Volcanoes keep SEA top spot in China 7’s

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Volcanoes edged the Malaysians, 19-17, in a tightly fought playoff match in Round 1 of the Asian 7’s series in Qingdao, China over the weekend to retain their top spot in Southeast Asia.

The Volcanoes stamped their class early and took a 12-0 lead but faltered in the face of the Malaysians’ strong comeback, yielding 17 points in the second half to trail by five.

But super sub Ned Plarizan Stephenson ran away with a last minute try to set up the win with Gareth Dela Rosa Holgate capping the victory by adding two points as the Volcanoes beat Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand for the top SEA ranking.

Kai Ledesma Stroem, 17, made his debut for the men’s 7’s team with a strong performance throughout the tournament along with veteran campaigners Chris Alamil Everingham and Gareth Dela Rosa Holgate. Stroem is currently the captain of the U19 Junior Volcanoes and a graduate of the PRFU National Underage Programs.

The Volcanoes kicked off their campaign with a big win over UAE but bowed to the top two seeded teams and eventual Plate and Cup champions Hong Kong and Japan. The Volcanoes dropped a close setback to Kazakhstan in the Plate semifinal which served as a playoff match against SEA silver medalist Malaysia.

Round 2 of the Asian 7’s Series will be held Sept. 26-27 in Bangkok. Each tournament has an aggregate point scoring system. The top three after three rounds qualify for the inaugural 2016 Hong Kong International 7’s.