The Philippine Volcanoes, backed by MVP Sports Foundation and the Philippine Sports Commission stepped up to the challenge last night as they defeated Sri Lanka, the top ranked team in the Division 1 Asia Rugby Championships in Taipei.
The Volcanoes pounced early in the first half,  after star centre Robert Luceno Fogerty found the try line in the first minute of play. The Tuskers capitalised soon after through a penalty goal to Samuel Mduwantha however Team Captain Danny Bembo Matthews returned fire with a successful penalty conversion of his own making 8 to 3. For the next 25 minutes each nation went toe-to-toe for possession and territory. It wasn’t until the 34th minute where Sri Lanka first took their first lead of the match scoring off a driving maul making it 10 points to 8 with six minutes to play in the first half.

Soon after a dominant run from Edlen Cortez Hernandez broke the Sri Lankan defence with Tim Alonso Berry provided quick skills to score on debut right before the bell to give the Philippines the lead moving into the half time break. Matthews successfully added the two extra points with the Philippines up after 40 minutes of play 15 to 10.

The start of the second half started exactly the same as the first, the Philippines playing positive running rugby with consistent play. Fogerty once again capitalised on quick ball scoring a double making it 20 to 10 two minutes into the second half. From here on in, the Volcanoes never looked like slowing down. Back-to-back points with Ned Plarizan Stephenson and Justin Villazor Coveney both scoring 5 pointers with Matthews adding the extras. Up 36 points to 10 the Volcanoes earned themselves a comfortable scoreline ahead. To their credit, a never give in attitude had the Sri Lankans score two late tries however in between a penalty conversion to Matthews had the score out of reach, making it 39 to 22 after 80 minutes of play.

“Really proud of the team. The forwards especially dug deep and were clinical which allowed the backs to get clean ball and play attacking rugby. It was a real team effort. Credit to Sri Lanka who can score tries from anywhere, we just needed to hold out until the final whistle. The team showed a lot of maturity and composure to finish the game as winners” shared Matthews.

The Volcanoes have set a rematch in the grand final against Singapore, as Singapore defeated host nation Chinese Taipei 18 to 13. The Volcanoes will be looking to defend their title as 2018 champions and look to build on their momentum from last nights victory.

“Singapore have a strong forward pack and can be explosive in the backs but it’s important as a team we focus on ourselves and improvements we can make from Wednesday's game. It's important that we step up from last night’s performance and improve yet again” added the Team Captain.

The grand final will be played on Saturday, June 1 at 7:00pm at Taipei Municipality Stadium.. 

After a 9 day intensive training camp, Head Coach Stu Woodhouse has selected the touring team for the Philippine Volcanoes as they prepare to compete in the 2019 Division 1 Asia Rugby Men’s Championships in Taipei on May 29 and June 1.

The Volcanoes depart Philippine shores today and have been seeded against Sri Lanka in the first of two Semi Finals on Wednesday at the Taipei Muncipal Stadium. The coaching staff have had the tough task of selecting the Top 26 to travel, with a mix of experience, youth and new additions selected to make their debut. A total of 10 players will have the opportunity to wear the national colours for the first time in this program.

“It’s a huge privilege to be selected for the group to go to Taipei and an experience I’m really excited for” shared debutant Tim Alonso Berry. Berry was a key addition to the 7s program and has been an exciting addition to the 15s team.

The Volcanoes will be expecting a physical match up first against an experienced Sri Lankan team. The seedings will be a testament to see how far the Volcanoes can rise in 2019. Sri Lanka are 44 on the World Rankings with the Philippines currently at 53, nine places behind the Tuskers.

“It's been a tough training camp, we have really dug deep and put in the hours on and off the field. It will be a tough game and Sri Lanka are so competitive so we know what we have to do to come away with a good result” shared Team Captain Daniel Bembo Matthews.

