Rugby in the Philippines

[Headroom]

I think because it is a relatively new sport here in terms of exposure to Filipinos.

 

While it has been played here by expats since at least 1914 there was only one club playing it - Nomad Sports Club which until rather recently was mainly frequented by expats.

 

The Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) was established in 1999 but until about 2004, the PRFU activities were fairly limited as there was only one club – Nomads - playing rugby. There were no regular fixtures and the Club just played internal games, visiting military ships and occasional touring sides. Nomads also went on tours to other SE Asian countries to play. At that time, there was only one major tournament each year – the Manila 10’s which is a Nomads tournament, though this in itself has been an excellent vehicle for raising the visibility of Philippine’ rugby to clubs all around the World.

 

The formation of other clubs allowed the PRFU to apply for more funding from the International Rugby Board (IRB) and start to try and spread rugby.

 

There are a number of programs for rugby development in place now and the number of teams is growing - http://www.prfu.com/clubs--schools.html - this shows the clubs and schools now playing.

 

Of course, probably the single biggest factor is Filipinos obsession with basketball which is present in every school, every town, every street - it will take some time to impact on that blanket coverage.

 

The sport does continue to grow amongst Filipinos but the visibility is still low - that will change over time.

 

http://www.prfu.com/1/post/2013/04/volcanoes-prepare-to-battle-asias-best.html

 

An article on the upcoming game against Japan and pictures of the squad for this years test series.

[Headroom]

Philippine team named for A5N match against Japan 04/18/2013

 

 

 

The Philippine Rugby Football Union is proud to announce the players who have been selected for Asian 5 Nations opening match against Japan.

 

1 Dacanay, Austin Garnica

2 Duhig, Michael Estrada

3 Bellenie, Matthew Orag

4 Howorth, Steve Pagtalunan

5 Urquijo, Jaime Zobel

6 Carroll, Terrence Javier

7 Hitch, Chris Baltazar

8 Ward, Jake

9 Price, James Carandang

10 Holgate, Gareth dela Rosa

11 Matthews, Joseph Bembo

12 Coveney, Justin Villazor

13 Saunders, Matthew Abalos

14 Olivier, Patrice Ortiz

15 Letts, Michael Robrigado

16 Robinson-Polkey, David

17 Hagan, Graeme

18 Bautista, Joshua Che

19 Feeney, David

20 Seeto, Darran Centillas

21 Letts, Jake Robrigado

22 Aronson, Alexander

23 Gregson, Jeff Blanco

 

Head coach: Jarred Hodges

Team Manager: Phil Gittus

Asst coach: Stuart Woodhouse

Physiotherapist: Christopher Bailey

 

The match will be be played on Saturday, 20 April in Fukuoka, Japan at 1:00pm (Manila time). It will be telecast on Solar Sports and ESPN Star Sports Channels.

 

The Asian 5 Nations is an annual international Rugby Union competition held between the top five Asian national rugby sides. The Philippines will face Japan, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates and South Korea in a round-robin competition over five consecutive weekends throughout April and May 2013.

 

20 April 2013

Japan v Philippines: Fukuoka, Japan

Hong Kong v United Arab Emirates: Hong Kong

 

26 April 2013

United Arab Emirates v South Korea: Al Ain, Abu Dhabi

 

27 April 2013

Hong Kong v Japan: Hong Kong

 

4 May 2013

Japan v South Korea: Tokyo, Japan

Philippines v Hong Kong: Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila

 

10 May 2013

United Arab Emirates v Japan: Dubai

 

11 May 2013

South Korea v Philippines: Ansan, South Korea

 

18 May 2013

South Korea v Hong Kong , Ansan, South Korea

Philippines v United Arab Emirates: Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila

 

The Asian 5 Nations represents the highest tier of international rugby in Asia and is Asia's qualifying tournament for the Rugby World Cup 2015.

