Philippine Volcanoes aim for Rugby Sevens World Cup slot
After reaching the top tier of Asian Rugby in the 15-a-side game, the Philippine Volcanoes Rugby team now set their sights on qualifying for the 2013 Rugby Sevens World Cup this weekend in Singapore from November 2 to November 3.
The Volcanoes are drawn in a 3-team pool with Hong Kong and Guam. If they finish top two in that group, they progress to the eight-team single knockout stage. The top three teams will represent Asia in the Rugby Sevens World Cup in Moscow, Russia in June of next year.
Seven-a-side Rugby Union is the faster, shorter version of the game. Each match is composed of two seven-minute halves, with teams often playing more than one game in a day during a tournament.
There is less kicking for touch and a lot more running the ball, even from within your own 22-meter line. Tries are converted with drop-kicks and not place-kicks. The lumbering forwards seen in 15-a-side are banished to the sidelines.
Sevens Rugby has just recently been introduced as an Olympic Sport and will be played in Rio in 2016.
Fiji is known for being a world power in Rugby Sevens, having won two of the six Rugby World Cup Sevens ever played. However the reigning champs are Wales.
The Philippines are captained by Fil-Welsh Harry Morris, who plays in the Welsh Premier league and also has a Marine Biology degree from the University of Essex.
Andrew Penaflorida Wolff is back in the squad, as are the Saunders brothers, Oliver, Matthew, and Ben.
Fil-Frenchman Patrice Olivier will also bolster the team, and tasked with the important job of kicking penalties and conversions is Gareth Holgate.
Also seeing action will be Luke Matthews, his brother Joe, and Kenneth Stern.
Michael and Jake Letts were not released by their Japanese clubs and will not make the trip. Ditto for Justin "The Flying Jeepney" Coveney.
The team is coached by Argentinian-born American Al Caravelli. The 51-year old played for both Argentina and the United States, and coached the USA 7s team to the International Rugby Board 7s Circuit, the highest level of International sevens competition.
According to Expo Mejia, the Volcanoes' 15-a-side coach, Hong Kong, Japan, China, Korea, and the Philippines are favored to take the three spots.
Mejia, who is an Opus Dei numerary, will travel with the team as their manager.
The Volcanoes 7s team participated in three recent tournaments in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, Shanghai, China, and Mumbai in India.
The team played heavily favored Japan very tough in Mumbai, with the Brave Blossoms only winning the game 22-12 after the score was tied 12-12 with only minutes to play.
The Philippines defeated Korea Republic 24-14 and Sri Lanka 31-19 in that tournament.
The Philippines kicks off its Sevens World Cup campaign on Friday at 11:00am at the Singapore Padang pitch versus Guam. Then two hours later they take on group favorites Hong Kong.
The quarterfinals begin at four pm, and if the Philippines qualifies they will likely square off against either Malaysia or China.
The semifinals will be played on November 3, followed by the all-important Bronze Medal match and the Final.
Just like the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, there will be Bowl and Plate competitions for teams eliminated at the group and quarterfinals stages.
There is no definite word on live streaming video for the games, but Mejia says that there could be links on http://www.asian5nations.com/.
Success in this tournament will continue the momentum from last April's winning campaign in Division 1 (second tier) of the Asian 5 Nations, where the Philippines defeated Chinese Taipei, Singapore, and Sri Lanka to reach the top level of the Asian 5 Nations.
Next year the Philippines will play in the top level against Japan, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and Hong Kong in a round-robin competition that will also serve as a qualifier for the 2015 Rugby World Cup for the 15-a-side game.
Matt Cullen of the Philippine Rugby Football Union tells me that Volcanoes fans can expect two or three home games next year at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
Team list (referring to team picture) : Front (L-R): Kenneth Stern, Ryan Clarke, Oliver Saunders, Joe Matthews, Gaz Holgate, Matt Saunders
Back (L-R): Tim Bweheni, Ben Saunders, Luke Matthews, Andrew Wolff, Patrice Olivier, Harry Morris, Al Caravelli (Coach)
You can follow Bob on Twitter @bhobg333.
Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.
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