MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Volcanoes-Philippine Residents XV cranked it up in the second half to score a 29-17 victory over the visiting Singapore side at the wet and muddy Southern Plains field in Laguna over the weekend.
The Filipinos banked on the exploits of Joe Dawson, Justin Coveney, Gregory Glomann and Tim Bweheni in the final 40 minutes to pull away and capture the Transcom Rugby Championship trophy at stake in the international match.
“The match was played with great spirit from both teams. After a slow start with the rain, the sun came out and it became a fiercely contested match,” said Philippine Rugby Football Union managing director Matt Cullen.
The victory over the 60th-ranked Singaporeans was a big confidence booster for the Pinoy ruggers ahead of their quest in the Asia Rugby Championship next month in Malaysia.
“This is another positive result for Philippines after a strong game from our players; a proud result considering Singapore is ranked 60th in the world,” said Cullen, who thanked sponsors Transcom, Seapac Philippines and MVP Sports Foundation for backing the international fixture.
The Volcanoes broke free from a close 10-9 contest with 14 unanswered points after restart.
Dawson dished it off to Coveney, who completed the play and busted over the white line to make it 15-9 three minutes into the second half. Bweheni then converted the try for 17-9.
Nine minutes later, it was Glomann’s turn to score after a superb break from the Phl backline, extending the lead to 22-9. Bweheni added two more points from the sideline.