[Headroom]

Preview: Volcanoes battle Japan Cherry Blossoms

 

 

http://www.rappler.com/sports/26846-preview-volcanoes-battle-japan-cherry-blossoms

 

HSBC A5N Top League Round 1: #1 Japan vs. #5 Philippines

 

Kick-off 2:00pm (local time) Sanix Stadium – Fukuoka, Japan

 

Telecast: 1:00pm on Solar Sports Channel and ESPN Star Sports Channel

 

 

JAPAN CHERRY BLOSSOMS:

 

1. Masataka Mikami 2. Hiroki Yuhara 3. Hiroshi Yamashita 4. Hitoshi Ono 5. Shinya Makabe 6. Takashi Kikutani 7. Michael Broadhurst 8. Ryu Koliniasi Holani 9. Atsushi Hiwasa 10. Kosei Ono 11. Hirotoki Onazawa 12. Harumichi Tatekawa 13. Male Sau 14. Toshiaki Hirose © 15. Ayumu Goromaru. Reserves: 16. Yusuke Aoki 17. Takuma Asahara 18. Kensuke Hatakeyama 19. Shoji Ito 20. Justin Ives 21. Hendrik Tui 22. Yu Tamura 23. Kenki Fukuoka.

 

Coach – Eddie Jones.

 

 

PHILIPPINE VOLCANOES:

 

1. Austin Dacanay 2. Michael Duhig 3. Matt Bellenie 4. Steve Howorth 5. Jaime Urquijo 6. Terry Carroll 7. Chris Hitch 8. Jake Ward 9. James Price 10. Gaz Holgate 11. Joe Matthews 12. Justin Coveney 13. Matt Saunders 14. Patrice Olivier 15. Michael Letts ©. Rerserves:16. David Robinson-Polkey 17. Graeme Hagan 18. JC Bautista 19. David Feeney 20. Darran Seeto 21. Jake Letts 22. Alex Aronson 23. Jeff Gregson.

 

Coach – Jarred Hodges.

[Headroom]

Well the Philippines certainly got a tough introduction to the top level of Asian Rugby.

 

The Philippines were beaten 121 - nil although the score does not reflect all aspects of the game.

 

20 minutes in the score was 10 - nil to Japan, but two missed penalty opportunities could have seen the score sitting at 10 - 6.

 

The Philippines had hardly any possession during the game and the huge amount of defensive work caught up with them towards the end.

 

They certainly didn't give up and showed amazing courage. Only 7 of the Philippines team play rugby professionally whereas the whole of the Japanese team are professional.

 

Next game May 4 here in Manila against Hong Kong....

 

Go the Volcanoes.

[Headroom]

Spreading the rugby gospel - good on the Cebu Dragons Rugby Club.

 

City Rugby Club goes to villages to train youngsters

 

By Cheska D. Geli

 

Tuesday, April 23, 2013 Sun.Star Cebu newspaper

 

FROM schools, the Cebu City Rugby Club (CCRC) volunteers extend their program to the barangays, hoping to push the sport of rugby in the city.

 

This Saturday, the group will hold a rugby clinic at Sandtrap, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., for the children of Barangay Cogon, Ramos.

 

They expect close to 50 kids, aged 8 and above, to show up in the grassroots activity under the Visayas Rugby Football Union.

 

“Ang mga bata karon kay bakasyon man, walay klase so nakig-coordinate mi ug mga barangay (The kids are having their vacation now, so we’re coordinating with the barangays),” said Aiumi Ono of CCRC.

 

Most of the kids are not aware of the sport and their main task is to introduce touch rugby in the different age groups.

 

But for those aged 20 and above and want to learn full contact rugby, the group will be willing to accommodate them with the basics.

 

Grassroots

 

Ono, team captain of the Lady Dragons and VRFU grassroots officer, with other volunteers of the club, has been teaching kids from selected schools as part of their grassroots program.

 

Abellana National School was its first adopted school to start its touch rugby clinic last year.

 

Among the developments of the school is the creation of the city’s first junior rugby full contact team consisting of players aged 15-20 years old with three players now in the Lady Dragons.

 

The team is now trained for its debut tournament in the last quarter in Manila.

 

They also visited Little Angels’ Montessori last March and they have regular Wednesday clinic at Cebu International School.

 

The group also reached out to community kids on Gen. Maxilom Ave. where they hold their sessions every other Saturday at an area near San Carlos Montessori.

