Volcanoes erupt anew in Asian Sevens Series

MANILA, Philippines - The undermanned Philippine Volcanoes bucked the odds and made it two-in-row as they bested the field to capture the Plate Championship in the third leg of the HSBC Asian Sevens Series in Mumbai, India recently.

The Volcanoes put on a start and thumped the Chinese Taipei side in the pool round, 31-7, but fell to the powerhouse Japanese in their second match. Their subsequent loss to the Sri Lankans in the Cup quarterfinal placed them in the Plate Division where they faced Singaporeans in the semifinal.

While missing some players due to injuries and previous commitments in Japan, the Volcanoes still put up a gallant stand behind veterans Andrew Peñaflorida Wolff and Mark Nelmida Chatting alongside promising newcomers Sean Celada Lynch and Dennis Sy Su Gordon.

They got past the Singaporeans, 26-0, to set up a repeat final match up against the Thais, whom they beat in the Plate Final of the Thailand 7s just last month.

Led by skipper and top scorer Gareth dela Rosa Holgate, the Volcanoes scored three consecutive tries and one conversion early in the match to race to a 17-0 lead by the end of the first half.