MANILA, Philippines - The similarities between the Volcanoes and the Azkals are great sometimes you can’t tell one from the other.
They’re young, rugged and strong. They play real hard. They make the girls swoon.
It doesn’t matter if some or most of them were born, raised and live elsewhere. They proudly carry the Philippine flag.
From one side, the similarities were on display Saturday when the Volcanoes played Sri Lanka in what proved to be a historic match for Philippine rugby.
The crowd that filled half the stands of the Rizal Memorial Stadium shouted their hearts out and threw their full support on the Volcanoes.
As if the Azkals were playing.
The Zobel de Ayalas came in full force, from Don Jaime to Doña Bea, to cheer on their grandson, Jaime Urquijo, who plays lock for the Volcanoes.
The STAR caught up with Urquijo in the midst of the celebration, and what he said was, “There’s no better feeling than playing for the Philippines.”
He is Filipino.
The Volcanoes did not disappoint the fans, posting a 28-18 victory over their higher-ranked rivals in the finals of the HSBC Asian Division 1 rugby tournament.
The victory also gave the Volcanoes a golden ticket to the 2013 HSBC Asian 5 Nations Championship along with Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Kazakhstan.
It’s a first for Philippine rugby, for a team wearing red, white and blue to barge into Asia’s top five.
“Tonight we put the Philippines in the rugby map,” said center Justin Coveney, who had a photo of his bruised face posted on his Twitter account yesterday.
The Azkals have rewritten soccer history as well following their amazing stint in the 2012 Challenge Cup, where they finished third. It’s also a first for Philippine football.
The Azkals, with players plucked from all corners of the world, are following the Volcanoes every inch of the way.
“Congrats to the Philippine rugby team for beating Sri Lanka tonight,” said Azkals team captain Aly Borromeo on Twitter.
From the United Kingdom, Azkals and Fulham goalkeeper Neil Etheridge tweeted, “Heard the Philippine Volcanoes rugby team won this evening! Congratulations to them! Keep the flag flying high! God Bless.”
“Congrats to the Volcanoes!“ said Azkals defender Anton del Rosario.
The Volcanoes are just delighted with all the support.
“It’s just fantastic. It’s amazing,” said Volcanoes team captain Mike Letts.
He said work isn’t finished.
“We’re in Asia’s top five now. The goal is to stay up there,” said Letts.
But soon, the Volcanoes will have to break up, and go back to their respective homes in Japan, Australia and the U.K., waiting for the next call of duty. Only a few will stay.
Yes, the Volcanoes and the Azkals are one and the same.