 

They encourage donors of the Share a Shoe Program for those willing to give out pairs of used but usable shoes for the community kids.

 

Diversion

 

Recently, they coordinated with the Department of Social Welfare and Development for a clinic session at the Region 7 Rehabilitation Center for Youth.

 

“We wanted to give them diversion. Most of them are tough and we taught them how to control their toughness in sports,” said Ono.

 

They had a mini-touch rugby tournament last April 13 and will be back on May 4 for the final matches.

Edited April 24, 2013 by Headroom

[Headroom]

A basic overview of the game of rugby

[Headroom]

Rugby promotion amongst young Filipino children:

 

 

http://www.prfu.com/1/post/2013/04/cbre-juniors-tournament-for-the-month-of-april.html

[Headroom]

Discounted tickets to the Philippines vs Hong Kong game.

 

 

http://www.ensogo.com.ph/manila/philippine-volcanoes-04232013.html

[Headroom]

Brave Hong Kong hold the line in 38-0 loss to Japan

 

 

A brave and spirited defensive effort from Hong Kong frustrated Japan but was not enough to thwart the Asian champions from registering a second consecutive victory in the HSBC Asian Five Nations (HSBC A5N) Top Five competition at Hong Kong Football Club yesterday.

 

Japan ran in six tries, four in the second half, to win a momentous struggle 38-0 and keep their unbeaten record in this tournament – now in its sixth year – clean.

 

“It was a tough game, we expected it,” said Japan head coach Eddie Jones. “But what today’s performance showed was that we have a lot of work to do. This is after all only our second game this season.”

 

Hong Kong deserved a lot of credit for a gutsy defence that held Japan to just 14-0 at the break. And they didn’t let-up in the second half, reaching the hourly mark having only conceded a third try.

 

The high work-rate of Hong Kong back-row trio of Pale Tauti, Matt Lamming and Alex Baddeley, plus ironclad defence in midfield from centres Stewart Megaw and David Whiteford with skipper and fullback Tom McColl leading the way, proved a tough obstacle for Japan to overcome.

 

“It was a gutsy effort from the guys,” said Hong Kong skipper McColl. “We knew Japan would come out and throw the ball around and we knew that we would have to defend our hearts out, and we did just that. I’m happy with our execution in defence but not so much with our attack.”

 

It was only in the last quarter that Japan was able to show their fluency with right wing and captain Toshiaki Hirose grabbing a brace in the space of four minutes before reserve winger Yoshikazu Fujita sealed the result with a try at the end.

 

The outcome of the battle between a team of professionals, Japan, and part-time players, Hong Kong, was never in doubt. But it was a shot in the arm for the home team who tackled their hearts out, putting in a massive 124 tackles to Japan’s 39.

 

“It was a courageous test of fortitude,” said Hong Kong head coach Leigh Jones. “One of the key areas was the breakdown and we managed to slow down their ball.”

 

Japan scored 18 tries in their opener against the Philippines a week ago but Hong Kong superbly shut them down and the lack of quality ball prevented the Brave Blossoms from playing the expansive game they wanted.

 

But Japan’s Jones was satisfied. He said: “This was the type of game we wanted. Last week we ran in a lot of tries against the Philippines we didn’t do as much today but even though our execution wasn’t flash, I thoroughly enjoyed this game. We still scored 38 points and scored six tries while not conceding any points. That is good enough for me.”

 

The United Arab Emirates seem to be the team in danger of being relegated from the Top Five this year after they lost their second successive match, going down 75-10 to South Korea in Al Ain on Friday.

 

UAE will face Japan next week and then round off their campaign against the Philippines, a match which is likely to decide the team to carry the wooden spoon and be relegated into Division One next year thus making way for Sri Lanka in 2014.

 

It was an impressive start for South Korea, runners-up last year, who ran in 10 tries including four from winger Kim Kwong-min. Korea has 11 of its national players featuring in the Japan Top League and these professionals made a significant contribution as they overpowered UAE in all facets of the game.

