Philippine Volcanoes beat Sri Lankan team, win A5N Division 1 Championships

Philippine Volcanoes triumph against Sri Lanka

The Philippine National Men's 15s, a.k.a. the Philippine Volcanoes, has defeated the team from Sri Lanka, 28-18, in the HSBC Asian 5 Nations Division 1 Championships held at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila on Saturday. With the victory, the Philippines has been promoted to the Elite Division of the A5N for 2013.

Both teams won their first two matches against the other teams in the Division, Singapore and Chinese Taipei. Tied at the top of the standings with twelve points before the game, Saturday's match  determined the Division 1 champions -- and it was the Philippines.

The Philippine team has enjoyed much success since it began competing in the Asian 5 Nations -- Asia’s premier international rugby competition. The team has managed to top its division and win promotion for four consecutive years, starting in Division 4 in 2008 and climbing to Elite Division this year.

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Philippine Volcanoes compete in Borneo 7s

Philippine Volcanoes, the national rugby team of the Philippines, is currently competing in Borneo 7s, the second leg of the HSBC Asian Sevens Series, being held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

 The Philippine Volcanoes during their Borneo 7s jersey launch this week | Photo courtesy of Chris Everingham

Before qualifying for the finals this Sunday, the team has to face the following teams still: Japan at 11:05am (Final Score: Final score: Phl 17- Jpn 38), Kazahkstan at 2:00pm (Final score: Phl 24 - Kaz 19) and UAE (Fiinal score: PHL 22 - UAE 14) at 5:00pm, today, September 24, 201.

Update 1: Philippines defeated Malaysia, 28 - 14 in the Quaterfinals. The team will be facing China at 1:24 p.m. today for the Semi-finals. Philippine Volcanoes is now assured of a spot in the Top 4, which was their goal.

Update 2:  The Philippine Volcanoes won against China, 19-14. The team is now off to the Finals!

Update 3: Volcanoes lost to Japan, bagging silver. 

The Philippine Volcanoes have been preparing all week in Manila and are feeling very confident about performing well in Borneo 7s. Jake Letts, the team captain, is reportedly very upbeat about the tournament and has challenged the team to play to their maximum potential to achieve their goal of a top four finish at the tournament.

Some positive changes have been made to the squad before they head to Malaysia for the tournament. Four top-level Filipino players from Australia have been recruited to play for the team.

“These players will definitely help in breaking into the top four teams in Borneo and they are all playing top level Rugby in Australia. To win at this level you need 12 strong players and the new recruits will give the Philippines the much needed impact off the bench to compete against the best teams in Asia,” Coach Matt Cullen explained.

The Borneo 7s is the last major tournament for the Philippine Volcanoes Men's team in 2011 and they have had another successful year by winning five out of eight International matches.

Meanwhile, some of the members of the Philippine Volcanoes have been very active lately on Twitter. They have been conversing with fans and updating them with the group's activities. If you wanna tweet out your support, you can follow their accounts below:

Andrew Wolff - @IamAndrewWolff
Chris Everingham - @EveringhamChris
Eric Tai - @eric_tai
Harry Morris - @HarryMorris1
Justine Coveney - @Justin_Coveney
Kenneth Stern - @kennethstern
Oliver Saunders - @oliverjsaunders

Best of luck, guys!