The Philippine Rugby Football Union are proud to announce the players who have been selected to be part of the Philippine Volcanoes team that will compete in the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013.

1. Wolff, Andrew Penaflorida
2. Clarke, Ryan Briones
3. Saunders, Oliver Abalos
4. Holgate, Gareth dela Rosa
5. Letts, Jake Robrigado
6. Matthews, Joseph Bembo
7. Coveney, Justin Villazor
8. Stern, Kenneth Capinpin
9. Saunders, Matthew Abalos (C)
10. Letts, Michael Robrigado (C)
11. Lynch, Sean Celada
12. Olivier, Patrice Ortiz

Head coach: Albert Caravelli
Team manager: Matthew Cullen
Physiotherapist: Christopher Bailey

The Rugby World Cup Sevens will be held from June 28-30 in Moscow, Russia. It is the world's premier international rugby sevens competition organised by the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board (IRB), and is contested by the world's top 24 men's national sevens teams every four years.

Rugby Sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of Rugby Union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is now recognized as an Olympic sport and will make its debut in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Rugby World Cup Sevens official site: http://www.rwcsevens.com 

The Philippine Volcanoes, National Men’s Rugby Sevens team, are in the thick of preparations for the country’s debut in the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Russia later this month.

The Volcanoes’ have spent most of the past month sequestered at their camp in Laguna under former USA Rugby coach, Al Caravelli. Their grueling regimen is said to include three training sessions per day, strict dietary requirements, classroom and video sessions.

Composed of veterans and a few new faces, the original squad of 23 has been cut down to 14, with the final team of 12 players is scheduled to be selected on June 19. The Volcanoes will travel to Moscow, Russia on June 23 in time for the tournament which runs from June 28 to 30.

“The players are growing individually & as a team by leaps & bounds.” says Caravelli. “While we are still very new to international Rugby we are learning every day & continuously improving.”

The Rugby World Cup Sevens is the premier Rugby Sevens tournament featuring the top 24 teams in the world. The Philippines, along with Japan and Hong Kong are the only three Asian countries in the competition. The Volcanoes, who clinched a spot in the RWC7s by defeating South Korea at the qualifying tournament held in November 2012, are in Pool C with Zimbabwe, Kenya and Samoa.

On their goals for the tournament, Caravelli shares, “We want to improve from our last international showing from qualifying in November for the RWC7s & the Hong Kong Sevens in 2012. We have never played Kenya, they are a quality team, very fit & strong & well coached. Samoa finished 4th in the series last year. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe beat us on the last play of the game in Hong Kong. So our eyes wide open, focused on our performance & improving in all aspects of our game. We want the Philippine nation & all Pinoys to be proud of our effort regardless of the final score line.”

Sevens Rugby, which plays seven men per team on the field, is a faster, more exciting version of Rugby Union which plays 15 men per side.  It is also the version of Rugby played in the South East Asian Games and Asian Games. Rugby Sevens will make its debut as an official sport in the 2016 Summer Olympics. 

The PRFU were delighted once again to be invited to this year's Philippine National Games(PNG) by the Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Olympic Committee. The games were held last June 1 at Nomad Sports Club in Merville Subdivision, Parañaque City. 

Twelve men’s teams and four women’s teams registered to compete at the second Philippine National Games.  The Men’s Division had the Alabang Eagles, CBRE Maverick Vipers teams A and B, Nomads-CRC, Cebu Dragons, Globe Blacks, Globe Blues, Globe Classics, University of Makati Herons, Quezon City Polytechnic University Questors teams A and B, and Clark Jets Rugby teams in competition. The Women's Division had Team Athena, Team Xena, University of Makati Lady Herons, and Quezon City Polytechnic University Lady Questors.

Rugby 7s is an exciting sport and promotes action, speed, agility and teamwork. It is a perfect sport for any young Filipino athletes who enjoy the challenge of playing a dynamic contact sport. The PRFU restricted participation to the PNG Rugby 7s tournament to Filipino Heritage players only.  It was exciting to see over 200 Filipino athletes take the field to compete to become the top Rugby 7s teams in the country.