[Headroom]

random thoughts: of being a proud pinoy and of the philippine volcanoes

 

 

http://kalelbrave.wordpress.com/2013/04/26/random-thoughts-of-being-a-proud-pinoy-and-of-the-philippine-volcanoes/

 

A blog by Janet who is a volunteer for the Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU).

 

Quite apt really considering the interest or lack thereof that is shown by Filipino's in general but by the country's top sports administrators towards rugby.

 

Currently the most winning sports team in the country against top level international competition.

Edited April 29, 2013 by Headroom

[Headroom]

The Team for Tomorrow's Game at Rizal Stadium against Hong Kong.

 

 

Number Name

1 Dacanay, Austin Garnica

2 Hagan, Graeme Santillan

3 Bellenie, Matthew Orag

4 Howorth, Stephen Pagtalunan

5 Feeney, David

6 Carroll, Terrence Javier

7 Seeto, Darran Centillas

8 Hitch, Christopher Baltazar

9 Price, James Carandang

10 Aronson, Alexander Noroña

11 Saunders, Matthew Abalos

12 Coveney, Justin Villazor

13 Holgate, Gareth dela Rosa

14 Matthews, Joseph Bembo

15 Letts, Michael Robrigado ©

16 Robinson-Polkey, David

17 Duhig, Michael Estrada

18 Bautista, Joshua

19 Rodriguez, Daniel

20 Hettel, Christopher Ammayao

21 Letts, Jake Robrigado

22 Saunders, Benjamin Abalos

23 Gregson, Jeffrey Blanco

 

 

Head coach: Stuart Woodhouse

Asst coach: Phil Gittus

Physiotherapist: Luke Heath

 

The match will be be played on Saturday, 4 May at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila at 7:00pm. It will be telecast on Solar Sports and ESPN Star Sports Channels.

Edited May 3, 2013 by Headroom

[Headroom]

Volcanoes face Hong Kong at Rizal Stadium

 

 

 

The Philippine Volcanoes national Rugby team prepare for their first-ever home match as contenders in the Asian 5 Nations Top 5 Division as they host Hong Kong this Saturday, May 4 at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

 

The Volcanoes enter the match as significant underdogs in their debut season in the Elite Division of Asian Rugby against a veteran Hong Kong team that has never finished lower than third in the competition, and regularly comes in second-place to perennial league leaders, Japan. The team is looking for an improved result after a very difficult opening loss away against Japan. The season-opener served as a baptism of fire after the team mostly sailed through its divisional promotional campaign with barely a bump, suffering only one loss in the previous five years.

 

The Volcanoes’ task will be made even harder as starting 8-man/flanker Jake Pingal Ward is likely out for the rest of the tournament with broken ribs suffered in the match against Japan, and Head Coach Jarred Hodges forced to leave Thursday night due to a critical family emergency. The Volcanoes enter the match with assistant coach Stu Woodhouse taking over the head coaching duties and team manager Phil Gittus assisting with the forwards. Reached for comment prior to the match, Gittus noted the team “has a very realistic, but very positive attitude going into Saturday’s match. [The team] has had three weeks together now and look forward to showcasing some of [their] attacking prowess as well as defensive resolve.”

 

The team can look to some encouraging signs before the first match. Before facing defending champions Japan, the Volcanoes had only one week to prepare due to majority of the players being based in Australia, Japan, Europe, and the United States. The extra time together in practice will benefit the team immensely in terms of structure, organization, and chemistry.

 

They should also be encouraged by the play of starting scrum-half James Carandang Price who excelled in every facet of the game against Japan, despite an overwhelming advantage in quality by the fully-professional Japanese side. Facing a Japanese forward pack with a massive size advantage, the high-flying Volcanoes backs, long considered the team’s most dangerous attacking weapon, were starved of ball possession in their opening match and will look to string together more possession and phases of play against a Hong Kong side that also lost heavily to Japan at home last week, while the forwards should be able to showcase a more structured and organized defensive effort.

 

While an upset win against Hong Kong this weekend would be a pleasant shock, the team will be looking more for further experience in top-division Asian Rugby and signs of progress before entering the critical matches against South Korea on May 11 and UAE on May 18 as they search for the all-important win to avoid relegation and ensure survival in the top division.

