|
The Vientiane Buffalos.
The Buffalos grew out of a small group of ex-pats that used to play touch every Sunday morning in the early 1990s. The group soon came up with the brilliant idea of forming a contact side to play in the Bangkok 7s competition in October 1997. Thus, the Buffalos burst onto the international scene that year with their inaugural tour to the Land of Smiles. Highlights of the first games included a donated kit from the Bangkok 7s organisers (thank you Dave Dufall) and forgetting to take the conversion while celebrating the club's first try.
 Since those humble beginnings, the Buffalos have regularly travelled to regional events and are always ready to host any touring side willing to come to the ends of the rugby earth for a game. While always up for a match, the Buffalos value the social side of rugby just as much - so hoisting a few beers after the game is just as important as the final score. While happy to play any form of rugby, the club is best suited to 10s.
The Buffalos participate in a number of tournaments and fixtures on the current calendar include the Bangkok Tens, the Pattaya Tens, the Phuket Tens and the Angkor Tens amongst others. The Buffalos have also hosted touring sides from Hong Kong (Aberdeen), Australia (Petersham), Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam and we are always looking to expand this list. We also play regular home and away games each year against teams from just over the river in Thailand, as well as providing competition for the Lao PDR National Team in their build up to the IRB Division 6 internationals.
The club has players from many well-known rugby nations, Australia, England, France and New Zealand, as well as the more obscure rugby playing countries such as Belgium and the United States! Of course, the club also boasts a significant Lao player base and is proud to have a number of Lao National Team players in its squad. This unique mix of ex-pat and Lao players gives the team a unique blend of experience and pace and ensures that we enjoy our rugby to the fullest extent! Membership is open to anyone (both players and non-players) who would like to have a run or just enjoy sharing a beer and the camaraderie of rugby.
|