The Men’s competition saw the teams battle in a round robin format in their respective pools and then break into Cup, Plate, and Bowl for the finals. The Alabang Eagles, Cebu Dragons, CBRE Maverick Vipers A, and Nomads-CRC were ranked the number one team in their respective pools after the round games. Thus, these teams entered the Cup Division.

It was the debutante university teams, QCPU team A and UMAK, who surprised everyone and managed to win against more experienced teams in their pools. These universities have only been playing the sport for almost a year now but they proved that rugby 7s is their forte.  They proved that size in Rugby 7s is not everything as they ran around their opponents, displaying deft rugby skills and teamwork. As a result, they came in second in their pools and entered the Plate Division for the finals. They were joined by Globe Blacks and Globe Classics in that division. 

QCPU team B, Globe Blues, CBRE Maverick Vipers team B, and Clark Jets made up the Bowl Division after the pool rounds.

The Women's Division saw the more experienced teams winning over the debutante teams. Team Athena and Team Xena, both led by some Lady Volcanoes players, won over the university teams in their round robin games. QCPU Lady Questors and UMAK Lady Herons gave good fights but it was the experience in playing rugby 7s that spelled the difference for these teams. At the end of the round games, it was Team Xena who ranked first by beating Team Athena 17-0. In a tightly contested match, UMAK beat QCPU 5-0, making them 3rd ranked going into the finals.

In the Bowl finals, CBRE Maverick Vipers team B proved too strong for their younger counterparts and claimed the gold by winning 19 – 0 over QCPU Team B. Clark Jets, who are all former Bahay Bata orphanage players, easily won over Globe Blues 26-0 to claim the bronze medal. These kids, who are mostly 14 to 18 years old, defeated their bigger and older opponents with their superb speed and excellent teamwork. 

Rivals UMAK and QCPU team A faced off in the Plate finals after beating their opponents in contrasting fashion in the semis. UMAK cruised past Globe Classics 27-10, to gain a spot in the finals. QCPU team A had to overcome a tough and physical Globe Blacks team in the semis. QCPU team A was able to prevail over the Blacks 10-5 in another tightly-contested match. Final score for the Plate finals gold medal match was QCPU team A 19 to 5 UMAK Herons.  Globe Blacks won over the Globe Classics 19-7 in the battle for bronze.  

In the Women's finals, Team Athena made their presence felt early as they scored a try of a loose ball 3 minutes into the match. It was more of a defensive battle after as both teams were tackling hard to prevent each other from gaining ground. Just before the half, a gap in the defensive line of Xena opened up and gave another scoring chance for Athena. Half time score was 12-0 in favor of Athena. 

Xena was able to regroup after the break and made use of their forwards to crash through defence and gain ground. Unfortunately, errors in catching the ball stopped Xena's momentum and turned things around. With seconds winding down, an interception off a pass enabled Athena to seal their win 17-0 and gave them the gold in the women's division. On the other hand, UMAK Lady Herons relied on speed and strength to win over their university rival, QCPU Lady Questors, 20-0 and capture the bronze. 

The Cup finals saw last year's winners, Alabang Eagles, battle against the much-improved CBRE Maverick Vipers team A in a classic showdown. Alabang Eagles had to beat PNG debutantes Cebu Dragons 19-0 first to gain a spot in the finals. CBRE Mavericks team A had to overcome the speedsters of Nomads-CRC and beat them 10-0 to be able to face the Eagles in the finals.  

The Eagles proved too strong for the Mavericks as the defending champions scored tries off crisp passing and excellent footwork. Mavericks gave their all, scoring a try from an offload from their speedy backs and another one from excellent passing on their forwards side. Both tries were converted but it wasn't enough to dethrone the defending champions. Once again, the Eagles proved to everyone why they are the best 7s team here in the country. As a result, they won the gold again with a score of 26-14. Hats off to the Mavericks for giving a really good fight.

