Volcanoes beaten but unbowed after 1st World Cup try

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Volcanoes ended their first ever appearance in the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens in a whimper after suffering a 0-50 shutout Sunday at the hands of Asian powerhouse Japan in the Bowl quarterfinals at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia.

Relegated in the consolation round after losing all their games in the Pool C competitions against Kenya (5-45), Samoa (0-29) and Zimbabwe (7-19), the 57^th-ranked Volcanoes failed to erupt against the Asia’s best.

Ranked 14^th in the world, Japan toyed with the Volcanoes drawing nine or more points from four players.

Katsuyuki Sakai scored 11 points on one try and three conversions to pace the Brave Blossoms, who went all the way to the finals but lost to Russia, 5-29.

Lote Tuquiri and Shuetsu Narita added 10 points apiece while Kosuke Hashino chipped in nine.

Despite the shutout, the Volcanoes cherished their first ever experience in the International Rugby Board-sanctioned World Cup Sevens.

“We just want to thank all our awesome supporters! We didn’t get the result we wanted but we’ll be back next time,” the Volcanoes co-captain Matthew Saunders said on his Twitter account (@mattydsaunders) shortly after losing to Japan in the quarterfinals.

Saunders and the rest of the Volcanoes are hoping to use this experience to land a medal in the Asian Games and possibly make it to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil where the rugby sevens will make its debut.  

The other members of the Volcanoes, who made the historic trip to Russia, are Saunders' co-captain Michael Letts, Andrew Wolff, Ryan Clarke, Oliver Saunders, Gareth Holgate, Joseph Matthews, Justin Coveney, Kenneth Stern, Sean Lynch and Patrice Olivier and they were coached by Al Caravelli. 

Meanwhile, world’s no.1 ranked New Zealand won the Melrose Cup – the most prestigious title – in the 24-nation competition with a 33-0 blanking of fourth-ranked England.

In the higher consolation round, Canada copped the Plate with a 19-12 victory in the finals over Volcanoes’ Pool C conqueror Samoa.

Hong Kong, the only other Asian team aside from Japan and Philippines, also lost in the Bowl quarterfinals to Georgia, 10-31.