Volcanoes line up int’l tiffs for SEAG

The Philippine Volcanoes are pulling out all the stops to build themselves up for their title defense in next year’s Southeast Asian Games and further down the road, a possible crack at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Rugby Sevens World Cup.

“Asia rugby is on the rise and each team seems to be getting better every year. We know if we’re going to go back-to-back in the SEA Games then we have to ensure preparations are well in advance and of the highest quality,” Volcanoes captain Jake Letts said during Thursday night’s presscon at Pioneer Street Market in Mandaluyong.

The Volcanoes, he said, have been training for six-eight weeks now and have penciled stints in the Asian 7s series in India and Dubai in February 2017 and the SEA 7s the following month in Singapore to gear up for the SEAG in Malaysia.

“We’re moving into a professional era now with the rugby teams. We’re engaging athletes one- on- one, individually, trying to personalize and customize their exercise programs so they’ll be able to perform at their best. In the past we’re unable to do that,” said strength and conditioning coach Chris Everingham.

The Lady Volcanoes are as determined to do better after copping bronze last time.

“Actually, our preparation started the moment we arrived home from the 2015 SEAG. We vowed to outdo ourselves in the next SEAG,” said Lady Volcanoes skipper Acee San Juan, whose team will compete in the Bangkok 7s in November then the Asian 7s and the pre-SEAG tourney.

Philippine Rugby Football Union director of rugby Matt Cullen said this is a step-by-step program towards 2020.

“Our target is to first win gold in the 2017 SEA Games for the men’s and silver for the women’s, then win a medal in the 2018 Asian Games and win again when we host the SEA Games in 2019. Then there’s the big goal – the 2020 Olympics and the World Cup in Tokyo. So we start now, looking four years’ time, one step at a time,” he said.

Along the way, he said the national youth programs are in full swing “aiming to identify more talent.” The U-19 men’s side will host Korea, Singapore and UAE for the U-19 Asia Rugby Championship in December while the distaff side will play in a U-19 National Development Series for the first time against Hong Kong in Manila in January.