Cheering fans sent out cries of "Aide, aide!" during the closing five minutes of the ninth and final match of the One Life Charity Rugby Tournament in Pernik. April 14 had been a long day of matches for all the players, but the final match was no easy victory.

Pernik's A team put up an admirable fight against the Purple Nasties - a team consisting of 2003 World Cup champion Will Greenwood MBE and numerous other ex-professional rugby players, some of whom had been in retirement for 10 years or more.

In the end, the Purple Nasties prevailed, humbly accepting their medals and the trophy during the closing ceremony.

The idea for the international rugby tournament was born last December, when BBC journalist Ben Richardson met entrepreneur and philanthropist James Flint at Murphy's pub in Sofia.

Flint began One Life Bulgaria children's charity in 2004 with the renovation of the cancer ward at Ivan Kirov Children's Hospital. "The project brought so much attention to the hospital, that soon the entire complex was renovated," said Flint.

When Richardson met Flint and witnessed first-hand the conditions of the hospital, the two started talking about fundraising. Given their mutual love for the sport, they decided to hold an international rugby tournament. Richardson contacted Greenwood about the idea and he agreed to participate.

In addition to the Purple Nasties, Saturday's participants included several Bulgarian teams and the Moscow Dragons, who flew in from Russia. This self-described "friendliest" team consisted of about 50 percent native Russians and 50 percent expats living in Moscow.

The Moscow Dragons were pleased with their third place rank at the end of the day, but lamented the absence of their plastic surgeon team member who would have beautifully stitched player Tim Huxtable's head after a game-time injury.

Many other players were seen stumbling bloodily off the pitch, but none seemed to care much. "Rugby is a sport of controlled aggression," said Simon Harris, a British businessman playing for the Sofia team, Murphy's Misfits.

The Misfits, which has about 40 members, half expats and half Bulgarians, began in 2002 primarily as a social group wanting to play rugby for fun. However, they regularly compete against teams from countries such as Britain and Serbia.

The National Sports Academy and two teams from Pernik also participated. Spectators and competitors alike were greatly impressed with Pernik A's showing on Saturday. Pernik Rugby Club started in 1958 and has been the Bulgarian national champion 23 times since.

"Pernik has very good schools, trainers and players. They have rugby in their heart. The training process and the fields are better here than in Sofia," said Stoyan Mihailov, chairman of the Pernik Rugby Club.

Misfits member and Nova TV cameraman Vladislav Topchiev explained the success of rugby teams in Pernik: "It's is a town of industrial and steel workers."

Rugby may be a rough sport of aggression, but it is also one of global networking. When interested expats move abroad, the first thing they often do is tap into the rugby network, commented a British Moscow Dragons team member who recently relocated to Russia.

Indeed, the global network has proven a great resource for One Life Charity's projects and Bulgarian rugby. As part of the event, players from the Purple Nasties raised funds in the United Kingdom, amounting to about 14 000 leva. They also conducted a clinic for the Pernik club prior to the tournament itself, and left their shoes for Pernik's members.

Saturday's event culminated with a gala dinner at the Central Military Club in downtown Sofia, with live music, an after-dinner speech from guest of honour Greenwood, and a sports memorabilia auction.

In all, thanks in part to generous support from sponsors, the tournament, dinner, auction and other activities amounted to about 22 500 leva, making the grand total of Saturday's event more than 36 500 leva. One Life plans to dedicate half of the funds to immediate projects, and to dedicate the other half to its larger goal of establishing a children's hospice in Sofia.