The Philippine Volcanoes and the National Women’s Rugby Team will be shooting for medals in the 30th Southeast Asian Games Rugby 7s slated on Dec. 7 and 8 at the Clark, Angeles City Parade Grounds.
“Our goal for Rugby 7s is achieve a podium finish in both the Men’s and Women’s,” said Jake Letts, General Manager of the Philippine Rugby Football Union Inc.
The teams have plunged into the final phase of their preparations for the biennial meet, where the Volcanoes placed fourth in the 2017 edition in Kuala Lumpur.
Last week, the Volcanoes joined the Tokyo 2020 Regional Qualifying Tournament for the Olympic Games in Korea, where they finished strong against the hosts, pulling off a 31-5 that showed its readiness to compete in the coming SEA Games.
The Volcanoes saw the Korean tournament as a perfect ground to test its mettle against SEA Games rivals Thailand and Singapore, giving the Philippines a grading ground moving forward with the top teams in Asia.
“Both the men’s and women’s teams will continue their high performance training camps, along with gaining international exposure in regional Olympic Qualifying Events. The Women’s Team just returned from China where they faced the Top 8 teams in Asia. Both (tournaments) are playing important roles for not only the 2020 Olympics but also the SEA Games,” said Letts, who believes the Volcanoes are equipped to give its SEAG rivals, including defending champion Malaysia, a run for their money.
After all, the Volcanoes are coming off a gold-medal finish in the Trophy Series last August, catapulting the Philippines to the Top 8 in Asia, where they haven’t played since 2014.
“After a second-place finish in the Trophy Series in 2018, the progression to a Gold Medal in 2019 was the next move in the right direction. Now we have the opportunity to show the top teams in Asia how far we have come in five years” added Letts.
“We would like to encourage all our supporters to come to Clark Parade Grounds on December 7 and 8 to watch and cheer for Team Philippines as we compete against the best of Southeast Asia. Many thanks for everyone’s support,” said Letts.
