Globe 7s Series to Feature Rugby Talents

Manila, Philippines: After the success of the Philippine Volcanoes in their recent Asia Rugby Championships, Rugby in the Philippines is on a high and will return this weekend for the first Rugby 7s Festival for the year, Round 1 of the 2018 Globe Sevens Series.
 
Round one for the series will see eight teams face off in a two pool round robin format to decide the winner of the first round. Philippine Rugby has endorsed two divisions in the men’s series and a single division in the women’s.

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The National Development division will showcase up and coming Pinoy talent, a platform to identify future Volcanoes and act as a recruitment tool for local Rugby development. The Open division will feature the country’s top players mixed with key players from the National Development division.
 
A total of six rugby festivals across July through to October will be played, with a points system to award the top team over the duration of the series. This will be the first time Philippine Rugby have used this format.
 
“For 2018 we are looking to mirror both the Asia Sevens Series & the World Sevens Series, incorporating Festivals rather than League rounds. Through the nature of the game, the PRFU are now able to award winning teams at each of the Festivals, rather than just award one team at the end of the season. This allows the club teams to win a specific tournament leg on the actual day itself” shared Jovan Masalunga, Competitions Manager for Philippine Rugby
 
With this structure, teams are able to focus on a singular festival to showcase their top talent. It provides the opportunity to technically have six different champion teams across six different festivals; however, only one team will be titled ‘Series Champions’. This will be based on the competitions points system after each festival.
 
“Moving the Sevens season to this structure is exciting, we get to witness the traditional Sevens festival atmosphere. By the end of round one, you will see which team was the best on the day; however that may not be the case for the following festival. The National Development Division this weekend will feature local talent like Lito Ramirez, Jonel Madrona, Johnly Baloloy and Ryan Padilla. The up and coming talent will be a highlight for this weekend so I am excited to see the players perform” shared Jake Letts.
 
Round 1 of the Globe Sevens Series starts this Saturday, July 28 at Southern Plains, Calamba from 9:30 AM. Participating teams for this round include Santos Knight Frank Mavericks, Eagles RFC, Bulacan Bombers, Albay Bulkans, Clark Jets, Makati Chiefs and La Liga Academy. 
 
The Globe Sevens Series will be the featured Festivals in Manila, additional Rugby festivals across the Philippines include the Palawan 7s on August 10 and 11, the Kadawayan 7s Festival in Davao on August 18, followed by the FatBoys 10s in Clark in September and the Cebu 10s in November.