Philippines has been invited (for the first time) to partcipate  in the Singer SriLankan Airlines Rugby 7s. 

This represents the first time a Philippine team will be participating in an International level tournament and marks another significant step in the development of Rugy in the Philippines.

The invitational 7s will see twelve from the region's top 20 teams battle it out for the Singer SriLankan Airlines Rugby 7s Trophy over three days beginning September 15 at the Nittawela Rugby Stadium, Kandy.

Chairman of the Organising Committee Iswan Omar said "Twelve top - notch teams from the IRB/ARFU Rankings - 2005 will compete in the tournament. It will bring to us a series of exciting and enjoyable matches and provide a valuable opportunity for our local players to gain much useful experiance on the field. At the same time, I am sure our rugby fans will be thrilled by the exciting performance of the teams."

Teams returning to the tournament this year are Arabian Gulf, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. They will be joined by teams from the India, Pakistan and the Philippines making up the total contingent.

The eleven overseas teams will fly to Sri Lanka with the courtesy of SriLankan Airlines.  While Connaissance Holdings has organized for all the teams to stay at the Amaya Hills Resort, Kandy.

Philippines ranked 13th International Rugby Board (IRB) - Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) 7s rankings was invited to participate after the 2005 champions Japan declined to attend.

This unprecedented opportunity will allow the Philippines to measure its development against traditional Asian powerhouses and to usher itself onto the world stage.