In the Open division,  the teams who reached the semis were Eagles RFC (Eagles), SKF Makati Mavericks (Mavericks), Manila Nomads (Nomads), and Clark Jets (Jets). The Eagles defeated the Mavericks in extra time - golden point of 17 - 12 to secure the first finals slot. The 2nd semis match, which was between the Nomads and the Jets, ended at 5 - 17 in favor of the Jets – to set up an exciting finals match with the Eagles. Winning the championship with 4 tries and 3 conversions are the Eagles RFC, with Timothy Bweheni named as the MVP of the Open division. 

In the Women’s division, the first semis match was between sister teams SKF Makati Mavericks Ricky (Ricky) and SKF Makati Mavericks Franky (Franky), which ended with a 22 - 0 score in favor of Ricky. The second semis match up was between Clark Jets (Jets) and Eagles RFC (Eagles), with the Eagles securing a finals slot after beating the Jets with 39 - 0. An intense finals match between two of the most experienced teams in Philippine Rugby ended with a single try and conversion deficit for Ricky at 17 - 10 against the Eagles. Eagles RFC’s centre, Dixie Star Yu, was named the MVP of the Women’s division.

Looking forward to the next legs, Women’s division MVP Dixie Yu shares that she “feels great to witness the rugby community alive again [because] it’s honestly very encouraging to see young blood and new faces in the field.” When asked what this championship meant, Yu shared that “winning the first leg of the 2022 Globe 7s Series competition is the cherry on top” for their team. As both divisions were dominated by the Eagles RFC, Yu stated that her main motivation to play  was her love for rugby, and of course, the opportunity of playing for a club with very passionate members.

Tetsuro Nokuo, a member of the Manila Hapons (Hapons), a team that took a very long break from the competition scene also shared their team’s excitement to participate in a high-level competition again. Although limited due to work commitments, the Hapons are looking forward to performing better in the second leg of the Globe 7s Series. When asked what made them return to the playing field, Tetsuro expressed that the opportunity to play is what got them to sign up for the tournament, despite the lack of player availability. 

Final rankings after Open and Women’s division Leg 1:​

This Sunday a contingent of Philippine heritage players will compete in Harpenden Rugby’s 2022 National Pub and Hen 7s festival. The sevens team is built on the backbone of a United Kingdom Philippine Rugby select program largely thanks to Philippine Volcano Vincent Amar Young with the help of the unions national management program.

“It’s great to see Filipinos get together outside the Philippines to represent the Union as we continue to grow our program both domestically and internationally. Last weekend we held our first 7s rugby festival at Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub, this weekend our domestic based players will be playing at Ayala Country Club while at the same time we will have some players competing in the United Kingdom” shared Jake Letts of Philippine Rugby.
The select team will feature a number of capped experienced national players, including Vincent Amar Young, Steve Pagtalunan Howorth, Jobel De Castro and Raphael Concepcion Barberis. The rest of the side will be boosted by a number of newly recruited players to the program, as well as others having represented the Philippine Maharlikans or have represented the Philippine National Youth Programs in the past.
“It’s going to be an exciting group to play with, some new faces mixed with some experience. We have a well balanced squad with size, skill and speed” Young shares.
Twenty five teams across the United Kingdom have entered the competition. The competition will also serve as a selection stage for the upcoming annual Asia Sevens Series in October and November.

“The competition will be a great platform for these players to aid in their selection for national team honours later in the year, we will be competing in international events in Thailand, Korea and hopefully the UAE” Letts added

Philippine Rugby continues to navigate forward in a post pandemic era, with rugby restarting and being played across Asia and the world once again.
“After a challenging few years, it’s great to see Rugby back playing again in the Philippines as well was abroad. Programs locally and such as the one in the UK is evident the passion for Philippine Rugby is strong and hopefully success on the field follows alongside” Letts adds.
For more information on the competition and rugby development, follow Philippine Rugby on Facebook and Instagram

2022 Harpenden Rugby National Pub & Hen 7s Team:

1. Steve Pagtalunan Howorth
2. Christian Cawagas Gapuz
3. Michael Urbano Greenhalgh
4. Vince Amar Young
5. Finn Dela Cruz Mulholland
6. Justine Palacio Catubig
7. William Obienta Anderson
8. Robert Gabona Orr
9. Jobel De Castro
10. Raphael Concepcion Barberis
11. Rafael Julian Philipps
12. Charles Vicente
13. Judd Urbano Greenhalgh

Coach: Travis McIntyre
Manager: Matthew Orag Bellenie

​Philippines – A number of the top club teams in the country will see action this weekend in the Open & Women’s divisions of the 2022 Globe 7s Series in the islands of Luzon and Visayas. These festivals will be held simultaneously on August 27, 2022 at the Alabang Country Club (Luzon) and Carcar City Sports Complex (Visayas). The matches will kick off at 9 am for both festivals.

