Philippines Volcanoes primed to erupt as Asia's RWC 2015 Qualifiers begin in Manila[/b]
The Philippines Volcanoes will be hoping it is a case of home sweet home when the HSBC Asian Five Nations (HSBC A5N) Division I tournament gets underway at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in the heart of Manila. The Philippines will face Sri Lanka, Singapore and Chinese Taipei in the tournament, which starts on Sunday (Apr. 15), with ensuing match days on Wednesday (Apr. 18) and Saturday (Apr. 21).
The HSBC A5N Division I championship also marks the start of the qualification process for Asia for Rugby World Cup 2015 in England. The Division I winners will be promoted to the elite competition in Asian rugby, the HSBC A5N Top 5, in 2013, thus keeping their Rugby World Cup 2015 dream alive.
As added inspiration, the Webb Ellis Cup, (the trophy presented to the winners of the quadrennial Rugby World Cup), will make its first ever appearance in the Philippines at the matches this Sunday, April 15.
Since becoming a full member of the International Rugby Board in 2008, the fledgling rugby nation of the Philippines has only hosted one premier Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) tournament at home, the HSBC A5N Division III in 2009, which it won beating Guam and Iran.
The rest of its rare forays in international rugby have been away but have proven equally fruitful, making the Volcanoes statistically the most successful team in Asia in recent years next to Japan. Hopes are high in the Philippines that this record will continue against Sri Lanka, Singapore and Chinese Taipei.
“In the past four years since we became IRB members, we have only lost once, and that was a narrow loss to South Korea, one of the traditional powerhouses in Asia, in last year’s Division I semi-final. Other than that we have been a success story,” says Matt Cullen, general manager of the Philippines Rugby Football Union and team manager of the Philippines Volcanoes.
Starting from Division Four in 2008, they progressed to Division I by 2011, a significant achievement for a country where rugby was almost non-existent a decade ago, and played only by a few expatriates.But with most of their wins being away, the public in the Philippines know little about the game. Cullen and the Philippines Rugby Football Union (PRFU) hopes that will all change this week.
“For the first time we are playing Division I at home and we hope to boost the profile of the game,” Cullen said. “But to do this, we know we have to perform.”
Captained by fullback Michael Letts, the Volcanoes, comprising fully of Filipino heritage players – players who were either born in the Philippines or who have a Filipino parent or grandparent – will be hoping to rock Rizal Memorial Stadium with their brand of uncompromising rugby.
Injuries have claimed a few players in the build-up, but luckily for the Volcanoes, the core of the squad – three sets of brothers, will be turning out. Along with captain Michael Letts and his brother Jake, a scrumhalf who captained the sevens team that made its debut at the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens in March, the 24-man squad also boasts of the Saunders brothers – Matt (outside centre) and Oliver (fly-half) – and the Matthews siblings – Luke and Joe who are both wingers.
“We expect Sri Lanka, who was relegated from the Top 5 last year, to be the strongest opponents. The advantage for us is that we are playing at home and we hope to benefit from some strong and vocal support,” Cullen added.
HSBC President and CEO Tony Cripps said: "HSBC is committed to developing and growing rugby across the country, and we're especially excited to host the Division 1 Championships. Fair play, courage, integrity, and sportsmanship exemplify the sport and what HSBC stands for. We look forward to what I'm sure will be some very exciting matches and wish all the teams, including our very own Philippine Volcanoes, the best of luck in this tournament."
“We are quietly confident,” Cullen said. “Another good thing is that the format of Division I has changed this year to a round-robin competition. In the past, if you lost your first game, you were out of the reckoning and relegated to the 3rd/4th place final. That isn’t the case this year.”
With Division I the first step in a two-year qualifying process for the 2015 World Cup, the four-team competition will see each team play each other, with the winner promoted to the HSBC A5N Top 5 in 2013. If successful in their title bid, the Volcanoes would be ranked among the top five rugby nations in Asia and will have advanced to the second round of Rugby World Cup qualification.
“Our goal is to win promotion to the Top 5 and then to stay there in 2013, so that when the final qualifying event for Asia for the World Cup comes around in 2014, we will be in the mix,” Cullen said.
Another incentive to do well is that success will bring with it an increased profile for rugby in the Philippines.
“We have a population of 90 million. The tournament is being shown live on national television on ABS-CBN for the first time. If we win it will help promote the game,” added Cullen.
As it stands, the profile of Philippines rugby is bound to grow as the Volcanoes final match versus Sri Lanka will be telecast in over 35 countries worldwide.
“Success will bring with it more interest from sponsors and the public and this will help us develop the grassroots of the game in this country,” Cullen said.
The HSBC ARFU Coaching Tour is assisting the Philippines’ development efforts with clinics run by professional international coaches supported by HSBC and ARFU and the PRFU Development team for over 500 local youth in the week ahead.
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