UMNO New Zealand Rugby 10’s Tournament
The collaboration to organize the first ever inter-UMNO club rugby tournament between the Auckland and Wellington UMNO Clubs was held on the 3rd of July 2008 on the Polo Grounds in Miramar. The participating teams were from the Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch UMNO Clubs.
The day started with clouds adorning the sky and chilly winds leaving everyone trembling in dismay. The tournament began at 9am with each team going against the other two. Heavier rain began to pour but was ignored by the players going all out determined to win the tournament and spectators supporting their respective teams alike. Fortunately, the weather increasingly improved throughout the day as the players pushed on.
Spectators kept coming to rally support despite the unpredictable weather conditions. HE Dato’ Sopian Ahmad and wife came and saw the final round of tournament between Auckland and Wellington He later presented the medals to the champions of the UMNO New Zealand Rugby 10’s Tournament and recipient of the Dato’ Seri Wira Ali Rustam challenge trophy won by the team from Christchurch. Wellington grabbed the first runner-up title while the Auckland team was awarded the second runner-up placing perusing the event to an end at about 2pm. Congratulations to the winners and special thanks to all that attended the memorable event.