In the Luzon festival, both the Open and Women’s divisions have 7 team entries divided into two pools. The Open division will see 2019 defending champions, the Eagles RFC, led by Playing Coach and PH Volcano, Joe Dawson. The Clark Jets, the 2019 runners up, will aim to challenge the title, with centre Tui Sauni Taniel on its lineup. Coming from their team’s championship during the first leg of the National Development Division (NDD) on August 13, the SKF Makati Mavericks look forward to bagging the trophy again for their club, with 2 team entries for the Open division. The Ramirez brothers, who were also part of the NDD champion team, are lined up for their men’s team. Manila Nomads, headed by former Queensland Maroons youth player Adam Baxter, will see action too with a squad composed of veteran and new players. In addition, Eagles RFC’s development team, the Ibons, will compete for the top spot. We also welcome the return of the Manila Hapons, captained by Shunsuke Koumura, in the domestic competitions after years of layoff.

The Women’s division will also see action from the 2019 defending champions, the SKF Mavericks Ricky, led by Playing Coach and PH Volcano, Rara Sales. Challenging for the title are the 2022 Luzon Rugby Cup Premiership winners, Eagles RFC, and its development team, the Ibons. Mary Rose Obra, a former National Athlete for football, will lead the Ibons. The vastly improving Clark Jets will be led by PH Volcano, Jocefine Lareda. On the other hand, Nomads Rogues will be led by veteran player, Rona Molines. We also welcome the newest women’s rugby team in the country – La Liga, in its first 7s competition. The La Liga will be led by veteran touch rugby player, Angelika Ami.

In the Visayas festival, two teams will be competing for the trophy for both the Open and Women’s divisions. The Visayas festival will also see action from 2 teams for the Colts division. In addition to the contact rugby games, there are also age group Touch Rugby games. Five U15 boys teams, five U19 boys teams, and six Ladies teams have registered to play. Participating in the U15 division are Talamban SOS, Mango, Alaska, Pasil, and Naga. Some of these teams have also signed up for the U19 boys division (Talamban SOS, Alaska Mambaling, and Naga City - Cebu) and they will go against Mandaue and Guadalupe. For the Ladies division, there are six teams participating – Talamban SOS A, Talamban SOS B, Mandaue Labogon, Mandaue, Naga, and Negros Island Rugby. Negros Island Rugby Club will travel to Carcar City in Cebu for their first outside competition since 2018.

All games for Touch Rugby are scheduled from 09:00 until 13:20. Games for the 7s Rugby festival for the Open, Women’s, and Colts between Cebu North and Cebu South will follow after all Touch Rugby games are concluded.

It will be a jam packed Saturday for Philippine Rugby. The Luzon matches will be streamed live on PRFU Facebook page and Upstream Sports TV Facebook page. Only Covid-19 fully vaccinated individuals and those who have completed their Health Declaration forms will be allowed to enter the venue. Gates will open at 8:00 am for all local rugby supporters to join. Entrance is free.  Families, friends, and supporters are invited to come for a fun-filled #SaturdayIsRugbyDay!

Cavite, Philippines - The top homegrown and Philippine-heritage players from Luzon will be back in action this weekend at the 2022 Globe 7s Series National Development Division (NDD) - 1st Leg. The series will kick off on Saturday - 9 am in Philippine Rugby's new official home turf, the Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub.

A total of 6 teams  will see action on this weekend's festival. The NDD will bring in the best talents across Luzon, led by the 2019 defending champions for 7s, the Clark Jets from Pampanga. 
 
Fresh from their Championship Division win in the recent Luzon Rugby Cup, the La Liga will again enter 2 teams for this season. The SKF Makati Mavericks will be raring to challenge for the top spot, with the Ramirez brothers leading from the front. The vastly improving Nomads Kalabaws will be aiming to make an impact in the 7s season and the Albay Bulkans will be coming off from a successful tournament in their home turf last weekend.