THE Philippine U19 national rugby team battles Korea in the Semifinals of the 2016 U19 Asia Rugby Championships at the International School of Manila, 5 p.m., today, Wednesday, December 14.
Singapore takes on United Arab Emirates at 6.30 p.m. with the winning teams facing each other in the finals at 2.00pm on Saturday, December 17.
The Philippines, seeded third, face second seeded Korea. The Philippines have never beaten Korea at the U19s level however the team will look to experienced campaigners Rhys Jacob Mackley, Kai Ledesma Stroem and Robert Benitez McCafferty to lead from the front.
All three players have already played for the Men’s National 7s team earlier this year. Both team captains from the U19 National Development Team Kinglsey Ballesteros and Joshua Aragon from the Clark Jets have been included in the 25 man selection squad.
The Junior Volcanoes is the team of the future, boasting of talented Filipino players based both locally and abroad. The aim of the program is to blood young rugby players to prepare for the next step of international competition, and one day graduate into the Philippine Volcanoes Men’s National Team.
The Junior Volcanoes will have an experienced coaching staff led by Head Coach David Johnston and his Assistant Coach and current Men’s Volcano, Jake Robrigado Letts. Both have been involved with the program since 2014.
“The U19s program is a recruitment platform for Philippine Rugby, the players have the chance not only to play international rugby but also impress the coaching staff to warrant their selection in the Men’s National teams in the later years. It’s been a breeding ground for development and talent identification,” said Letts an original U19s team member back in 2006.
The Volcanoes have had a successful record in the past winning the tournament in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Last year the Junior Volcanoes were far too strong for the visiting Hong Kong National Development Team, defeating Hong Kong Junior Warriors 49 points to nil in their last outing.
The PRFU is the official governing body of Rugby in the Philippines. Over the last decade, the PRFU have continued to teach, grow and develop the sport of Rugby and its values throughout the country.
The Junior Volcanoes is the national U19 rugby team of the Philippines. The national team is comprised of rugby players in the Philippines and Filipino heritage players abroad.
The 2016 U19 Division 1 Asia Rugby Championships will be hosted in Manila, Philippines after a successful bid from the PRFU. This tournament will showcase the national rugby teams from Korea, Singapore and United Arab Emirates along with the Philippines to compete for the championship title.
