Rugby: PHL Volcanoes battle to stay in Asia's elite

The Philippine national rugby team, known as the "Volcanoes," will fight to stay in the Asian 5 Nations, the top tier in Asian rugby, on Saturday, as they battle the United Arab Emirates at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

 

The two teams share an identical 0-3 win-loss card after yielding to the region's powerhouse teams Japan (15), Hong Kong (29) and South Korea (26).

 

The Volcanoes started their campaign on April 21, suffering a 121-0 beating in the hands of Japan in Fukuoka. They faced Hong Kong last May 4 in Manila, where they fell 59-20. Their third stop was in Ansan to face home team South Korea just last May 11. They were also defeated in that outing, 62-19.

 

Volcanoes head coach Jarred Hodges however remains positive about the team's chances in staying in the elite group.

 

“It's been fantastic. We have learned a lot about ourselves and identified areas we need to work on if we are to be a major player in the next two to three years," said Hodges during the press conference for the fourth game.

 

“We have improved week on week, but it is now time to string two 40-minute halves together," Hodges added. "We know that if we can compete for 80 minutes, we're going to win more games than we lose. The set piece remains an area that we need to work on and the guys are working hard to improve their skill sets.”