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

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.

Head coach: Stuart Woodhouse
Asst coach: Phil Gittus
Physiotherapist: Luke Heath

The match will be be played on Saturday, 11 May at the Ansan Wa Stadium, Ansan, South Korea. 

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

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

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.

Saturday, February 23

In atrocious conditions, the team assembled bright and early. Our first game was at 8:40 and despite a rushed warm-up the boys got the job done. While at times it wasn't pretty, the boys worked hard coming from behind and beat the Newcastle All Blacks 17-5. A good start considering we just came together that morning. Luke Matthews, Ben Saunders, and Richard Goodwin were the standout players in game one.

Game 2 saw us play Easts Rugby from Canberra. Having a game under our belts and a full warm-up, we went into this game with confidence. The boys started well and the game was over at half time as we led 17 – nil. In the second half, we made some poor decisions and mistakes crept in. However, we had done enough to run out winners 17-7. This result meant we won our group and moved in to the Cup finals – the knockout stage. Luke Matthews, Chris Hitch, Darren Seeto, and Ben Matthews were the standout players.

Game 3 was a major step up as we played the eventual winners of the tournament in QLD Fiji. This team was made up of six players from the Fiji National team and in their earlier games, had won in comfortable fashion. The game started poorly for us as they kicked off, used their height advantage to re-gather, and score. Down 7-nil inside 20 seconds, this put us on the back foot and had us playing catch up from the get go. Some basic mistakes, inexperience and one-on-one missed tackles saw them dominate the first half and go to the break leading 17-nil. The second half saw us control the ball for longer periods, as well as putting some pressure on them in defence. This pressure resulted in forcing a mistake and leading to our first try. They scored again late in the half making the final score 22-7.

The U14/16 Junior Volcanoes have completed their second tour of Hong Kong, with both sides playing two matches. The combined scores across both age groups was 100 points For and 100 points Against! Only an accountant would notice that. But they were two very different days.

The detailed game reports are outlined further below, but for about half of the boys this was their first rugby tour and the bonds that have been formed will last forever. A combination of players from the Clark Rugby Club, International School Manila, British School Manila, EIS and Brent International School formed the core of the touring party.

Delayed for an hour by Cebu Pacific on the Friday evening, the touring party had dinner at the HK Airport and then enjoyed the hour long trip to the YMCA at Ma On Shan in the New Territories. Six to a room the boys were up early to a “not so sumptuous” Hong Kong breakfast.

With little time to consider the opulence of their surroundings the boys were soon on the bus again and off to Kings Park to confront the Hong Kong National Select Teams.

Game 1 – Philippine Under 14s National Team vs Hong Kong National Team Select Under 14s

The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) were aware that the junior Volcanoes had enjoyed a couple of cakewalks last year, and accordingly they had selected the best of their juniors and even in the warm-ups it was obvious that we were going to be in for a very physical tussle.

The score was 31-7 to the Hong Kong boys with AJ Brown touching down for us and Kai Stroem converted the try. The U14s were generally very competitive for long periods in the match and played the game right out. The team made a good comeback in the 2nd half to score a try and at 3 tries to 1 we were again challenging the opposition line when they broke away for their fourth and decisive score.

AJ Brown was voted our best player by the opposition coaches.

Game 2: Philippine Under 16s National Team vs Hong Kong National Team Select Under 16s

As with the U14s the Hong Kong team was clearly a select bunch of the cream of Hong Kong rugby at this age level. Hong Kong were physically much stronger in most positions, and dominated the game. They scored early through a simple move through the backs, and the Phlippine boys knew they were in for a long afternoon. This was exacerbated when, at the same time during the first half, we lost our vigorous prop, Sabino Padilla, to what was later diagnosed as a broken arm. And Kaelum Madera took a knock to the head whilst making a brave mid-field tackle and could take no further part in the match. The final score was 62 – 0.

The boys never took a backward step and captain Tim Churchill was named our best player by the opposition coaches.

After getting confirmation that Kaelum was OK and that Sabino would need to return to Manila with his parents on the Saturday evening, the touring group travelled to our accommodation near Sai Kung, and enjoyed a well-deserved pool session, followed by dinner in the local Sai Kung village. The boys had some free time to roam around this charming coastal fishing village, but were home in bed before 10 pm, bruised but optimistic that fortunes would be more favourable the next day. And they were.

Game 3: Philippine Under 14 National Team vs Police Breakthrough/Kowloon Lions

 The U14s were allowed to exhibit all their skills and put into place the plans that had been drilled into them by Coaches Melrose and Brown over the last several weeks, with the assistance of forwards coach Fergus Mitra.

Stamping his authority on the match Kai Stroem scored within the first two minutes and then the backs got to work with  a try to AJ before Tito Hodgens also barreled over near the posts. Shams Shamsuddin scored an excellent individual try and at half-time the Volcanoes had taken a commanding 26 – 0 lead.

