 by Mark Villamora The Philippine Men’s and Women’s Rugby National Teams wrapped up the opening leg of the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series (ARESS) on Sunday, September 21, 2025, at Hangzhou Normal University in China, finishing 12th and 11th respectively. This marks the Volcanoes’ return to Asia’s premier rugby sevens tournament after clinching double gold in last year’s Trophy Series. Women's Volcanoes The Women’s Volcanoes ended their campaign on a high, defeating Indonesia 15–5 to claim 11th place. The team came out firing, racing to a 10–0 lead just two minutes into the first half. Sylvia Tudoc sliced through the Indonesian defense and offloaded to Pearl Kellie, who set up Loramhel Mateo for the opening try. Moments later, after a scrum, Mateo sprinted down the sideline untouched to double the lead. Indonesia managed to pull one back after sustained pressure, scoring just before the break to cut the deficit to 10–5. In the second half, Janin Puig broke through two tackles before linking with Jas Torio, who muscled her way to the try line to seal the 15–5 victory. With Rassiel Sales kicking the ball into touch, the final whistle confirmed the Women’s Volcanoes’ first win and an 11th-place finish in Asia’s top division.  Lora Mateo in action during the first leg of the ARESS 2025 on September 20, 2025, in Hangzhou, China. Men's Volcanoes The Men’s Volcanoes battled hard but finished 12th after falling 33–14 to Thailand in their final outing. Despite the result, the squad showed promise—holding last year’s 4th-seeded South Korea to a draw and narrowly losing to Uzbekistan by a single point in the battle for 9th place. Against Thailand, Dayton Amani-Iobu put the Philippines on the board late in the first half, with captain Kai Ledesma Stroem adding the conversion to trail 14–7 at the break. In the second half, Amani-Iobu delivered a pinpoint pass to Ethan Moxley for another try, again converted by Stroem, trimming the gap to 26–14. But Thailand pulled away in the closing minutes to seal the 33–14 win.  The Men’s Volcanoes in their final match against Thailand during the first leg of ARESS 2025 on September 21, 2025, in Hangzhou, China. Looking Ahead
Both Volcanoes squads will aim to climb the standings in the second leg of the ARESS, set for October 18–19, 2025, in Sri Lanka. Fans can show their support by grabbing official gear at the new Philippine Rugby Apparel Shop: philippines.rugby/shop About the Philippine Rugby Football Union The Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) is the governing body for the sport of rugby in the Philippines. Established in 1998, the PRFU is dedicated to the development and promotion of rugby across the country, from grassroots to elite levels. It oversees various programs, competitions, and national teams, with the aim of making rugby a major sport in the Philippines. For inquiries, please contact: [email protected] Comments are closed.
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