 

About the HSBC Asian 5 Nations

 

The HSBC Asian 5 Nations is a six-week long competition among the top 5 teams in Asia and is the qualifying competition for the Rugby World Cup 2015. Having been promoted from Division 1 in 2012, the Philippines are ranked fifth while Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates ranked first, second, third & fourth, respectively.

 

The team that finishes fifth after the end of the six-week long competition will be demoted to Division 1, while the top 4 teams’ remain in the Elite Division and continue their quest to qualify for the Rugby World Cup 2015.

 

The winner of the Elite Division in 2014 receives outright qualification to the Rugby World Cup 2015, while the Elite Division’s 2nd placer will face the 2nd placers from Africa, Europe and the Americas in a knock-out competition for the 20th & final Rugby World Cup slot.

 

4 May 2013:

Japan v South Korea: Tokyo, Japan

Philippines v Hong Kong: Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila

 

10 May 2013:

United Arab Emirates v Japan: Dubai

 

11 May 2013:

South Korea v Philippines: Ansan, South Korea

 

18 May 2013:

South Korea v Hong Kong , Ansan, South Korea

Philippines v United Arab Emirates: Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila

[Headroom]

PRFU FILA 15s LEAGUE highlights: Round 1 April 27 at Nomad Sports Club

 

 

Includes a women's game, kids as well as the seniors.

[Headroom]

Highlights of the game between the Philippines and Hong Kong.

 

Hong Kong won 59 - 20 but again the Philippines held their own in the first half to trail 14 - 10.

 

Great effort from the lads against a team that once again is full of professional players.

 

Pretty good crowd at the game as well - thanks to all the fans that made it to the game.

 

 

[delubyo69]

Philippine Volcanoes...great players but still need some improvement to face better opponents.

[Headroom]

Philippine Volcanoes...great players but still need some improvement to face better opponents.

 

Very true but please understand that the Volcanoes only played their first game in 2006 against Guam.

 

The structure of the Asian Rugby Competition changed into the levels that now exist the Philippines were ranked in the 2nd last division. In the last 5 years they have moved into Asian Rugby's Premier division. A great achievement in itself.

 

The other thing to remember is that both Japan and Hong Kong are comprised of professional players - guys that do nothing but play rugby. The Volcanoes now have 7 professional players but that is only half a team. The other guys all have regular jobs and play rugby in club sides because they love it.

 

As the sport gains more attention here in the Philippines and also amongst overseas Filipino players the standard of the team will keep on rising.

[Headroom]

Match Report - Volcanoes v Hong Kong by Jon Morales

 

 

 

A5N Match Report: Philippines vs. Hong Kong

 

One half to remember, and one to forget. That was what the Philippine Volcanoes gave to the hometown crowd at Rizal Memorial Stadium on Sunday against Hong Kong as they came roaring out of the gates to shake the heavily-favored visitors for a half and then some.

 

Rookie fly-half Alex Aronson gave the Volcanoes a quick start by kicking a penalty to give the underdog Volcanoes an early 3-0 lead. The team’s confidence soared as they stymied Hong Kong in the midfield and on the fringes, buoyed by a fervent home crowd.

 

 

The early returns also carried signs of what would ultimately be the team’s undoing, as the Philippine scrum struggled to deal with Hong Kong up front. Hong Kong’s first try was awarded as a penalty try after a collapsed scrum on the 5-meter line.

 

Nothing summed up the team’s first-half confidence though than the passage of play directly off the kick-off following Hong Kong taking their first lead. A long kick-off by Aronson to just in front of the visiting 22 was recovered by the Volcanoes and lock forward David Feeney, captain of the local Manila Nomads, first made spectators cover their eyes then drop their jaws as he chipped a perfectly placed kick on the blind side over the winger, into the 22 for winger Patrice Olivier to run onto and into the try zone, sending the crowd into rapture and the home-side into the lead.

