Volcanoes salvage bronze in England’s Cheltenham 7s
Philippine rugby, which has gained a tremendous amount of following in recent years, has taken its act to England and did very well by completing a podium finish.
The Volcanoes Development 7s mounted a late-tournament rally, winning three straight games to salvage the bronze medal in the Cheltenham 7s over the weekend.
It was a big boost for the Filipinos, who will see action in the tougher London 7s next.
“It was a good way to end the tournament,” said Vince Amar Young, team leader for the United Kingdom program. “Luckily for our team, we bounced back and played some good rugby to finish third out of the 12 teams that entered.”
Will Obienta Anderson won Player of the Tournament award as he powered the Volcanoes, who started the meet with back-to-back defeats at the hands of the Patriots (20-19) and Phystory RFC (19-14).
Anderson got ample support from Rafael Dian Zappia and Charles Amistozo-Warren.
The Volcanoes Development, the farm team of two-time Southeast Asian Games champion Philippine Volcanoes, now gears up for their third event for the England swing.
Joining the team this weekend are Sam Aquino Callaghan and Jerome Padillo Rudder, both key players of the program. Rudder earned his spot after starring for the Volcanoes during the 2019 Asia Sevens Series season.
The team will also welcome two former U19 nationals, Francis Glen Serafica and Ethan Cuison Chen. Tomas Villalba Smith will be making his debut, following in the footsteps of his older brother Luc.
“This weekend will be exciting for the team; the London 7s will see a large number of teams and spectators. We have selected another strong and youthful team, as well as some new talent making their debuts,” said Jake Letts of Philippine Rugby.