Over the past week the Volcanoes have completed their training camp, 30 players have been put through an extensive amount of physical preparation, mental toughness and game plan management. A successful result can be achieved if the Volcanoes can be clinical and accurate in their on field skills and game management.

“The commitment the team, coaches and support staff has shown to one another has made the camp a successful one and our team has been accurate and have trained at a high intensity. We have certainly put ourselves in the best position to take on Sri Lanka on Wednesday” added Matthews

Regardless of the result, the Volcanoes will face a quick turnaround after their match against Sri Lanka, with the winner playing the winner of the second semi final between Chinese Taipei and Singapore to determine the championship team. The losing teams will face off in a 3rd place playoff. The Volcanoes are backed by both MVP Sports Foundation and the Philippine Sports Commission as their headline sponsors.

The selected 26 players to represent the Philippines include:

1. Simon GABION-SHEEHAN
2. Harvey Deposoy MERCADO
3. Eric Cruz ERICKSON
4. James Mactal KROOK
5. Sam Aquino CALLAGHAN
6. Jeromy Zafra CAIRNS
7. Sam Tulipas BENNETTS
8. David FEENEY
9. Ashley Matias HEWARD
10. Christopher Arpon BIRD (VC)
11. Edlen Cortez HERNANDEZ
12. Tom Signe GUNN
13. Kingsley Sarmiento BALLESTEROS
14. Ken Luis MELLORIN
15. Tim Alonso BERRY
16. Jobel Vergara DE CASTRO
17. Daniel Bembo MATTHEWS (C)
18. Kohei Deocareza MITSUHASHI
19. Ellis    Padillo RUDDER
20. Robert Luceno  FOGERTY
21. Justin Villazor    COVENEY
22. Ned    Plarizan STEPHENSON
23. Vincent Amar YOUNG
24. Phillip Sumpio    HINSON
25. Patrice Ortiz OLIVIER
26. Timothy BWEHENI

The Philippine Volcanoes National Men’s 15s Team will face a mammoth task as they prepare to defend their Division 1 Asia Rugby Men’s Championships title next Wednesday in Taipei.

The Volcanoes successfully became Division 1 Champions last year after defeating Singapore 38 to 12 in their final match of the series on home soil. With a promotion relegation system in place, the Volcanoes will go into the competition as Rank 1, however due to Sri Lanka’s non participation in 2018, the Sri Lankan Tuskers will be ranked 4th but will boast the highest World Ranking between the 4 nations.

“Sri Lanka technically are ahead of the Philippines on World Rugby rankings, however hopefully the momentum of this group can continue from 2018. We are ahead of both Singapore and Taipei, so our first match will be very important. The players and coaching staff have laid a strong foundation last year and have been building ever since” shared Jake Letts of Philippine Rugby.

As the Volcanoes face Sri Lanka in their opening semi final match, Singapore and Chinese Taipei play off in the second semi final. The winners of each match will progress to the Division 1 final on Saturday, June 1. The Volcanoes and the Tuskers have met five times since 2012 with Tuskers currently ahead on a 3 to 2 head-to-head record. A statistic the Volcanoes are looking to have evened up.

The Philippines will welcome back experience veterans this year Patrice Ortiz Olivier, Justin Villazor Coveney and Ashley Matias Heward to help boost their chances to defend the title. The national team will also blood potentially up to 9 debutants. A sign the union is heavily recruiting the top Philippine talent around the world.

“With a huge calendar year for the Volcanoes, national team selection is important and recruiting to the top talent will ensure this program continues to compete with the best. The coaching staff led by Stu Woodhouse have worked extremely hard over the last few months to ensure our squad is competitive to be successful” added Letts.

The Philippine Volcanoes National Men’s Team will be backed by First Pacific, MVP Sports Foundation and the Philippine Sports Commission.  The matches will be played at Taipei Municipality Stadium on Wednesday May 29 and Saturday June 1.

All photos by Raymond Braganza and the PRFU 
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