The Philippine Volcanoes scrambled past Singapore in extra time, 20-17, Wednesday to reach the finals of the Asian Rugby Championship Division 1 tournament at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan.
Substitute Alex Aronson delivered the crucial point in the extension after saving the Volcanoes from near defeat in regulation.
The victory sent the Volcanoes to a championship showdown Saturday with Sri Lanka, which dominated Kazakhstan, 35-14, earlier.
“It took us 100 minutes to win the game, so we’re all happy and proud,” said Aronson.
He exploited the penalty kick awarded to the Volcanoes with 4:54 left in the second half of the OT for the win.
The visitors led by 10 in the dying seconds of regulation before Aronson came through with a try and an efficient conversion to force extra time.
“Our thinking was to stay calm, trust the system, and just keep playing down and we’d get our chances,” said Aronson. “Eventually, we we’re able to break through.”
Singapore took the initiative and opened a 17-7 lead with 24 minutes to go before the Volcanoes mounted a fierce comeback behind Aronson.