Cebu Dragons won over the Nomads-CRC 19-7 in the bronze medal match. Not wanting to come home empty-handed, the Dragons showed no mercy and relied on their structure and awesome speed at the wings to outlast their rivals and win the bronze.

The PNG allowed the PRFU to showcase the growing sport of Rugby 7s and the Filipino athletes were extremely proud to compete to win National PSC medals. Rugby 7s is now played at the SEA, Asian and Olympic Games, and the PSC are looking to build further Rugby 7s programs to claim medals at these events.

The PRFU would like to thank the Philippine Sports Commission for inviting Rugby 7s to be a sport once again at the 2013 Philippine National Games and Nomad Sports Club for hosting the tournament.

PSC Commissioner Jose Luis "Jolly" Gomez, PSC Commissioner Salvador "Buddy" Andrada, and some of the Volcanoes Rugby World Cup team attended the PNG awards ceremony and were delighted at the level of skill, participation and sportsmanship displayed by all the Filipino teams that played in the 2013 Rugby 7s Philippine National Games tournament.

Official PNG results that are registered with the Philippine Sports Commission for 2013:


GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

BRONZE MEDAL

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Ladies Division: Ada Milby
Men's Cup Division: Kit Guerra
Men's Plate Division: Carl Urmenita
Men's Bowl Division: Julian Feleo

Photo gallery (All action photos on this page by Mark Cristino. All team photos on this page by Chris Hettel)

The fourth CBRE Juniors Touch Rugby Tournament of the year was held last May 18, 2013, at the historic Rizal Memorial Stadium in Malate, Manila. The tournament featured the participation of 16 teams from various schools, clubs, and foundations. Over 200 players from the PRFU Juniors Development Program came together, vying for the title of best juniors’ team in their age group. This tournament also served as a prelude of the Philippine Volcanoes Asian 5 Nations relegation match against the United Arab Emirates, which was played at 7 pm later that day.

House of Refuge foundation made its debut in the Under 10s and Under 12s divisions. This team has been training for almost two months now but this was their first time to join the tournament. These enthusiastic kids managed to impress everyone with their quick understanding of the game, ball skills, and evasion skills. As a result, they won a game in the Under 10s division and held a draw in the Under 12s division.

The Nomads Cararoo team, another debutant in this month’s tournament, entered a team in every age group division in this tournament. Although training for just over three weeks now, the Cararoo team still was able to put some points on board and held on their defence on their matches. They were able to win a game in the Under 10s and Under 16s division and held a draw in the Under 16s division. Thanks to Nomads Rugby Club for helping out these kids learn and understand the sport of Rugby.

SOS Children’s Village continue to show their potential in the sport. Playing only on their second tournament, they were able to dominate the Under 10s division once again. With three wins and no losses, they topped this age group. On the other hand, veteran team Mavericks Rugby Club leaned on their experience and was able to top the Under 12s division. Three wins and no losses also put them at number one of this age group.

European International School Rugby team, whose players are mostly children of expatriates, won over all their opponents in the Under 14s division. They were able to top this age group by beating the tough Clark Jets Rugby Club in a closely-contested match. Both sides did not give up but in the end, EIS won over CJRS by just one point to nil. In contrast, the Under 16s division showed the dominance of Clark Jets Rugby Club. In the absence of the Tuloy Foundation, CJRS managed to cruise past everyone on all their matches. Led by Junior Volcanoes national team mainstayJonel Madrona, CJRS showed their advanced ball skills and undeniable speed. It was a good tournament by these kids. Some of these kids will represent the Philippines in the Asian Youth Games in August at Nanjing, China.

It was a good day of Rugby, highlighted by the Volcanoes win over the UAE in the evening. All kids enjoyed the tournament they played on in the afternoon and the action-packed rugby match they were able to watch for free in the evening. Hopefully, from this bunch of kids we will find the future Volcanoes and Lady Volcanoes.


