Volcanoes face Japan

The Philippine Volcanoes face top-ranked Japan in the opener of the HSBC Asian 5 Nations Rugby at Level 5 Stadium in Fukuoka, Japan, at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

This will be the national rugby team’s biggest challenge to date as the Japanese have never lost a match since the tournament’s inception.

The Asian 5 Nations is a grueling six-week event among the top five teams in Asia and serves as qualifier  for the Rugby World Cup 2.

Zooming from the fourth to the top division in just five seasons, the Volcanoes have been hailed as the team to watch in Asian Rugby, having lost only once since joining the competition in 2008. Promoted from Division 1 in 2012, the Philippines are ranked fifth behind Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates.

The Volcanoes gain home advantage when they face Hong Kong at Rizal Memorial Stadium on May 4. They meet the South Koreans on May 11 in South Korea, then battle  UAE on May 18, also at Rizal Memorial. Steve Silva, contributor