Sunday saw the Philippine National Rugby Team off to a strong start, in day one of the SEA Games Rugby Sevens competition, despite the Philippine Squad ranking 4th at the end of the days competition.

The “Son’s of Lapu Lapu” finished with one win and two losses from the days matches, however both games that were lost were very tightly contested, with only one try separating the Philippines from victory. An excellent performance considering this was the first time the squad had ever played together in competition and had only had limited training together as a team prior to the tournament. So continued improvement and stronger performances are anticipated with each game the team plays together. The strong performance and close resultswere unexpected by most in the crowd and created a considerable discussion around the ground, as teams and their officials realized that there was another "medal contender" on the scene.

 Press Release - Philippine Rugby Team creates a buzz with strong SEAG start (574.24 kB) 

Game 1 – vs Singapore
Game 1 against the strongly favored and experienced Singapore side saw the scores locked 17 all on the final siren, after a very close and physical encounter. An attempt to clear the ball into touch by the Philippines side, which bounced the wrong way, resulted in a try to Singapore after the final hooter, an unlucky and costly mistake. The Final score was Singapore 22 - Philippines 17, a real nail biter which could have gone either way.

Game 2 – vs Laos
Game two saw the Philippine side score a comfortable 40 - 0 win over the Laos Team. This game was watched by senior Philippine Olympic Committee members and Philippine Sports Commission officials (including Chef De Mission for SEAG Rep. Monico Puentevella & Philippine Sports Commission Commissioner Ricardo Garcia), who excited with the team's performance and the game of Rugby, congratulated the team on the field, immediately following the game.

Game 3 – vs Malaysia
Game three against medal favorite Malaysia, saw the boys again take the game to the opposition with heavy hits from the starting whistle. The final score 17-12 to Malaysia (a one try advantage score line) did not reflect the evenness of competition, and was more a reflection of the amount of ball in hand the Malaysian team was able to retain. A difficult pass put down after a strong fast break by the Philippines with the try line open in the second half would have turned the match in the Philippines favor.

Much can be said about the team work and the individual performances of all team members on day one, however in particular the three Saunders brothers had a strong day, with youngest Ben demonstrating his skills time and time again by putting his body on the line. On one occasion the young Saunders ran 40 meter and stopped a certain try. The Saunders brother’s combination was noted by International Rugby Board officials present, and is to be featured on the IRB website, as it is believed to be the first time that three brothers have played together for a National Team in International Seven's rugby. Jasper Ching, pulled down a meter from the line after a strong run just missed scoring his first SEA Games try in what would have been a match winner. Austin Dacanay’s fierce hits time and time again caused groans from the crowd, and Captain Mike Letts' leadership was immediately and continually obvious. In summary, the “Son’s of Lapu Lapu” were a very physical side which attracted the attention of all, on their first days outing together.

Day 2 – Monday, sees the Philippine side up against a strong Thailand national side (also a strong medal favorite) and
the wildcard Cambodia.