Volcanoes begin Asiad buildup, vie in Asian Sevens

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Volcanoes kick off their buildup for the 2014 Asian Games as they vie in the HSBC Asian Sevens Series in Malaysia set this weekend at the Petaling Jaya Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.

The series, considered as Asia’s premier regional Rugby Sevens competition, consists of four tournaments slated in Malaysia, Thailand, India and Singapore.

This year’s HSBC A7s continues the worldwide growth trend in sevens ahead of the sport’s debut in the Olympics in 2016. Most notably, the HSBC A7s has grown from the three ranking events of 2012 to four this year. The number of core teams, (those nations competing across every event on the series), has also increased from last year’s 10 to 12.

The core teams on the 2013 Series are defending champion Hong Kong, runner-up Japan, China, Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.

The Volcanoes toughened up by competing in the World Cup Sevens in Moscow last June although their chances hinge on the availability of their leading players who ply their trade in Australia and Japan.

“It’s all about having a quality team for all four tournaments and that is what we are trying to do,” said Philippines coach Matt Cullen. “We are confident that if we put out our best side we can be competitive in the series.”

From Malaysia, the Volcanoes will compete in the Thailand Sevens set Sept. 21-22 at the IPE Chonburi Main Stadium, Bang Saen in Thailand, before moving to India for the India Sevens on Oct. 12-13 at Bombay Gymkhana in Mumbai.

They wind up their campaign in the Singapore Sevens slated Nov. 9-10 at the Yio Chu Kang Sports Complex in Singapore.

The Volcanoes welcome the return of veterans Gareth dela Rosa Holgate, Oliver Abalos Saunders and Jake Robrigado Letts, who failed to suit up in the 2012 Sevens season due to playing commitments in Japan. Co-captains Saunders and Letts, who led the Volcanoes to their best-ever finish at the HSBC A7s – a silver medal in the 2011 Borneo Sevens, are hoping for a successful campaign.

“I think we have a strong team,” says Letts. “We are up against UAE and Chinese Taipei in our pool and we have the potential to do well against these teams. Our aim is to finish in the top four at the very least.”

“Training and competing in the Rugby World Cup last June helped us figure out what our strengths are as a squad and we will be focusing on capitalizing on those strengths,” said Saunders.

The other players in the 12-man squad are Alex Norona Aronson, Christian Desacola Enriquez, Chris Alamil Everingham, Chris Baltazar Hitch, Robert Amalay Jones, Sean Celada Lynch, Harry Dionson Morris, Ned Plarizan Stephenson and Eric Tai.

The top finisher in the series will boost its bid for Asia’s sole men’s qualification spot for the 2016 Olympic Games, while the top finishers in this year’s HSBC A7s will clinch spots in the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens set in March 2014.