Rugby vs. the World: Rugby tees up against golf

Wales Rugby legend Tom Shanklin hits the fairway in Dubai against PGA Professional Mark Jones in a test of accuracy – and hitting, throwing and driving accuracy. And we don’t mean only driving the ball! It’s another fun-filled edition of the Rugby vs. The World Challenge.

It was a picture-perfect day in Dubai as two professional sportsmen strolled onto the fairway at the Meydan Golf Club – but it was no ordinary day on the golf course. Big and burley Tom Shanklin, a former Rugby player for Wales and British & Irish Lions, was teeing it off against lead and keen PGA Professional Mark Jones in the 8th installment of the Rugby vs The World Challenge. And on Mark’s home turf no less. He’s the golf pro at Meydan.

VIDEO: Watch the Rugby vs Golf highlights here!

Golf surprises Rugby
The gridiron showdown with American Football a few weeks ago in Chicago may have been a tough act to follow, but our two ambassadors of Rugby and Golf showed us just how much fun a couple of pros can have on a golf course.

Challenge 1 saw Tom and Mark hit 15 balls off the tee as fast as possible with three different clubs. Sounds easy, right? Well, the catch was they had to run to the back of the tee to collect each club, which was upside down in a golf bag. And little did our two competitors know, but they would be hitting a kid’s driver, a ladies club and a left-handed club.

Mark got off to a quick start after Tom had some trouble getting the first club out of the bag. Though Tom slowly reeled him in, Mark – who managed one tremendous shot with our bag of lucky dip clubs – was the first to hit all 15 balls and get his third club back in the bag.

“The lefty was a bit of a shock when I pulled out that one.” (Mark Jones)

Challenge 2 obviously favored our Rugby ambassador – throwing rugby balls from the tee into giant DHL boxes – but Tom was in for a surprise. The closest and easiest box was worth 1 point, while the farthest and most difficult box was worth 3 points. After both watched their tosses bounce off the rim twice, Mark showed us why he is a master of a mental sport like golf, opting for and nailing the 1-point box on his third attempt. After announcing he would “go big or go home,” Tom tried for a third time to hit box 3. Failing to land a single ball into a box, Golf was the surprise winner at 1 point to nil.

“I’m embarrassed.” (Tom Shanklin) – “It was a bit inevitable, really.” (Mark Jones)

The boys were obviously having a lot of fun and though Mark was the winner at that point, the two moved on to the Challenge 3 – a golf cart race. Who wouldn’t take advantage of an opportunity to do what is normally frowned up on a golf course!

The challenge was to race the carts around a flag, stop at a bunker, dig for a buried golf ball, and return with the ball to the start/finish line. It turns out Tom had the advantage of a slightly faster cart and got off to a great start, but Mark, the more experienced cart driver, took a better line around the pin and arrived at the bunker alongside his challenger. In the sand Tom found his golf ball very quickly and sped back to the finish line while Mark searched in vain for his.

“I spend a lot of time in the bunkers, so I’m fairly at home in the sand.” (Tom Shanklin)

At the end of the day, Golf beat out Rugby 2-1.

The real winners, of course, are the sports of Rugby and Golf. A big thank you to Tom and Mark for helping us shine a spotlight on the sport of Rugby while the International Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour was in Dubai.

GALLERY: Don’t forget to click through the photo gallery above.

Next challenge: Rope Skipping
The Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour is already at its next stop in Hong Kong. Stay tuned as former Fiji Captain Deacon Manu takes on World Record Holder Timothy Ho.

Follow us on Twitter @DHL_Rugby or facebook.com/DHLRugby and catch up on all the Rugby vs The World action on YouTube!