The Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) has released the list of players selected to take part in the training camp for the Asian 5 Nations 2014 tournament.

National coaches Jarred Hodges and Stuart Woodhouse will trim the squad down at the end of the training camp, with the final team announced before each match. 

The Asian 5 Nations is the region's premier Rugby Union competition among the top five national rugby teams in Asia. On its first year in the top 5 in 2013, the Philippines defeated the United Arab Emirates at the Rizal Memorial Stadium to remain in the Premier Division for 2014.   

The Philippine Volcanoes will face Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Sri Lanka in a round-robin competition over five consecutive weekends throughout April and May 2014.

Asian 5 Nations Premier Division Schedule

The Asian 5 Nations represents the highest tier of international Rugby in Asia and in 2014, is Asia's qualifying tournament for the Rugby World Cup 2015.

The national squad is made up of Filipino heritage players (who were either born in the Philippines, or have at least one parent or grand parent that was born in the Philippines) and a few foreign-blooded players who have been based in the Philippines for at least three consecutive years, as allowed by International Rugby Board (IRB) regulations.

The Philippine Volcanoes national Rugby team prepare for their first-ever home match as contenders in the Asian 5 Nations Top 5 Division as they host Hong Kong this Saturday, May 4 at Rizal Memorial Stadium. 

The Volcanoes enter the match as significant underdogs in their debut season in the Elite Division of Asian Rugby against a veteran Hong Kong team that has never finished lower than third in the competition, and regularly comes in second-place to perennial league leaders, Japan.  The team is looking for an improved result after a very difficult opening loss away against Japan.  The season-opener served as a baptism of fire after the team mostly sailed through its divisional promotional campaign with barely a bump, suffering only one loss in the previous five years.

The Volcanoes’ task will be made even harder as starting 8-man/flanker Jake Pingal Ward is likely out for the rest of the tournament with broken ribs suffered in the match against Japan, and Head Coach Jarred Hodges forced to leave Thursday night due to a critical family emergency.  The Volcanoes enter the match with assistant coach Stu Woodhouse taking over the head coaching duties and team manager Phil Gittus assisting with the forwards.  Reached for comment prior to the match, Gittus noted the team “has a very realistic, but very positive attitude going into Saturday’s match. [The team] has had three weeks together now and look forward to showcasing some of [their] attacking prowess as well as defensive resolve.”   

The team can look to some encouraging signs before the first match.  Before facing defending champions Japan, the Volcanoes had only one week to prepare due to majority of the players being based in Australia, Japan, Europe, and the United States.  The extra time together in practice will benefit the team immensely in terms of structure, organization, and chemistry.  

They should also be encouraged by the play of starting scrum-half James Carandang Price who excelled in every facet of the game against Japan, despite an overwhelming advantage in quality by the fully-professional Japanese side.   Facing a Japanese forward pack with a massive size advantage, the high-flying Volcanoes backs, long considered the team’s most dangerous attacking weapon, were starved of ball possession in their opening match and will look to string together more possession and phases of play against a Hong Kong side that also lost heavily to Japan at home last week, while the forwards should be able to showcase a more structured and organized defensive effort.

While an upset win against Hong Kong this weekend would be a pleasant shock, the team will be looking more for further experience in top-division Asian Rugby and signs of progress before entering the critical matches against South Korea on May 11 and UAE on May 18 as they search for the all-important win to avoid relegation and ensure survival in the top division.


About the HSBC Asian 5 Nations

The HSBC Asian 5 Nations is a six-week long competition among the top 5 teams in Asia and is the qualifying competition for the Rugby World Cup 2015. Having been promoted from Division 1 in 2012, the Philippines are ranked fifth while Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates ranked first, second, third & fourth, respectively.

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.

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  


Where to watch

Tickets to the Philippine games on May 4 & 18 are available at: http://www.ticketworld.com.ph

The Philippine games on May 4 & 18 will be telecast live on Solar Sports and FOX Sports channels.

Games are also available to view online:
http://www.ustream.tv/A5NRugby

View complete telecast schedule: 
http://www.asian5nations.com/node/305

After suffering defeat at the hands of Asian 5 Nations perennial champions Japan, the Philippine National Rugby Team have vowed to use the experience to their advantage in their match against Hong Kong on May 4 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

The 121-0 trouncing was only the second loss for the Volcanoes since the Philippines joined the competition in 2008. Japan on the other hand, has never lost a match at the A5N.

It was a highly anticipated match between Asia’s Rugby superpower and the newcomers, but while the Volcanoes were praised for their skill and spirited play throughout the game, Japan’s superiority was simply too much.

“We worked very hard for the first 30 minutes,” said Philippine coach, Jarred Hodges. “But we missed a couple of kicks that could have made it 10-6. Japan played to their strengths. They were a class above.”

The Volcanoes have a week off to re-group before facing Hong Kong. After which they meet South Korea on May 11 in Ansan, South Korea. The final game of the competition, which is widely predicted to be a battle for relegation between fourth seeded UAE and fifth seeded Philippines, will be played on May 18 at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

“I can't fault the team’s effort,” said Volcanoes captain Michael Letts. “We will learn from this and I can tell you now we will be a completely different side for our next three games.”

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.

The Philippine National Rugby Team is in the thick of preparations for their debut in the Elite Division of the HSBC Asian 5 Nations Rugby competition. The Volcanoes will face their biggest challenge to date, meeting number one-ranked Japan in the A5N opener to be held in Fukuoka on Saturday, April 20.

Zooming from the fourth to the top division in just five seasons, the Volcanoes have been hailed as the team to watch in Asian Rugby, having lost only once since joining the competition in 2008. Japan, who have been in the Elite Division since the A5N was founded, is the only team with a better win record than the Volcanoes, having never lost a match since the tournament’s inception.

The HSBC Asian 5 Nations is a grueling six-week long competition among the top 5 teams in Asia and is the qualifying competition for the Rugby World Cup 2015. Having been promoted from Division 1 in 2012, the Philippines are ranked fifth while Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates ranked first, second, third & fourth, respectively.

After Japan, the Volcanoes hope to gain home advantage when they face Hong Kong at Rizal Memorial Stadium on May 4, after which they meet South Korea on May 11 in South Korea. The Volcanoes end with a home match versus UAE on May 18, again at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

“We need to win at least one match during the A5N series to remain in the Elite Division for 2014,” explains team captain Michael Letts. “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” he adds.

The Volcanoes squad of 30, composed mainly of Filipino heritage players based in Australia, New Zealand, United States and United Kingdom, has been training under National Men’s 15s coach, Jarred Hodges, and will be trimmed down to 22 members that will travel to Japan on Thursday, April 18. 

Philippine Volcanoes Asian 5 Nations squad:

Watch the HSBC Asian 5 Nations 2013 Live: Japan vs. Philippines on STAR Sports S.E.A. 12:55PM-3PM on Saturday, 20 April.