 

A famous upset seemed to be in the works as Hong Kong produced some sloppy ball inside the Volcanoes’ 22-meter that was picked up by the outside backs of the Philippines and run back for a sparkling coast-to-coast try and an apparent 17-7 lead going into the half. Fortune didn't favor the Philippines as the referee produced a shaky offside call to nullify the try, and then almost immediately awarded another penalty try for another collapsed scrum to Hong Kong. Despite not having kicked a penalty nor crossed the try line, and rarely crossing the gain line in the first-half, the visitors entered the half with a 14-10 lead and breathing room to regain their footing.

 

For 10 more minutes the Volcanoes looked undaunted by the bad luck and questionable calls. while another Aronson penalty brought the home-side to within 1 point before Hong Kong’s overwhelming advantage in the scrum and a regrouped Hong Kong backline began to cut apart the Volcanoes defense. An already thin Filipino frontline, struggling with the loss of loose forward Jake Ward to broken ribs, took another hit as lock Steve Howorth continued to struggle with a knock suffered in pre-season and had to leave the game. Blindside Flanker Terry Carroll was forced into the lock position while Daniel Rodriguez was brought on at blindside.

 

When a nice Hong Kong backline move in the midfield sprung Jonny Rees for his first try of two up the middle, the first-half 14-point swing began to look like a backbreaker. The try signalled the beginning of the end as Hong Kong began to pour in try after try as defensive breakdowns and set-piece difficulties for the Volcanoes piled up. Captain Michael Letts provided a brief moment of solace for the home crowd with a late try and Aronson kicked the conversion to finish a perfect day of kicking, going four from four, but by then, Hong Kong had already run away with the game.

 

The Volcanoes can take a large measure of comfort from their first-half performance against one of the top Asian teams with a much improved showing over their opener. The team will have to combine their sparkling attacking potential with a consistent eighty minutes of defense and produce some solution to their continuing struggles against larger teams in the scrum.

 

The upcoming weeks will see the arrival of veteran forwards Josh Sutcliffe, Phil Abraham, and Michael de Guzman to shore up an injury-depleted forward pack as the team goes into their last two critical matches in a fight for top-division survival in Korea on May 11th, and what may be a relegation battle against visiting UAE at Rizal stadium on May 18th.

 

report: Jon Morales

[Headroom]

Volcanoes play 2 crucial matches in next 2 weeks

By Nelson Beltran (The Philippine Star) | Updated May 9, 2013 - 12:00am

 

 

 

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Volcanoes play two crucial matches in the next two weeks, hoping to do well as they visit Korea Saturday and on home front against UAE on May 18 to avoid relegation from the HSBC Asia Five Nations (HSBC A5N).

 

In partnership with FILA, the Volcanoes are inviting Filipino rugby fans to support them as they tangle with their UAE rivals at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

 

The Volcanoes, made up mostly of Fil-foreign rugby players recruited from around the world, are also gearing up for a first-ever stint in the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow, Russia next month.

 

“This year marks a new era for the Philippine Volcanoes as they bring the Philippine flag to the World Cup. Pride truly burns deep as this athletic feat is a big first for the country – even deeper for Fila Philippines which will accompany the Volcanoes to the prestigious competition as their official sponsor,” said Fila Philippines owner Chris Albert.

 

Among the team’s leading players are team captain Michael Letts, Jake Letts, Gareth Holgate, Patrice Olivier, Matt Saunders, Andrew Wolff, Harry Morris, Ben Saunders, Juntine Coveney and Alex Aronson.

 

The coming days will see the arrival of veteran forwards Josh Sutcliffe, Phil Abraham, and Michael de Guzman to beef up the team’s injury-depleted forward lineup.

 

Sportshub ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

 

 

In a press conference at the Cocoon Boutique Hotel in Quezon City, Letts and his teammates expressed great pride and honor playing for the Philippines.

 

“I play for my heritage, and it feels great to be appreciated,” said Coveney, the 27-year-old Fil-Australian inside center.

 

“What unites us is the opportunity to play for our heritage,” said Aronson, the 20-year-old Fil-Am fly-half.

 

“It’s really a privilege and honor to represent the Philippines. Every time we play, it’s for the Philippines,” said Fil-British Wolff.

 

The Volcanoes are out to redeem themselves after a rout in Japan and a humbling defeat versus Hong Kong at the Rizal Football Stadium Saturday.

