THE Philippine Volcanoes came out smoking after seven weeks of intense competition to qualify for the 2019 Hong Kong Sevens, the premier tournament on the World Sevens Series competition.
The Volcanoes, powered by Globe Telecom, reached the final stage of the three-leg 2018 Asia Sevens Series in Sri Lanka recently and settled for the bronze medal behind powerhouses Japan and Hong Kong.
They missed the gold-medal play but clinched the ticket to the Hong Kong Sevens next year by beating host Sri Lanka, 19-7, in the battle for third place.
Earlier in the tournament, the Philippines beat Asian Games gold-medal winner Korea, 34-5, and defeated Southeast Asian Games champion Malaysia, 24-19, a costly victory with the injury of four players and the suspension of Vincent Amar Young for an accidental high ball collision.
With Mark Mapacpac Roberts and Robert Luceno Fogerty out from an accidental head collision, the Volcanoes failed to keep the momentum of a 12-7 lead early in the match and succumbed to eventual champion Japan, 21-12, but still clinched a berth in the semifinals.
“It’s an amazing feeling. We knew we had the team to do it but to play with only eight fit players against the top teams in Asia and to perform the way we did, I’m over the moon and so proud of the boys,” Volcanoes Captain Christopher Arpon Bird said.
The Volcanoes finish 2018 in third place in Asia and currently sit in first place among their Southeast Asian neighbor, according to their general manager, Jake Letts.
“It’s a special feeling for the team, they deserve it,” Letts said. “The coaching staff and players have worked so hard for a very long period of time. It has taken years to get back to this point.”
It has taken the Volcanoes six years to return to the world’s elite, last qualifying for the Hong Kong 7s in 2012 and reaching the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow a year later.