Volcanoes book historic rugby quarterfinal berth

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Volcanoes leaned on a strong finish to stun Zimbabwe, 24-12, and book a historic quaterfinal stint in the World Rugby Sevens Series Qualifiers yesterday at Hong Kong Stadium.

Facing a must-win situation in the last game of Pool E, the Filipinos summoned their big fighting heart as they overhauled a 10-12 deficit in the second half and scored 12 unanswered points towards the finish to complete the upset and march to the next round for the first time ever.

The victory, which came after absorbing losses to Hong Kong (17-33) and Tonga (17-36) in their opening pool games last Friday, enabled the Volcanoes to finish third in the group with five points ahead of the winless Zimbabwens’ three and book a Last-8 date with group winner Hong Kong.

 “It’s a special day for Philippine Rugby. This is the furthest we’ve come on the world stage,” said Philippine Rugby general manager Jake Letts.

Winger Ryan Reyes Howe led the Filipinos’ assault with two tries, his first giving them a 10-5 lead late in the opening half and his second sealing it in the second stanza.

Justin Coveney and Donald Canon also scored, with Coveney delivering the equalizer after Zimbabwe drew first blood and Canon cashing in on a second-half penalty that allowed Phl to wrest a 17-12 margin.

But the road to the semifinals is tough, to  say the least, as Hong Kong, the reigning Asian Games titlist, stands in the Filipinos’ way.

Hong Kong swept its three pool games for nine points.