersey, playing for my beloved country.
Unlike the big rugby nations, Indonesian Rugby is not even fully recognized by the government, privately funded and runs on volunteer force and purely by the love of the game by people who are new to the game as well as veterans of the beautiful game.

Indonesian Rugby first burst out on the International scene in the summer of 2005 when the “Indonesian Development Rugby” fielded the first representative side at an Asian Games 7s tournament in Manila, Philippines. I was fortunate to be called up for the first ever Indonesian XVs in 2006, earning my first 3 caps for Indonesia that year.

The Indonesian XVs, or the Rhinos as we call it, has players travelling from all over the world, from the shores of USA, UK, Middle East to Australia and New Zealand, all either full Indonesian like myself or Indonesian heritage players, meeting with our Indonesian brothers who plays their rugby in Indonesia and all just as hungry for the Rhinos spot as us “imports” as we are so aptly named.

Being financially inclined, it is impossible for the Rhinos to fund all of their player’s transportation costs, “imports” are never paid, and travel at their own expenses to every camp, and with no guarantee that they will make the squad. Yet we still travel back, and in my case this year, skipping three weeks of college work in the process.

Then why do we really play for our country? For me, the answer is simple, the feeling I experience every second I wear that jersey on the field, and when I stood in line, side by side by my brothers singing the anthem, is so satisfying, so platonic, so addictive – all this added to the feelings most of us reading this know well enough as we play Rugby on the field. This combination makes it a feeling, an experience that is impossible to describe, no matter what the result is.

I must say I cannot relate to what O’Gara of Ireland was talking about when he said this: "I was happy to go and give it all but I didn't play well against the All Blacks, and Ireland didn't play well, so you're watching for the rest of the tour and you feel like it's a bit of a waste of time. But you have to take your medicine when it comes to you."

I think quite sadly, for some just the pride and that indescribable experience is not enough anymore.

The Rugby Forum, in association with Debenhams, is please to be holding a live Q&A session with the former England & Lions Captain Phil Vickery via Twitter on Wednesday 7th July.

We are taking questions from the TRF community to put towards the 2003 World Cup winner, the best six will be hand picked by TRF Staff and asked.

All questions must be submitted by clicking here before midday 6th July 2010 (GMT) to be considered.

Phil Vickerys' clothing line "Raging Bull" is being promoted in association with Debenhams across the UK throughout the Summer. Click here for the Raging Bull website.

For The Rugby Forum on Twitter, please click here.