The teams who participated were: 

U10s
Nomads Cararoo
House of Refuge
SOS Children’s Village Rugby Team
Mavericks Rugby Club

U12s
Nomads Cararoo
House of Refuge
SOS Children’s Village Rugby Team
Mavericks Rugby Club
Clark Jets Rugby Club

U14s
Nomads Cararoo
European International School
Child Hope
Clark Jets Rugby Club

U16s
Nomads Cararoo
Child Hope
Clark Jets Rugby Club

The Philippine Volcanoes begin their training camp in preparation for the Philippine National Team's debut at the Rugby World Cup Sevens. 

An initial squad of 23 players has gathered at the Acacia Hotel, the team's official residence, under the guidance of National Men's Sevens Coach, Al Caravelli. The team will be trimmed down midway through the camp before they depart for Russia at the end of the month.  

Philippine Volcanoes RWC Sevens Training Squad:

• Alexander Aronson
  
• Tim Bweheni
  
• Mark Chatting
  
• Adam Clarke
• Ryan Clarke
  
• Justin Coveney
  
• Chris Everingham
  
• Chris Hitch
  
• Gareth Holgate
  
• Robert Jones
  
• Jake Letts
  
• Michael Letts
  
• Sean Lynch
  
• Joe Matthews
  
• Luke Matthews
  
• Harry Morris
  
• Patrice Olivier 
  
• James Price
  
• Ben Saunders
  
• Matthew Saunders
  
• Oliver Saunders
  
• Kenneth Stern
• Andrew Wolff
  

Head Coach: Al Caravelli
Team Manager: Matt Cullen
Physiotherapist: Chris Bailey
Asst Physiotherapists: Rico Barin | Antonette Gambito 

The Philippines qualified for the Rugby World Cup Sevens by defeating South Korea in the RWC7s qualifiers in November 2012. Other than the Philippines, Japan and Hong Kong are the only Asian countries participating in the RWC7s.

The Rugby World Cup Sevens will be held from June 28-30 in Moscow, Russia. It is the world's premier international rugby sevens competition organised by the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board (IRB), and is contested by the world's top 24 men's national sevens teams every four years.

Rugby Sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of Rugby Union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is now recognized as an Olympic sport and will make its debut in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Asian5Nations.com: The Philippines maintained their coveted spot in the HSBC Asian 5 Nations (HSBC A5N) Top 5 competition today in Manila after beating the United Arab Emirates in a close-run encounter 24-8.  The Volcanoes outscored the UAE by four tries to one to become one of the few teams to maintain their spot in a higher grade after being promoted as last season’s Division I champions. 

The UAE will be relegated to next year’s Division I competition and be replaced by Sri Lanka, winner of the 2013 Division I tournament.  Next year’s Top 5 will serve as the direct qualifier for Rugby World Cup 2015 with the overall winner advancing to the world championships, while the runners-up will take place in an inter-continental repechage match. 

Playing in front of a record 5,700 people, the highest ever match attendance at a rugby game in the Philippines, the Volcanoes jumped out to a 5-0 lead after flanker Christopher Hitch scored the opening try in the 10th minute crashing over from a scrum at the five-metre line. 

Moments later, winger Gareth Holgate crossed over for the Volcanoes second try of the first half, which was successfully converted by flyhalf Alexander Aronson to bring the scores to 12-0. 

The UAE quickly regained its shape and the momentum subtly shifted to the visitors as they forced the Volcanoes into making mistakes.  The Philippines conceded three penalty chances within three minutes at the mid-way point of the first half, but UAE flyhalf Andrew Russell couldn’t convert on any of the long-range opportunities.

In the 39th minute, UAE captain and openside flanker Renier Els capped off a tireless first half with a well-deserved try to pull UAE back into the fray at 12-5. 

The second half saw UAE continue pressing with positive results as Russell converted a penalty attempt in the41st minute to edge UAE closer at 8-12.  Further opportunity for the visitors was created by a sin-bin to Volcanoes hooker Graeme Hagan but the UAE couldn’t make the man advantage tell.

