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Philippine Volcanoes Rugby team seeks glory in Rugby 7s World Cup

“The Rugby Sevens player is the best athlete in the world” says Volcanoes Sevens coach Al Caravelli. “Players have to go full speed ahead for fourteen minutes, so the Sevens player is faster, has better endurance, and has an innate desire to push his body.”

This month the Philippines will field twelve such super athletes in search of national team glory. For the first time ever the Philippine Volcanoes will participate in the International Rugby Board Sevens World Cup in Moscow, Russia from June 28 to 30.

Rugby Sevens (seven-a-side) is the faster, quicker version of Rugby Union, which is usually played with fifteen players a side. The Sevens game prioritizes raw speed and quickness over physicality and brute strength.

Sevens Rugby is played on the same field as Fifteens, with only minor changes in the rules. Each match is fourteen minutes long, with two seven-minute halves.

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The Philippines gained a World Cup berth after finishing third in the Asian qualifier in Singapore last November.

Members of the 15-a-side team, like Mike Letts, Jake Letts, Patrice Olivier, Matt Saunders, Alex Aronson, Joey Matthews, and Oli Saunders are likely to make the final list of twelve players that departs for Russia on Sunday on June 23.

Andrew Peñaflorida Wolff is a Sevens specialist who does not play the full-sided game for the Volcanoes and will likely also make the trip to Moscow.

The Philippines is bracketed in Pool C with fourth-ranked Samoa, fifth-ranked Kenya, and 17th-ranked Zimbabwe.

The Volcanoes have never faced Kenya and Samoa but did meet Zimbabwe two years ago, losing on a last-minute 70 meter try by the Africans.

There are 24 teams in the competition in six groups. The winners of each group along with the best two second-placers by point differential qualify for the Cup quarterfinals, and play a single-elimination bracket from there to decide a champion. The rest of the teams, based on their group performance, play in either the second-tier Bowl competition or the third-tier Plate competition.

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That means the Philippines is guaranteed at least four games.

“The best thing about Sevens is that anybody can beat anybody” says Caravelli, an American of Argentinian heritage who has been capped internationally for both the Eagles and the Pumas. Caravelli was formerly the coach of the United States Sevens team and guided the Philippines to success in their qualifying campaign.

A reporter at Wednesday's press con said that winning the World Cup would be like climbing Mount Everest, and Caravelli said “It is Mount Everest, but that's why Everest exists.”

The defending Cup champions are Wales, but traditionally the Sevens powers are Fiji and New Zealand.

“I'm not judging the team based on the scoreline. We are looking for continuous improvement” said the American mentor.

The Volcanoes' stiffest test in the group will likely by Samoa, a Rugby-mad Pacific Islander nation.

“Their player with the least caps (national team appearances) has more caps than all of our players put together” says Caravelli. The coach also pleaded for more sponsors to help the team enter more events abroad to gain more experience.

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The Volcanoes are currently being supported by Head and Shoulders and Fila.

The team is also looking towards next year's Asian Games, where Rugby Sevens will be played. The team is hopeful of a medal in that competition.

Rugby, in Sevens form, has also been reinstated into the Summer Olympics after being absent for decades, so the Philippines hopes to crash the five-ringed party in Rio De Janeiro in 2016.

Grassroots development hasn't been ignored by the Philippine Rugby Football Union, the sport's governing body. According to PRFU's Matt Cullen, a national developmental squad has been formed from Philippines-based players. Rugby Union was also featured in the recently concluded Philippine National Games of the Philippine Sports Commission.

The PSC has also provided for nine Rugby coaches to teach the game in provincial areas like Pampanga, Davao, Laguna, and Cebu.

But for the next two weeks the focus will be on Moscow's Luzhniki stadium, where the Philippines takes on the best of the world.

“One thing is sure” intoned Caravelli, “you will be very proud of the performance of the team.”

VOLCANOES GROUP STAGE SCHEDULE (Local Moscow time)

June 28 - Philippines vs Kenya 3:22 p.m.

June 29 – Philippines vs Samoa 9:00 a.m.

Philippines vs Zimbabwe 1:24 p.m.

Live streaming of the matches could be available on the tournament's official site, www.rwcsevens.com/.

Follow the Volcanoes on Twitter @PhilippineRugby. Follow Bob @bhobg333.