The Philippine U19 National Rugby Development Team, proudly sponsored by MVP Sports Foundation, defeated Hong Kong in the opening match of the International Development Series.
The future batch of the Philippine Volcanoes, better known as Rising Stars, put together a stellar performance to outplay their opponents 36 to 12 in sunny conditions at the Southern Plains Sports Field, Calamba.
It was the visitors who opened up the scoring 5 points to nil early in the match, however it wasn’t long until the local heroes put together some teamwork of their own. Lyndon Adlao, an experienced member of both the Eagles RFC and previous National Youth Teams, continued to show why he was force, as he led from the front, on all facets play.
Adlao broke the defensive line early with a barnstorming run for his first try. A strong display from the Philippine backline kept the Philippines in the match, pressuring the Hong Kong Warriors and capitalizing on their strong defense. It wasn’t long until Adlao swooped again, finding loose ball and open space to score his second try and take the Volcanoes to a 12 to 5 lead after 20 minutes of regular play.
The Philippine forward pack continued to provide strong go forward from Marco Xavier Tan and Fausto Eizmendi. Coach Carlito Abono opted for an early injection for some fresh impact. Abono called upon Reymarc Faller Bustillo of the Makati Chiefs who proved to be a notable difference.
Bustillo was too fast and strong for his opponents causing havoc with his speed and agility. Bustillo coming off a strong season in the domestic season for the Chiefs, continues to show positive signs of his development. Bustillo scored two tries of his own, one just before half time and another early into the second half.
He also contributed to a penalty try for the Philippines after running the near length full field before taken down illegally by his opponent, this resulted in 5 points under the posts for the home team. Raphael Barberis added another 5 points in the corner off a quick tap to take the Philippines to a commanding lead. Hong Kong continued to fight, scoring a late try however time finished the match with Philippines well on top.
“This is the first time I have seen our local development team play this outstanding, to put on 36 points against a team like the Hong Kong Warriors, it’s tremendous to see. Reymarc Bustillo for me was outstanding, strong runner and very fast off his feet, he had an outstanding game” said Jake Letts of Philippine Rugby