JessicaRulestheUniverse.com

Bahay Bata vs Clifton College Prep, 10 May 2011. The adults are, from left, PRFU coach Matt Cullen, Clifton rugby coach (and referee for this friendly) John Digby, and Clifton College Prep headmaster John Milne (who played center for Scotland football).

Bahay Bata kids, 24, Clifton College prep, 0.

The match was played at the Clifton sports club in Beggar Bush last Tuesday at 4.15 pm. It started pelting rain a half-hour before the game and by the time the kids completed their warm-ups their fingers were frozen stiff. This was a problem as the game plan was: Hold on to the ball. Between the slippery conditions and the frozen fingers they missed a lot of passes and dropped a lot of balls. But they won anyway.

The Clifton kids had the size and height advantage and were better kickers. (“Kasi po hindi pa kami natututo ng kicking, wala pa kaming specialist kicker.”) The Bahay Bata kids were more nimble and accustomed to tackling harder. (“Once pa lang ho nanalo sa amin ang British School/Brent/ISM sa Maynila. Nag-under-14s at under-16s pa kami noong araw na yon. Mas malakas ho ang tackle sa atin.”)

Here’s Ryan the flyhalf with an excellent fake, then whoosh, a try.

(I shot these with the same Canon Powershot SX130 I use to take stills. Not bad huh.)

You can hear Coach Matt Cullen yelling instructions (“Catch the ball! Catch the ball! Don’t drop it!”) and Jonel the scrumhalf calling out the plays (“Derecho! Atras!!!”). That’s Jonel running with the ball, chased by the boy with amazing hair. The pass to JM resulted in another try.

The second game will be played this afternoon. In the morning, something more terrifying to the Bahay Bata kids than any game: they’re sitting in on their friends’ classes at Clifton Prep.