Volcanoes upset UAE, keeps 2015 Rugby World Cup dream alive
(FCF / Ralph Samson)
After a less than spectacular debut in top flight, the Philippine national rugby squad refused to be relegated into Division I and defeated an equally struggling UAE squad with strong performances from Gareth Holgate, Christopher Hitch, and Alex Aronson.
The Volcanoes, led by all-time top scorer Matthew Saunders, pulled through with a 24-8 victory on Saturday night to end their 2013 Asian 5 Nations Rugby campaign on a high note.
Starting off their season with their biggest defeat against Japan via a 121 – 0 scoreline, then compounded by a home loss to Hong Kong and an away loss to South Korea, the Philippines desperately needed the victory to stay in the top flight and keep their dreams of entering the 2015 Rugby World Cup alive..
Sloppy play was evident from both sides with the Philippines and UAE carelessly mishandling the ball. The visitors’ offensive attempts were neutralized by the Volcanoes’ defense and did not allow UAE to penetrate their half.
Fly-half Gareth Holgate, who plays his trade in Japan under Kyuden Voltex, almost scored a try in the early portion of the first half but was not able to put pressure on the ball.
A maul coming from a put in allowed the volcanoes to inch closer into UAE’s in-goal area. Christopher Hitch took advantage of the chaos and scores the first try of the game for the Philippines. Alex Aronson had the chance to add another two points for the Volcanoes but just misfired his conversion.
Holgate once again proved to be handful for the UAE defense after he scored a try just near the post. Aronson then added two more points from a conversion to put the Philippines ahead at 12 – 0.
The Philippines looked to have scored another try shortly after but UAE managed to prevent the Philippines from putting pressure down the ball to keep the score the same.
Patrice Olivier had two golden chances to increase the Volcanoes’ lead but knocked the ball forward on both occasions, an infraction in the world of rugby.
UAE managed to penetrate the Philippines’ defense near the end of the half but resulted into a quick counter attack led by winger Joe Matthews with a blistering run on the right wing. It seemed like the Philippines were to score another try but Matthews was heavily tackled just a meter away from UAE’s in-goal area.
The Philippines failed to keep a clean sheet before half time after UAE scores a try from a ruck. Andrew Russell, who missed all of his previous penalties, eventually hit the mark to increase UAE’s score to 8 just after the start of the second half.
UAE played desperation defense in the 50th minute after one of their players accidentally passed the ball to team captain Michael Letts. Unfortunately, the Volcanoes weren’t able to take advantage thanks to UAE’s stingy backline.
With UAE slowly closing in, pressure is starting to add up for the Volcanoes. Darran Seeto finally relived major pressure for the Philippines after scoring a try. Aronson added another two points at 19 – 8 to give the Volcanoes some breathing room.
The Philippines almost scored another try in 72nd the minute if only Matthew Saunders was behind the cross kick coming from the right wing. The Flying Jeepney Justin Coveney almost added to the Volcanoes’ lead but knocked the ball just inches away from the opponent’s in-goal area.
In the 76th minute, the lights in the Rizal Memorial Stadium went off, momentarily stopping the play. With only minutes to play, the officials decided to carry on despite the poor lighting in the venue.
Matthew Saunders, who is the all-time top scorer for the Philippines, ended the Volcanoes’ game with a bang with a try in the dying minutes of the game to finish off the game.
With the triumph, UAE is relegated to Division I while the Philippines retain their spot in Asia’s most elite rugby competition.
Sri Lanka will join the Philippines along with Hong Kong, South Korea, and champions Japan next year after dominating the Division I competition with wins against Kazakhstan, Chinese Taipei, and Thailand.
