Globe PH Volcanoes Capture Asian Rugby Sevens Trophy in Qatar

The Globe Philippine Volcanoes celebrate their win in the Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy in the presence of Qatar Rugby Federation (QRF) president Yousef al-Kuwari, QRF secretary general Abdulla al-Khater and Asia Rugby secretary general Qais al-Dhalai at the Aspire Warm Up and Rugby Stadium yesterday. CREDIT: Shemeer Rasheed

The Philippine National Men's Rugby Sevens Team, proudly sponsored by Globe Telecom, bested 10 other countres to win the top prize in the Asian Rugby Seves Trophy competition in Doha, Qatar.

Coming out of the first day on top of their pool with dominant wins versus Nepal and Qatar, the Volcanoes started day two of the competition by defeating Iran 42 to 0 in the Quarter Final to set up a Semi-Final battle with SEA Games rivals, Singapore.

A strong start had Singapore leading the match 10 - 7, but the Volcanoes kept their composure and produced try by Vincent Amar Young on the final play, ending the match at 12-10. The narrow win pushed the Philippines into the Grand Final against Thailand, which had also yet to drop a game in the competition.

In the Final, the Globe Ph Volcanoes wasted no time and produced a rapid series of tries which gave them a commanding 29 points to 0 lead at halftime. Thailand attempted a comeback in the second half, but only managed one try and conversion before the Philippines finished them off with a final two tries ending the match 41 - 7. 

The Philippine Captain Daniel Bembo Matthews was awarded Most Valuable Player of the competition, while Timothy Bweheni was proclaimed Man of the Match.

"A real team effort to win this tournament. The players put in the hard yards and really played for each other. This win was for all our supporters, we appreciate all the support we have received" claimed Matthews. 

With this win, the Philippines gains entry back into the Asian Sevens Series (A7S) which is the Rugby Sevens competition among top tier teams in Asia such as Japan, Hong Kong and Korea. The A7S will be played  through September and October in Hong Kong, Korea and Sri Lanka. 

"It's been an amazing start to 2017, very proud of the coaching staff and the players. It sets the foundation for our Southeast Asian Games preparation also. Having support from both Globe Telecom and the PSC allows our preparation to be where it needs to be to perform at the top in Asia" shares Letts, National Teams Head of the PRFU. 

The Globe Ph Volcanoes will compete next month at the Singapore SEA 7s on April 14 and 15.