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MANILA, Philippines – All eyes were fixed on the excitement and performance of Angeles City in the Philippine National Games (PNG), boasting a development program of key members of the Philippine Rugby development program.
After 26 matches, Angeles City steamrolled with dominance, outpacing a determined Makati City 36-7 in the gold medal match in the men’s division of the PNG Rugby 7s tournament held in Southern Plains, Calamba.
Elite Performance Manager Chris Everingham was pleased with the outcome of the games as the Philippine Rugby Union had national selectors attend the games to identify new local talent for a range of upcoming international competitions.
“It’s important for athletes to perform at the national games, with positions always on offer for the national team. I was very impressed and came across some talent I wanted to see in the regions,” said Everingham.
A number of their talented players have been trained and developed under the Clark Jets rugby club, focusing on developing homegrown talent.
Philippine Volcano Jonel Madrona led from the first whistle and was awarded with the Most Valuable Player award for the games. Madrona was also accompanied by other strong individual performances by Marlon Catepon, Joemari Rauras, Jay Ramirez and Kingsley Ballesteros.
Ronald Longasa and Jeremy Hernandez of Makati City and Kenneth Osman of Davao also delivered notable performances.
In the women’s division, Rassiel Sales of Makati City was awarded the women’s Most Valuable Player, leading the team to blank Cebu City, 34-0, in the finals. Sylvia Tudoc of Makati City and Aiumi Ono of Cebu City continued to showcase their experience with Agot Danton of Davao also a notable mention for the day.
Cebu bagged the bronze in the men’s division with a close win over Albay Province 19 – 0, while Quezon City edged out Davao City for 3rd place in the women’s division.
A total of 9 teams joined the tournament as they traveled from various regions representing the local government units of Albay, Angeles City, Cebu City, Davao City, General Santos City, Makati City, Olongapo City, Palawan, and Quezon City.
Rugby 7s in the PNG is key to growing the game in the country according to Rose Lanticse, the “Get Into Rugby” manager for Philippine Rugby.
“The teams will go home proud to represent their community, and I am positive that they will inspire the younger generation to join the rugby family. Rugby in the Philippines is still young, and with this year’s performances – it has started to grow. I look forward to these young talents play for the Philippine Volcanoes in the years to come,” said Lantisce.
With international competitions starting in June, the PRFU will continue to focus on ensuring the national teams are ready to play.
The Lady Volcanoes take on India and Singapore on June 5 and 8, respectively, for the Women’s Asia Rugby Championships in Singapore, while the men host the Singapore men’s national team for the Division 1 Series on June 23 and 26 on home soil. – Rappler.com
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