Rugby: Volcanoes stave off relegation, banish UAE

The Philippine Rubgy team put on a show for the home crowd on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, defeating the United Arab Emirates 24-8, to remain in the top-flight of rugby in Asia and avoid relegation from the Asian 5 Nations.

Both sides had entered this game with identical 0-3 records after playing Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea.

The Volcanoes opened up the scoring, with Chris Hitch getting an early try. Hitch failed to convert the kick, but it was good enough for a 5-0 lead for the home team.

Gaz Holgate was next to get on the board, adding seven points to the Philippines' scoreline with a try and a conversion, 12-0.

UAE had several chances to score, but they struggled to convert on their penalty kicks. Just before halftime, the visiting team finally got a try, but with their conversion unsuccessful, the Philippines remained on top heading into the break, 12-5.

An early penalty on the Volcanoes resulted in a UAE conversion, 12-8. Alex Aronson had a chance to extend the Philippine lead soon after, but his kick did not fall through, to keep the spread at four points.

After Justin Coveney came in for Ben Saunders, the Philippines patiently pushed for another scoring opportunity. Graeme Hagan obliged, rushing through a broken line of defenders to score another try at the 58th minute. A conversion by Aronson made it a more comfortable lead for the Volcanoes, 19-8.

The Philippines spent most of the second half with the ball, threatening by their try line on several occasions  UAE's dire situation led to Emirati reserve Sean Hurley to encourage his squad on the field:

"They don't score. We run away with everything. Believe," he urged.

Four minutes left the match, with UAE making its last push, the stadium lost power, suspending the game. The grandstand remained in the dark, with only the floodlights from the bleachers section lighting up the field.

Michael Letts and Justin Coveney attempted to give the Philippines one last try, but it was Matt Saunders' late push with 10 seconds remaining that made it 24-8 for the final score.

The Philippines' performance put them at fourth place, with UAE taking a step back to Division I, with their spot to be taken by Sri Lanka. - AMD, GMA News