Rugby: Humid Manila heat affected UAE's play - coach

The Philippine Volcanoes' 24-8 win against the United Arab Emirates at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on Saturday led to the home team staying in the Asian 5 Nations Top 5, but it also meant that the Emiratis would slide down to Division I.

 

“We’re disappointed to be relegated for the first time since 2009, but fair play to the Philippines. They did well," said UAE coach Duncan Hall.

[Related: Volcanoes stave off relegation, banish UAE]
 

Hall added that the humidity in Manila affected the team's play:
 

"We suffered in the humid conditions as we are used to a dry heat in Dubai. The ball became hard for us to manage and we turned it over 14 times in the first half through handling errors."

 

The first half started with the Philippines going up 12-0 after tries from Chris Hitch and Gaz Holgate. A late try by UAE resulted in a 12-5 scoreline at the half. UAE never recovered after the break, with Graeme Hagan, Alex Aronson and Matt Saunders making it 24-8 for the Philippines after the final whistle.

 

“We now need to review where we are at and plan how we return to the Top 5 from Division I next year," said Hall, as Sri Lanka graduates from Division I to take UAE's place. 

 

Another problem UAE has to address is recruitment, with the team's average age hovering in the early 30's.

 

"With the average age of our squad at 33 years old, we are still going to face the same challenges we did this year. We will need to identify some new younger players now and work intensively with them over the next 12 months,” Hall concluded. - AMD, GMA News