THE Philippine Volcanoes rugby team erupted at the 2011 Asian Men’s 7s Championships on Saturday, beating the United Arab Emirates, 26-7, and top-ranked South Korea, 19-14, in the biggest upset of the tournament at the Yuanshen Stadium in Shanghai, China.
Incredibly, the Philippines started the day ranked eighth in the 12-team, two-day tournament and by the day’s end, they topped Pool A to advance to the next round of the tournament.
The Philippines, coached by Australian Matt Cullen, advanced to the playoffs along with Pool B winner Japan and runner-up Thailand, Pool C top-notcher Hong Kong and second placer Malaysia, and Pool D leader China and second-running Kazakhstan.
Against UAE, Justin Coveney, nicknamed “the Flying Jeepney” for his smashing runs, broke through the gulf team’s line to score the opening try of the tournament. The Filipinos proved to be quicker and more resolute for the UAE team as Harry Morris and Andrew Wolff both scored tries (each worth five points) in the second half to guarantee the victory.
Against 2010 winner Korea, the Volcanoes fell into an early 5-0 hole as the defending champions scored on their first try. But Oliver Saunders was able to swoop on a loose ball from Korea to run the length of the field to score under the posts and even the game. Saunders’s big play swung the momentum in favor of the Philippines.
Finding their confidence, the Volcanoes continuously smashed the defense backwards which led to mistakes by the Koreans. Coveney scored on the second try to give the Philippines a 14-5 halftime lead.
Korea threw everything at the Philippines in the second half, but the Volcanoes’s spirited defense stood firm as Wolff and Morris pulled off try saving tackles that ripped the insides out of the Korean attack.
Coveney was again able to use his size and power to run in the Philippines third try and the Philippines went into the last minute leading 19-5. The Koreans tried to rally as they added nine points but time ran out on the defending champions.
The Volcanoes will battle Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals and should they hurdle that assignment, they will move to the semifinals where they will face the winner of the China-Korea match.
The Asian Men’s 7s tournament invites the top 12 Asian countries to do battle over two tournaments and it could be compared to the Asian Games in terms of caliber of teams and the countries that compete. Korea won the Shanghai 7s in 2010 and is ranked as the favorite to repeat in the 2011 staging. --Rick Olivares