In the second half Josh Whyte was flinging the ball wide to the backs and it paid off handsomely with Pierre Delaport scoring, followed by Shams again and Mu Brown. Then came perhaps the highlight of the match when Jake Wahl discovered that running straight and hard is the forte of any second-rower and he scored two scintillating tries to put the icing on the cake.

The final score was 57 – 0.

Details of scores:

Tries: Shams (2), Jake Wahl (2) AJ O’Regan-Brown, Tito Hodgens, Pierre Delaporte, Mu Brown, Kai Stroem.

Conversions: Kai Stroem (6)

Coaches Award for the Tour: Andrew Melrose 

Game 4 : Philippine U16 National Team v Police Breakthrough/Kowloon Lions

The opposition U16s were quite sizeable but did not match the skill of the Volcanoes, and although it took some time to break them down, Tim Churchill led from the front with the first of his two tries for the match. Kai Bechtel was then on the end of a slick backs’ move and then Dan Conboy sprinted through a maze of defenders for a scintillating score. At half-time the boys were comfortable 19 – 0 leaders. After another try to Dan Conboy, the second half moved into a more dour rhythm until Calvin Enderleich pounced upon a loose ball on his wing, sprinted to the line, took his time to decide he was indeed in the in-goal area, and touched down.

The Hong Kong Police boys scored a consolation try towards the end before Tim Churchill finished matters off. Final score was 36 – 7

Details of Scores


Tries: Tim Churchill (2), Dan Conboy (2), Kai Bechtel, Calvin Enderleich.
Conversions: Tim Churchill (2), Dan Conboy (1).

Coaches Awrad for the Tour: Armand Kaufmann

On the administration side, Junnel Palomata, organizing her second tour,  was brilliant with her organization, liaison with the Consulate and her obvious caring attitude towards the boys. Thanks also to Rico Barin for supervising the physio side of things (much in action on the Saturday). James Gundry of Quest Philippines deserves appreciation for his generous tour sponsorship and cheers to Rick Santos, who stepped up early on with the juniors for PRFU via the CBRE sponsorship.

But finally, of course, well done to the boys. On the field – a very tough day on the Saturday followed by signs of immense character to bounce back with two solid wins on the Sunday, which made the trip back home more pleasurable.

Also a big thank you to the Pot Bellied Pigs who delivered four large boxes of new rugby boots for distribution to the PRFU Foundation clubs. Thanks also to the HKRFU for arranging the accommodation, grounds, buses and match officials and to the Police Breakthrough team, Robbie Mc Robbie and Steve Tarrant in particular for their hospitality on the Sunday.

The junior Philippine Volcanoes have again done the country proud.

Report by Peter Lawrence

More photos here: https://www.facebook.com/JuniorsHKTour2012

The Philippine Volcanoes Men’s Rugby team defeated South Korea in the battle for third place of the Singapore leg of the HSBC Asian Sevens Series on November 3 at the Singapore Padang. The win clinched for the Philippines the third and last Asian team slot for the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow.

The Philippines started the competition ranked 6th in Pool A with Hong Kong (ranked 1) and Guam (11). After thrashing Guam with a 33-0 victory, the Volcanoes bowed to Hong Kong 29 – 12 to set up a Quarter Final battle against China. A nail-biting 14-7 win over China placed the Philippines in the Semi-Final versus Asian Rugby powerhouse, Japan. 

The 7-17 defeat to Japan meant the Volcanoes needed to beat 4th ranked South Korea in order to finish third in the tournament and book their place in the Rugby Sevens World Cup to which Japan and Hong Kong had earlier qualified. The Philippines went into half-time with a 17-7 lead but South Korea battled back in the second half. The Volcanoes held strong and the match ended with a final score of 22-19.

“It is just fantastic that we are going to the World Cup. This is the first time that the Philippines will be playing in a World Cup and it is huge feat for us,” said team captain Harry Morris.
 
“The third/fourth match was definitely closer than I wanted it to be. I give credit to the players for doing this for the nation,” said Coach Al Caravelli. The American coach was the former coach of the US National Sevens Rugby Team before being tapped to head the Volcanoes in August.

This latest milestone is the 3rd in what has been the Volcanoes most successful year in its existence. Starting 2012 with a debut in the prestigious Hong Kong 7s International Tournament in March, they then went on to win Division 1 of the Asian 5 Nations tournament in April placing themselves among the top 5 elite teams in Asia.

The Rugby World Cup Sevens will be held in Moscow, Russia in June 2013. It will be the sixth edition of the tournament and most probably its last as Rugby Sevens will now be an official sport in the 2016 Summer Olympics. 

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For a details on each of the Philippines' matches, photos and videos, please click here.