Philippines Volcanoes Rugby Development Team To Play Macclesfield 7s

The Philippines Rugby Football Union has confirmed that its Volcanoes Rugby Development team will play at the Macclesfield 7s in the UK from 9-10 July 2021.

The PRFU said that due to the ongoing effects of the global pandemic, their Volcanoes team “have a unique position as a number of players are based both within the country as well players based abroad.”

The Union said it will now lean towards investing in participation outside traditional national and international rugby competitions.

Philippines Volcanoes Rugby Development Team 2021

The Macclesfield 7s 2021 festival features Walking Rugby, Men’s and Women’s Open 7s, and Vets 7s rugby. The Volcanoes Development team is in Pool C alongside Burton RUFC, North Wales Exiles, and the Sons of Lazarus. The Macclesfield 7s is an invitational rugby sevens competition that allows a mix of teams to register to play in the competition.

The Volcanoes Development team will field 12 rugby players – Each athlete is Filipino by blood and lives and resides within the United Kingdom – and the program will be backed by Union sponsors and partners to ensure Rugby participation remains active for the Philippines Rugby.

Image Credit: PRFU

CEO Jake Letts said via the PRFU statement “Covid-19 has had a drastic effect on our game both domestically and globally. We have identified some countries are in a position to handle the pandemic better than others. This allows an opportunity to invest in a global pool of players to play abroad whilst also wearing and representing the nation in Philippine colours”.

The last time the national rugby teams played was in December of 2019 at the SEA Games, hosted in the Philipines. The men won gold and the women secured silver in the Southeast Asian Games.

Within the Philippines, the PRFU, like so many Asian Unions are still struggling to find the best way for the game to return.

“We have looked at bubble concepts with local clubs, we are also looking at sanctioned international competitions where Philippine-based players can travel to play if given permission to do so” Letts added.

Asian Rugby Tournaments

• New Rugby Tournaments to Watch 2021-2022.
• Bangkok International Rugby Sevens 2021.
• Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy 2021.
• Phuket International Rugby Tens 2021.