The game remained tight at 12-8 until the 58th minute when Hagan returned to the field to score a vital try and put the Volcanoes ahead at 19-8 after Aronson’s conversion.

A tense final quarter was disrupted by a temporary power outage in the last five minutes with the game stopped for ten minutes before play could resume. When the match was re-started the Volcanoes closed out the scoring for good with a try in the 79th minute to reserve back Matt Saunders.

UAE coach Duncan Hall commented after the game saying, “We’re disappointed to be relegated for the first time since 2009 but fair play to the Philippines they did well. We suffered in the humid conditions as we are used to a dry heat in Dubai. The ball became hard for us to manage and we turned it over 14 times in the first half through handling errors. We gave them too much possession at the end of the day.
 
“We now need to review where we are at and plan how we return to the Top 5 from Division I next year. But with the average age of our squad at 33 years old, we are still going to face the same challenges we did this year. We will need to identify some new younger players now and work intensively with them over the next 12 months.”

A delighted Volcanoes coach Jarred Hodges credited the crowd for helping to give his team the edge in a tight match, saying: “the atmosphere was electric tonight and that really helped us lift our game. We are thrilled to be staying up in the top flight but most importantly we now know what it takes to compete at this level. We understand that we have a lot to work on in the coming 12 months to see how we can move one win in the campaign to two or three next year.”

Philippines captain and fullback Michael Letts was equally pleased with the result saying, “We did just enough to retain our spot which was the ultimate goal. Now we want to continue to build as a team. With the Volcanoes also taking part in the Rugby World Cup Sevens in June, and being the first Philippines team sport to play in a world championship, the profile and awareness of the game is going to grow from rapidly in the Philippines.”

In today’s other match, South Korea cemented their spot as number two in Asia behind Japan after they stormed to a 43-22 victory over Hong Kong in Ansan on Saturday.  The Philippines will join HSBC A5Nchampions Japan, second placed side South Korea, third seeds Hong Kong and fifth seeds Sri Lanka for the kick-off of the Top 5 next April.

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

As part of the build-up for the past Volcanoes vs Hong Kong game, the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) sent two coaches, Deano Herewini and Ismail Kadir to the Philippines. The two coaches arrived to run an HSBC Asian Grassroots Rugby program as a joint effort by the ARFU and the PRFU.

HSBC Asian Grassroots Tour – Day 1

The program began on a very hot Wednesday morning, May 1st, at the QC Circle. Despite the scorching sun, coaches Deano Herewini and Ismail Kadir tackled training 40 boys and girls from House of Refuge. This orphanage is one of the many orphanages that PRFU supports. Boys and girls ranging from ages four to 16 participated in the program. It was the task of the assisting coaches Acee San Juan, Kaye Llanie Honoras, and Juan Engelbrecht to sort the participants into groups to receive their free T-shirts before training.

Training kicked off with some handling skill drills and progressed with added running lines and rucking techniques. Even though the coaches were faced with a big language barrier, the kids understood the language of rugby and grasped the fine concepts fairly quickly. The kids enjoyed each drill oblivious to the heat of the summer sun. At the end of the day, the coaches completed training with a game of modified touch involving all the participants in an exciting, fun game. Afterwards, everyone finished the day with some merienda and pictures with the coaches, who they so very much appreciated for coaching them.

HSBC Asian Grassroots Tour – Day 2

The following day, the HSBC Asian Grassroots Rugby program kicked off bright and early at the Bulacan Sports Complex. Forty kids from Bulacan Rugby Club, with an age range of five to 18 years old, gathered at the complex, eager to learn new rugby skills under the guidance of coaches Izzy and Deano. The kids were divided into 2 age groups: Under 10s with coach Izzy and those aged 11 and above with Coach Deano. The session began with a warm up game involving quick running, alertness, communication, and training to move as a team.

