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

Head coach: Jarred Hodges
Manager: Phil Gittus
Physiotherapist: Luke Heath
Asst Physiotherapist: Rico Barin

The match will be played at 7:00pm on Saturday, May 18 at Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila. It will be telecast live on Solar Sports Channel. The winner of the match will remain in the top 5 of the Asian 5 Nations, while the loser will be relegated to Division 1 in 2014.

Ticket information:
Bleachers: FREE OF CHARGE
Grand Stand: P 200 / P500  
available at: http://www.ticketworld.com.ph

Live scoring on: www.twitter.com/PhilippineRugby

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.

For more information on the Asian 5 Nations, go to:
http://www.asian5nations.com

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

The game will be telecast live on Solar Sports channel.

Live scoring on www.twitter.com/PhilippineRugby

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         

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
photos: Jinggo Montenejo

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  


Where to watch

Tickets to the Philippine games on May 4 & 18 are available at: http://www.ticketworld.com.ph

The Philippine games on May 4 & 18 will be telecast live on Solar Sports and FOX Sports channels.

Games are also available to view online:
http://www.ustream.tv/A5NRugby

View complete telecast schedule: 
http://www.asian5nations.com/node/305

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

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.

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.

For more information on the Asian 5 Nations, go to:
http://www.asian5nations.com

For tickets to the games at Rizal Memorial Stadium, go to:
http://www.prfu.com/a5n-2013-tickets.html

After suffering defeat at the hands of Asian 5 Nations perennial champions Japan, the Philippine National Rugby Team have vowed to use the experience to their advantage in their match against Hong Kong on May 4 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

The 121-0 trouncing was only the second loss for the Volcanoes since the Philippines joined the competition in 2008. Japan on the other hand, has never lost a match at the A5N.

It was a highly anticipated match between Asia’s Rugby superpower and the newcomers, but while the Volcanoes were praised for their skill and spirited play throughout the game, Japan’s superiority was simply too much.

“We worked very hard for the first 30 minutes,” said Philippine coach, Jarred Hodges. “But we missed a couple of kicks that could have made it 10-6. Japan played to their strengths. They were a class above.”

The Volcanoes have a week off to re-group before facing Hong Kong. After which they meet South Korea on May 11 in Ansan, South Korea. The final game of the competition, which is widely predicted to be a battle for relegation between fourth seeded UAE and fifth seeded Philippines, will be played on May 18 at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

“I can't fault the team’s effort,” said Volcanoes captain Michael Letts. “We will learn from this and I can tell you now we will be a completely different side for our next three games.”

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.

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

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.

The Philippine National Rugby Team is in the thick of preparations for their debut in the Elite Division of the HSBC Asian 5 Nations Rugby competition. The Volcanoes will face their biggest challenge to date, meeting number one-ranked Japan in the A5N opener to be held in Fukuoka on Saturday, April 20.

Zooming from the fourth to the top division in just five seasons, the Volcanoes have been hailed as the team to watch in Asian Rugby, having lost only once since joining the competition in 2008. Japan, who have been in the Elite Division since the A5N was founded, is the only team with a better win record than the Volcanoes, having never lost a match since the tournament’s inception.

The HSBC Asian 5 Nations is a grueling 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.

After Japan, the Volcanoes hope to gain home advantage when they face Hong Kong at Rizal Memorial Stadium on May 4, after which they meet South Korea on May 11 in South Korea. The Volcanoes end with a home match versus UAE on May 18, again at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

“We need to win at least one match during the A5N series to remain in the Elite Division for 2014,” explains team captain Michael Letts. “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” he adds.

The Volcanoes squad of 30, composed mainly of Filipino heritage players based in Australia, New Zealand, United States and United Kingdom, has been training under National Men’s 15s coach, Jarred Hodges, and will be trimmed down to 22 members that will travel to Japan on Thursday, April 18. 

Philippine Volcanoes Asian 5 Nations squad:

Watch the HSBC Asian 5 Nations 2013 Live: Japan vs. Philippines on STAR Sports S.E.A. 12:55PM-3PM on Saturday, 20 April.

The Philippine Rugby Football Union is proud to announce the Men's 15s squad for the upcoming Asian 5 Nations Premier Division Tournament.

Jarred Hodges (Head Coach)
Jarred has been coaching the Philippine Volcanoes for the last three years and has been instrumental in getting us to the Premier Division.

Phil Gittus (Team Manager)
Phil has been involved with rugby since 1976, initially in the UK and since 1999 in the Philippines. Phil’s passion and years of experience in the sport in both countries have been pivotal in the team’s progress since inception.
 
Matt Cullen (Tournament Manager)
Matt Cullen is our tournament manager for the A5N. Matt brings with him years of experience in the sport, and has been the driving force in promoting and developing rugby union in the Philippines.
 
Stuart Woodhouse (Assistant backs coach)
More fondly called, “Stu”, Stu was a former Australian schoolboy &Waratahsrugby player who eventually became coach in 2005. In his 7 years of coaching, Stu handled winning premiership clubs in Queensland &New South Wales (NSW). Stu was also the backs coach of Eastwood—during the said period, he was able to elevate the team to minor premiers in 2011 &Shute Shield winners in 2012.
 
Damian Raper (Team Physiotherapist)
Damo has been the team’s physiotherapist since 2009. He is a Post Graduate Scholar for Physical Therapies at the Australian Institute of Sport. Prior to his role with the Volcanoes, Damian was team physiotherapist to some of Australia’s best rugby squads such as the NSW Schoolboys.
 
Joe Matthews (Strength & Conditioning Coach)
“Joey” has been a 7’s & 15’s player for many years.  Since 2005, Joey has been lecturing at the Australian Institute of Fitness and is currently the principal of “ACT Barbell”, an organization specializing in strength and conditioning for high performance athletes in Australia.

The Asian 5 Nations Tournament

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.

The Volcanoes will play two away games and two home games at Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.

The Asian 5 Nations represents the highest tier of international rugby in Asia and in 2014, is Asia's qualifying tournament for the Rugby World Cup 2015.

This year, we welcome the opportunity for the Philippine Rugby Football Union to leap to new heights in the country's Rugby history. We enter 2013 with two milestones for the team in the first 6 months of the year. 

• This April/May our Men's 15s team will be competing against Asia's best in the Premier Division of the Asian 5 Nations tournament
• This June, our Men's 7s team will be competing in Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow, Russia

To fully prepare the team for this remarkable journey, we are pleased to announce that for the A5N, we have appointed Jarred Hodges as Head Coach. Jarred has been coaching the Philippine Volcanoes for the last three years and has been instrumental in getting us into the Premier Division. Moreover, we have appointed Phil Gittus as our A5N Team Manager. Phil's passion for the sport and years of Rugby experience in both the UK and the Philippines has been pivotal in the team's progress since its inception.

Alongside these two men, the Board is pleased to announce the full A5N Organizing Committee and Philippine National Team Committee for 2013. 

Secondly, the Board is pleased to announce the selection of Al Caravelli as the Head Coach for the Rugby World Cup Sevens. Further details on the Team Manager, Organizing Committee and NTC are to follow.

Please join me in congratulating the aforementioned managers, coaches and committee members. We look forward to working with you.

All the best,


RICK SANTOS
President
PHILIPPINE RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION