After years of the local boys playing touch rugby in Phuket, Kandy RFC the Sri Lankan Champions arrival with 12 Internationals marked the birth of contact rugby on the island. Despite the Vagabonds combining 9 Nations of dubious talent we suffered an auspicious defeat – but the Vagabond legend was born.

The club leapt (crawled) from strength to strength, began hosting games and even hosted an International 15’s. After a year we were awarded with our first victory over some crap Bangkok side (Corsairs).

Team Vagabonds transient squad resulted in awesome victories and auspicious defeats (somewhat like Wales), but with tours to Hat Yai, Bangkok and Manila the club emerged as an entity (rather than force) within the Thai Rugby Union.

Dulwich International College provided us with a regular pitch, as well as supplying us new players. Then came sponsorship from the Phuket Gazette which provided a name change to the Phuket Gazettes. Thankfully they saw the error of their ways and withdrew sponsorship, allowing us to ditch the world’s silliest name and revert to being the Phuket Vagabonds (the newspaper only ever reports games we lose……..)