At training, the younger group was taught ball familiarization, running with the ball, evasion, as well as the basics of catch and pass. Meanwhile, the older children began with basic catch and pass skills, and quickly progressed to more advanced rugby moves like switches, wraps, scrum half passes, and reloads.  The session, which lasted for an hour and a half, ended with a modified rugby game for both groups.  Despite the hot weather condition, all the kids had fun and were eager to learn more of the sport they had just picked up a few months ago.

Later in the day, the Grassroots group travelled up north to head for City of Angeles in Pampanga with Clark Freeport Zone (Clark Jets Rugby Club) as the point of destination. The Clark session was scheduled at 4 pm at the Grand Parade grounds of the Freeport Zone.  As they arrived, a total of 240 enthusiastic kids, with an age range of 4 to 20 years old, were waiting patiently for the coaches. Due to the larger number of participants, the ARFU coaches were assisted by local and regional coaches of PRFU.

Local coaches Juan, Acee, Aye, Lito, and Joemari helped out Izzy and Deano in coaching the different age groups. The kids were divided into 7 groups: girls U10s, girls 11 up, boys 8-10, boys 11-13, boys 14-16, boys 17-18, and boys 19 up. All the participants were taught the basic skills needed in rugby like passing, catching, and running with the ball. At the end of the session, a modified game of rugby was played by all the groups. What made the session even more special was the participation of the kids from a correctional institute based in the province, as well as a large group of Aeta kids who had come to join the session.  The day was a huge success because of the large turnout of participants, as well as the great sessions. It can truly be said that the future of rugby in our country is bright. 

HSBC Asian Grassroots Tour – Day 3

On Friday, May 3, the third leg of the tour took the group to Ayala Alabang Village Cuenca Field, where several Tuloy sa Don Bosco Foundation boys and Eagles Juniors boys were waiting for the coaching team. Everyone was once again ready and excited to start one of coach Deano’s fun coaching sessions when the heavens suddenly decided to open up on and shower the city with wind, rain and lightning. With quick thinking, the session was moved into the roof covered basketball court and the session continued as the elements were drowning everyone’s ears.

Nevertheless, nothing stopped the kids, the PRFU staff, and coach Deano from accomplishing what was nothing less than an inspiring coaching session which everyone enjoyed. Every person was keen to learn from the international coach and easily absorbed the new patterns being taught to them. The boys were very agile and receptive and before we knew it, the session and thunderstorm was over. Everyone had a great time and had huge smiles on their face as they thanked us before leaving the drenched Cuenca field.

HSBC Asian Grassroots Tour – Day 4

Finally on May 4th, the big day, just hours before the main game kick off, HSBC Asian Grassroots Rugby together with the PRFU ran a grassroots rugby clinic at Rizal Memorial Stadium with an attendance of 500 kids from all over the Philippines. Youth from different clubs, schools and children’s homes, all came together for this joyous moment. The HSBC Asian Grassroots Rugby clinic played host to more than 300 orphaned kids from different foundations.

Coach Deano and Ismial from ARFU and 8 more coaches from the PRFU took on this daunting task of coaching 500 kids in one venue. Although one might think this was impossible, the impossible was accomplished. With 10 stations and 50 kids at each station, all the boys and girls took part in a tough coaching session from all the coaches. After the basics of touch skills were practiced well, the teams came together for some touch rugby competition. With the coaches refereeing the games and the kids testing their skills to the limits, both coach and youth alike ended the day exhausted but happy.  After the big session, everyone transferred to the swimming pool for a cool down. The pool session was the icing on the cake and was fully enjoyed by the kids, much to the life guard’s horror. After a great cool down, everybody was greeted with a meal from McDonald's. With tummies full and happy faces, each and every one was ready to hit the stands and cheer on their team, the Volcanoes.

The PRFU would like to thank our sponsors HSBC and Gerry’s Grill for making this event possible. It is thanks to our sponsors that we were able to get 500 kids to Rizal Memorial Stadium and feed them after a tough day at the office. We thank you HSBC and Gerry’s Grill.

All videos courtesy of HSBC Asian Grassroots Rugby

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