The Philippine Volcanoes. Handout/PRFU.
The Philippines parades a mix of players with varied championship and international experience when it takes on Malaysia in Pool A at the start of the rugby 7s competitions in the 19th Asian Games, Sunday in Hangzhou.
The match is set at 10 a.m. at the Hangzhou Normal University Cangqian Athletics field with veteran co-captains Tommy Gilbert and Kai Stroem leading the charge of the 12-member squad.
The Volcanoes will battle Hong Kong on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. The final is set on Tuesday.
The team includes veterans Vincent Young and Justin Coveney who were part of the 2014 Asian Games team that finished fifth, as well as youngsters Raphael Barberis and Rafael Phillips. Eight players from the 2022 Asia Rugby Sevens team which finished in third place in Incheon, South Korea, are also in the lineup.
Also on the team whose members were culled from an 18-player training camp are Donald Canon Coleman, Joe Palabay Dawson, Luc Villalba Smith, Jerome Padillo Rudder, Robert Luceno Fogerty and Nicholas Gaffud Robertson.
Head coach is Darryl Suasua with Davida Suasua as assistant coach, Reece Jones as physiotherapist and Lalaine Bacus as team manager.
RELATED VIDEO