A ruck for a good cause

To the uninitiated, a game of rugby may look like a bunch of big blokes fighting over an oval-shaped leather ball. But for the diehard fans, rugby is so sacred, it's reverentially referred to as "the game they play in heaven." They also play it in Warsaw. Next weekend, May 4 and 5, the sixth annual Warsaw 10s rugby tournament will take place. The tournament attracts around 200 amateur players from all over Europe, including Russia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Ireland, the U.K. and, of course, Poland. Over the two days, spectators will watch these 10-a-side teams slug it out for the title of Warsaw 10-a-side World Cup champions - which last year was won by team Juvenia from Kraków.

At the same time, the tournament will raise funds for the underprivileged kids' charity, the Children's Friends Society. Over the past five years, the Warsaw 10s event has raised more than zł. 35,000 for the society, which provides after-school care for 300 underprivileged children in Warsaw's Praga-Północ district. Funding like this is crucial for the society to supplement the meager zł. 0.27 per-child per-day funding it receives from Praga-Północ District Social Care. "This event is all about having fun, getting a load of rugby guys together to play, having a good laugh and at the same time, all the proceeds from the day go toward helping the children," said Christopher Zeuner, a Frogs & Co. team member and tournament organizer.

Economy bites charity But such acts of altruism are becoming harder to perform in the current economic environment. According to Frogs & Co. club president, Ranjan Dass, the search for sponsors for this year's event has been a bit of a struggle. "Some companies that have always sponsored us in the past have taken a step back this year and we've had to go out and find new sponsors," Dass said. "Basically, without sponsorship, events like this wouldn't exist at all." Zeuner added, "I think also, while we're aware that the economy has got tougher, what we've had to do is not just focus on the worthy cause but also in a commercial way in terms of what we can offer the sponsors in terms of advertising, publicity and profile." Some of the companies lending support to this year's event include commercial real estate companies, Cushman & Wakefield Healy & Baker, and Celtic Asset Management; law firm Linklaters; consumer products manufacturer Colgate-Palmolive; AGS International Moving & Storage; Soma pub and restaurant; Cork Irish Pub; Lech beer; insurance company MAI; banking group Societe Generale; and Grafton Recruitment. Another sponsor, car manufacturer Alfa Romeo, has donated a new model Alfa Romeo GTA to the event. It will be the prize in a kicking competition for spectators and competitors.

Leapfrogging The Frogs & Co. team was established in 1995 by French expat Xavier Becker. The team has players from all over the world including Poland, Australia, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Germany, Holland, the United States, Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, Zambia and Kenya. "Rugby's not a major sport in Poland," said Frogs member, Zeuner. "But the Polish teams that play in it are very competitive and there are two divisions - divisions A and B - in Poland. Added Dass, "I'd just like to invite the readers to come along to the Warsaw 10s and learn something about rugby and watch the games because it will be a really good couple of days." The Warsaw 10s will be played from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego (AWF) Rugby pitch at ul. Marymoncka 34. Food and refreshments will be on sale at the event.