The Philippines national rugby union team, nicknamed the "Volcanoes", represents the Philippines in international rugby union. The Philippines have been playing in the Asia Rugby Championship since 2006 when the team was first created. In 2012 they won the Division I championship and were promoted to the top 5 for the 2013 tournament where they earned 4th place and again in the 2014 tournament. The Philippines have yet to make their debut at the Rugby World Cup.
 | ||
| Nickname | Volcanoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Emblem | Volcano | |
| Union | Philippine Rugby Football Union | |
| Head coach | Stu Woodhouse | |
| Captain | David Smith | |
| Most caps | Jake Letts (27) | |
| Top scorer | Oliver Saunders | |
| Top try scorer | Matthew Saunders | |
| Home stadium | Rizal Memorial Stadium Philippine Sports Stadium | |
| ||
| World Rugby ranking | ||
| Current | 40 (as of April 15, 2024) | |
| Highest | 40 (April 2024) | |
| Lowest | 72 (March 2012) | |
| First international | ||
 Guam 14–18 Philippines  (May 20, 2006) | ||
| Biggest win | ||
Philippines 101–0 Brunei  (July 2, 2008) | ||
| Biggest defeat | ||
 Japan 121–0 Philippines (April 20, 2013) | ||
| World Cup | ||
| Appearances | None | |
| Website | https://www.philippinerugby.com | |
In the March 19, 2012 World Rugby Rankings, Philippines, along with Mexico and Pakistan, were listed for the first time, entering with the base rating of 40 points (which positioned the three national teams in 71st place).
The national side is ranked 40th in the world (as of April 15, 2024).[1]
History
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In 1998 the Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU), the national governing body for rugby union in the Philippines, was formed. Rugby union in the Philippines was introduced mainly through the large number of British, Australian and New Zealand expatriates living in the country.
The Philippines made their first official international debut at the 5th division of the 2006 ARFU Asian Rugby Series. They won over Guam, 18 – 14, in its first match on May 20, 2006, but was later defeated by Pakistan in a match held on June 11, 2006, and failed to secure the sole slot for promotion to the next division.[2][3] In December 2006, the Philippines Under-19 went undefeated in the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) Under-19 Second Division Tournament.
In 2008, the PRFU gained full membership to the international governing body, the International Rugby Board (IRB). The Philippines dominated the fourth-tier of the ARFU Asian 5 Nations Series and captured the inaugural Division 4 title. During the tournament, the Philippines demolished Brunei 101-0 and then defeated the home side Guam 20–8 to capture the division title.
In 2009 the Philippines won the inaugural Asian 5 Nations Division III rugby tournament at the Nomads field in Parañaque City. Defeating Iran 15-0 and Guam 25–0 in their two matches, the Philippines were then promoted to the Asian Five Nations Division II rugby tournament.
In 2010 the Philippines competed in the Asian 5 Nations Division II tournament and won it beating India in the final on a score of 44–12. Also in 2010 they played in ARFU Rugby 7s tournaments in Shanghai, Borneo and the Asian Games in Guangzhou.
In 2012 the Philippines competed in the Asian 5 Nations Division I tournament and went unbeaten in the round-robin series against Singapore, Chinese Taipei and Sri Lanka, therefore qualifying for the main division for the first time.[4]
The Volcanoes suffered heavy defeats in the 2013 edition of A5N, however showed good signs with a competitive first half against Hong Kong in Manila, and a win to avoid relegations against UAE also in Manila.
Tournaments
edit| Tournament | Year | Division | Place | National Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARFU Asian Rugby Series | 2006 | 5 | 2nd | NA |
| ARFU Asian Rugby Series | 2007 | 5 | 2nd | NA |
| Asian Five Nations division tournaments | 2008 | Pacific—Asia Region | 1st | NA |
| Asian Five Nations division tournaments | 2009 | 3 | 1st | NA |
| Asian Five Nations division tournaments | 2010 | 2 | 1st | NA |
| Asian Five Nations division tournaments | 2011 | 1 | 3rd | NA |
| Asian Five Nations division tournaments | 2012 | 1 | 1st | 72 |
| Asian Five Nations | 2013 | Top | 4th | 56 |
| Asian Five Nations | 2014 | Top | 4th | 57 |
| Asian Rugby Championship division tournaments | 2015 | 1 | 2nd | 52 |
| Asia Rugby Championship division tournaments | 2016 | 1 | 3rd | 54 |
| Asia Rugby Championship division tournaments | 2017 | 1 | 3rd | 57 |
| Asia Rugby Championship division tournaments | 2018 | 1 | 1st | 56 |
| Asia Rugby Championship division tournaments | 2019 | 1 | 1st | 53 |
Nickname and emblem
edit
The Philippines national rugby union team is nicknamed the 'Volcanoes'. The name comes from the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment that fought under the command of the United States Army. It was made up of Filipino-Americans with a few Filipino veterans which fought in World War II. The PRFU thought the situation was similar to the first Philippines national team which mainly consisted of foreign expatriates with only a few Filipinos.[5]
The emblem of the team is based on the insignia of the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment. One of its features is a volcano which represents where the infantry units were located.[6]
Players
editCurrent squad
editSquad for 2019 Asia Rugby Championship:[7]
- Simon Gabion-Sheehan
- Harvey Mercado
- James Krook
- Sam Callaghan
- Jeromy Cairns
- Sam Bennetts
- David Feeney
- Ashley Heward
- Chris Bird
- Edlen Hernandez
- Tom Gunn
- Kingsley Ballesteros
- Ken Mellorin
- Tim Berry
- Jobel de Castro
- Daniel Matthews
- Kohei Mitsuhashi
- Ellis Rudder
- Robert Fogerty
- Justin Coveney
- Ned Stephenson
- Vincent Young
- Phillip Hinson
- Patricie Olivier
- Timothy Bweheni
Coaches
edit
Mike McMahon (2006)- Matthew Cullen (2007–2009)
Expo Mejia (2009–2013)- Jarred Hodges (2013–)
- Stuart Woodhouse (2013, caretaker)
Honours
editOverall record
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Their test match record against all nations:[8]
| Nation | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | % Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brunei |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Chinese Taipei |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Guam |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 Hong Kong |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0% |
 India |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% |
 Iran |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Japan |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0% |
 Malaysia |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66.7% |
 Pakistan |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
 Singapore |
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 80% |
 South Korea |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0% |
 Sri Lanka |
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 50% |
 Thailand |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
 United Arab Emirates |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Total | 35 | 21 | 0 | 14 | 60% |
References
edit- ^ "Men's Rankings | World Rugby".
- ^ David, Greg (May 21, 2006). "Philippines take First International scalp". Philippine Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
- ^ Scott, Jamie; Gallagher, Jarrad (June 14, 2006). "Pakistan finish Asia Nations Series with win". Philippine Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
- ^ Fopalan, Reneé. "Mission accomplished: PHL Volcanoes erupt at Asia 5 Nations, beat Sri Lanka". GMANetwork.com. GMA Network. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
- ^ "Welcom to the Philippine Volcanoes' blog!". Team Philippine Volcanoes. September 23, 2011. Archived from the original on April 20, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
- ^ "California and Second World War - California's Filipino Infantry". MilitaryMuseum.org. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
- ^ "Volcanoes select top 26". PRFU. May 27, 2019.
- ^ "Philippines - head-to-head summary". Rugby Data. Retrieved March 17, 2011.