IT TOOK roughly five years for the Philippine Volcanoes to work their way up to the top flight of Asian rugby. They’re not about to relinquish the spot just like that.
“It’s quite surreal because it happened so quickly,” skipper Michael Letts said on the eve of the Volcanoes’ Asian 5 Nations top division duel with Hong Kong at Rizal Memorial Stadium. “And now that we’re here, we want to stay competitive. We can’t just take this for granted.”
Shut out in their debut against Japan in Fukouka two weeks ago, the Volcanoes are under pressure to gain precious points against Hong Kong.
The clash at 7 tonight is the first top flight match that will be held in the country and the Volcanoes’ Aussie coach Stuart Woodhouse said getting a result will go a long way in the Philippine Rugby Football Union’s efforts in promoting the sport in the country.