Mako Sharks win the Old Prague Ham tournament in tropical heat, Old Boys Praha play with honour for two teams

At the end of June, over the weekend of 19.-21.6.2026, eleven teams from abroad came to Prague to compete, together with four teams from the Czech Republic, for the Old Prague Ham. Despite the tropical weather that weekend, all the teams played excellent matches and even managed to raise their game as the tournament went on. Besides the high sporting standard, all the teams also did their bit on the social side, at both the welcome party and the closing party.

As always, the tournament was officially opened by Old Boys Praha president Karel Zeiner at the opening party, held this year, as last year, in the beer hall and wine bar of the Municipal House on Republic Square. The entertainment, kicked off by a Brazilian samba dance show, continued with the traditional singing parade of the individual teams, none of which let themselves down. This year the singing spread from the main floor of the beer hall onto the stage as well, where it very quickly turned into a karaoke show with several different teams singing together at once.

Saturday’s sporting programme started slightly late because of a reshuffle of the fixture list: the French team from Beaujolais had lost their luggage, and despite borrowing various kit from other teams they still had to buy quite a lot at a local sports shop. Old Boys Praha turned out in large numbers as usual and, in more than small numbers, also helped make up the Prague Barbarians team, coached by Vláďa Kodytek. Under the eye of coach Dalmoš, Old Boys Praha played four matches in a very tough group, losing in turn to International Old Boars (0:20), Les Bisonquinze (0:25), the eventual tournament winners Mako Sharks (0:25) and Les Mouettes (5:15). The impression of our play in the group stage certainly doesn’t match the final scores: especially in the matches against Old Boars and Les Mouettes we tackled very well, held on to the ball and sometimes even got it out to the backs. There were also a few promising moves that could have produced a try, but too many nerves got in the way. In the matches against Les Bisonquinze and Mako Sharks, however, the opposition clearly dominated – the young, quick and well-drilled French team beat us with combinations between the half-backs and three-quarters and breaks down the wings, while the vastly experienced and powerful English team needed nothing more than their back row, backed by the push of the front two rows, to break through. By then some Old Boys Praha players were also taking turns playing for Prague Barbarians, often – thanks to a shift in the fixture list – straight after finishing their own match. For their performances and their stamina, in exceptional heat to boot, the players deserve real credit. In the placings group, by agreement, a single double match was played between Old Boys Praha together with the Barbarians and a combined Říčany and Orli team. In terms of play the match was very even, but in the end the opposition saw it through to a 0:10 win. The final stage of the tournament then brought a great deal of superb rugby and huge commitment from the players of all the teams, who squeezed out the very last of their strength – something much appreciated by the spectators, among them players from the teams that had finished playing. In the third-place play-off Czech Stars edged the French team from Beaujolais 10:5 at the end of the match, and the tournament was won by Mako Sharks, who settled their victory over last year’s champions RC Grivita from Romania with a single try in the last seconds of the match. OBP’s honourable mark on the final belongs to captain Vláďa Pošík, who helped the medics treat an injured RC Grivita player.

The closing party, with the end of the tournament and the prize-giving, was held at the Congress Centre. President Karel Zeiner reviewed the tournament, thanked everyone for its excellent standard and the players’ commitment, and invited them all to next year’s edition in 2027. Mako Sharks then received, besides the traditional ham, a glass rugby ball as the winners’ trophy. The rest of the evening was one big party, with great music from the girls of The Apples and a dance performance by Bailando Mamas. Even after the band had finished, the fun showed no sign of flagging, and it was great to see how much some teams were enjoying themselves, more or less right up to closing time just before midnight.

Finally, we would very much like to thank our opponents for some great rugby, the referees, the team guides, and all the volunteers at the parties, during the setting-up of the ground and during the tournament, who spent a tropical day at the beer taps, the catering and the souvenir stalls. And of course all the players who took the field and put in an honest shift, some of them for two teams. To everyone who contributed to the tournament’s excellent standard and reputation.