 

Before the loss to Hong Kong, the Volcanoes had a proud record of a perfect home game record in the HSBC Asian Five Nations.

 

Next to Japan, the Volcanoes are the most successful team in the Asian Five Nations. Last year, the Phl team stormed into the Top Five with an unbeaten run, besting Chinese Taipei, Singapore and Sri Lanka in a round-robin series.

[Headroom]

The team against Korea:

 

The Philippine Rugby Football Union is proud to announce the players who have been selected for the HSBC Asian 5 Nations match against South Korea.

 

Number Name

1 Dacanay, Austin Garnica

2 Hagan, Graeme Santillan

3 Bellenie, Matthew Orag

4 Perry, Nicholas Ergina

5 Feeney, David

6 Carroll, Terrence Javier

7 Hitch, Christopher Baltazar

8 de Guzman, Michael

9 Price, James Carandang

10 Aronson, Alexander Noroña

11 Matthews, Joseph Bembo

12 Coveney, Justin Villazor

13 Holgate, Gareth dela Rosa

14 Olivier, Patrice Ortiz

15 Letts, Michael Robrigado ©

16 Robinson-Polkey, David

17 Duhig, Michael Estrada

18 Ingram, Paul

19 Rodriguez, Daniel

20 Seeto, Darran Centillas

21 Letts, Jake Robrigado

22 Saunders, Benjamin Abalos

23 Gregson, Jeffrey Blanco

[Headroom]

2013 Volcanoes

[Janja]

Baket di na naglaban ang south korea at phils?

[Headroom]

Baket di na naglaban ang south korea at phils?

 

They played South Korea last Saturday - Volcanoes lost 62 - 19.

 

I'll get a Match Report out when I see it.

[Headroom]

Come and support the Volcanoes this weekend at Rizal Stadium.

 

It's free admission to the General seating areas so come down and see what the game is about!!

[hugocortina]

go go go volcanoes!

[Headroom]

Volcanoes fight to stay in top 5 of Asia

 

 

Bruised but not broken. The embattled National Men’s Rugby Team, known as the Philippine Volcanoes will face the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, May 18 in the closing match of the HSBC Asian 5 Nations competition. Both teams are winless in the series, making Saturday the battle against relegation, with the winner remaining in Asia’s top 5, and the loser relegated to Division 1.

 

It has been a challenging debut for the Philippines in the Elite Division after practically cruising through the lower divisions since the Volcanoes began competing in the Asian 5 Nations series. Before 2013, the Volcanoes had lost only once (in 2011 to South Korea), a record bested only by perennial A5N champions and still unbeaten Japan.

 

Despite the losses, the Volcanoes have shown flashes of brilliance in each match, and have vowed to put the pieces together to get the win against fourth-ranked United Arab Emirates. The past week has seen the arrival of veteran players Phil Abraham, Michael de Guzman and Nick Perry to shore up an injury-plagued forward pack. The lessons learned from their first three matches and extended training time together, a challenge the Volcanoes face with players based in different parts of the world, should also serve the Volcanoes in good stead.

 

Philippines Coach, Jarred Hodges, maintains that the team has stayed positive and is in good spirits in the lead up to Saturday’s match. “It won’t be easy, as UAE have been in the top 5 for a number of years, but we are quietly confident”. Hodges added “We are playing in Manila, and the hometown support never fails to lift the boys’ performance.”

 

The team that finishes fifth after the end of the six-week long competition will be demoted to Division 1, while the top 4 teams’ remain in the Elite Division and continue their quest to qualify for the Rugby World Cup 2015.

 

The winner of the Elite Division in 2014 receives outright qualification to the Rugby World Cup 2015, while the Elite Division’s 2nd placer will face the 2nd placers from Africa, Europe and the Americas in a knock-out competition for the 20th & final Rugby World Cup slot.

 

Where to watch:

 

Philippines vs. United Arab Emirates

7pm | Saturday, May 18

Rizal Memorial Stadium, Adriatico Ave.

Malate, Manila

 

Bleachers: FREE OF CHARGE

Grand Stand: P 200 / P500

available at: http://www.ticketworld.com.ph