India & Philippines upset formbook as HSBC Asian 5 Nations debuts in New Delhi Wednesday, 02 June 2010 21:51 0 Comments [June 1 2010; New Delhi, India]: Rugby India and the Philippines Volcanoes upset the Asian rugby formbook today in New Delhi as the HSBC Asian 5 Nations (HSBC A5N) made its debut in India. In the semi finals of the Division II tournament, India trounced China 94-5 and the Philippines outlasted Thailand 53-33 today at the Commonwealth Games Sevens stadium on the grounds of New Delhi University.
The 2010 Division II Tournament opened with an exciting clash between two of the worlds population superpowers in China and India. Despite conceding 33 spots on the IRB World Rankings to 51st ranked China, India dominated the visitors from the opening whistle to the final hooter, winning easily 94-0.
Indias historic victory was paced by 34 points from fullback Rohaan Sethna (2T, 2P, 9C).
As part of its preparation to host the Commonwealth Games Sevens competition, Rugby India has spent significant periods training overseas with the South Africa SevensBoks and more recently at the International Rugby Academy in New Zealand. While focusing on sevens preparation for the Commonwealth Games, the high-level instruction rubbed off on the full XV as India dominated China and booked its place in Saturdays final against another surprise entry in the Philippines. The winner of the Division II tournament will be promoted to Division I next year to replace the relegated Chinese Taipei.
India was led by experienced captain Nasser Hussein, who ran out at flyhalf today marking his third position in as many years of Asian 5 Nations competition after lining up in the centres in the Division II competition in Thailand in 2008 and at flanker in the same tournament last year in Kuala Lumpur. Hussain put in a strong performance with ball in hand as India enjoyed one-way traffic from the earliest moments of the match.
The hosts jumped out to a 44-0 lead by halftime with the fullback Sethna accounting for 19 of these. Other try scorers in the first half included winger Deepak Dagar (1t), prop Sandeep Singh (1t), winger Kayrus Unwala (1t), prop Parvinder Singh (1t) and centre Pritom Roy (1t).
The second half offered no rest for China as flanker Kamaldeep Dagar opened the scoring with a try in the 6th minute. Reserve Puneet Krishnamoorthy posted a second half brace scoring two tries within five minutes, both of which were converted by Sethna, who added his own second try of the day just three minutes later for a 3-try rush within ten minutes. Further tries from reserve Thimmalay Madanda winger Kayrus Unwala (his second of the day) and prop Parvinder Singh (also his second) sealed the final score at 94-0 after Sethnas conversions.
The only bright spot of a dismal afternoon for China was the play of captain Ma Bing whose hard charging runs and refusal to yield will hopefully inspire his teammates to reach a bit deeper for the 3rd/4th place play-off on Saturday.
Semi Final 1 Scoring:
India (94): Sethna (2T, 2P, 9C), Deepak Dagar (1T), Sandeep Singh (1T), Kayrus Unwala (2T), Parvinder Singh (2T), Pritom Roy (1T), Kamaldeep Dagar (1T), Puneet Krishnamoorthy (2T), Thimmalay Madanda (1T), Amit Lochab (1T)
China (0)
The surprises continued in the afternoons second semi-final as the Philippines, the promoted team from Division III 2009 came through in an exciting match to book their place in the final. Newly promoted from Division III, the Philippines have won every match they have played in HSBC A5N rugby. In 2008, the Volcanoes won the Guam Regional tournament to advance to Division III last season, which they hosted and won to earn promotion to this years Division II competition.
Adding to the surprising upset was the fact that the Philippines blooded six new players in todays starting XV. For the first time in its test match history, the Philippines is also fielding a fully Filipino side having dropped the few remaining expatriates for a line-up solely consisting of players of Filipino heritage drawn from the Philippines, Australasia and the United Sates.
Despite being unranked in world rugby (the Philippines were only admitted as a Full Member of the IRB since the end of 2009 and are waiting to amass the test matches required for international rankings) and facing off against the worlds 70th ranked rugby team in Thailand, the Philippines refused to yield an inch.
The end result was a seesaw encounter that saw both teams trade opening salvos in a first half that ended with the Philippines leading 29-16 at the break. Two players stood out in the scoring stakes today with Thai fullback Warongkorn Khamkoet accounting for all of Thailands first half points through a try, a conversion and three penalties in the opening 40 minutes.
On the Philippines side, the first half was a family affair as flyhalf Oliver Saunders added 14 points of his own through a try, a penalty and three conversions. Saunders points and two of his conversions complimented tries from his brothers the centres pairing of Matt and Ben Saunders. No. 8 Michael De Guzman added a try in his own right to edge the Philippines out front 29-16 at the break.
Both Oliver Saunders and Khamkoet continued their strong play in the second half with the pacy Thai fullback with the massive boot accounting for a further seven points in the second half (1P, 2C). He also set up both of Thailands tries in the second half with some darting runs and good interlinking with his support players. Those tries came through hooker Somjate Anuesaen and reserve Jaisutti Anuchit.
Flyhalf Saunders added nine more points of his own in the second half as the Philippines pulled away thanks to their more imposing physical presence. A second try came through Matt Saunders while winger Harry Morris scored along with a last minute tally for reserve lock Rafael Zappia.
Scoring:
Philippines (53): Oliver Saunders (1T, 2P, 6C), Michael De Guzman (1), Matt Saunders (2T), Ben Saunders (1T), Harry Morris (1T), Rafael Zappia (1T)
Thailand (33): Warongkorn Khamkoet (1T, 4P, 3C), Somjate Anusaen (1T), Anuchit Jaisutti (1T)
Halftime Score: Phils. 29 16 Thailand, Full score: Phils. 53 33 Thailand
Todays results create an exciting final between India and the Philippines. Will the Volcanoes winning streak in A5N rugby continue or will Rugby India be able to convert home support into promotion? Asian rugby fans will find out on Saturday at the finals of the HSBC A5N Division II tournament. The Final will be held at 19.30 on Saturday evening, 6 June, while the third / fourth place play-off between Thailand and China will be held at 17.30.
The Division II tournament also marks the continuation of the HSBC Asian 5 Nations Youth Rugby Festivals as a major womens sevens tournament is being held on the sidelines of the Division II competition with over 35 participating teams from the New Delhi region. A tag rugby festival for children from local charities and NGOs is also being held. Headlining these activities will be HSBC A5N coach Frank Hadden and A5N Ambassador Rory Underwood, England Rugbys leading try scorer.
Training with the some of the best ruby team in the world!!!
The 2010 Division II Tournament opened with an exciting clash between two of the worlds population superpowers in China and India. Despite conceding 33 spots on the IRB World Rankings to 51st ranked China, India dominated the visitors from the opening whistle to the final hooter, winning easily 94-0.
Indias historic victory was paced by 34 points from fullback Rohaan Sethna (2T, 2P, 9C).
As part of its preparation to host the Commonwealth Games Sevens competition, Rugby India has spent significant periods training overseas with the South Africa SevensBoks and more recently at the International Rugby Academy in New Zealand. While focusing on sevens preparation for the Commonwealth Games, the high-level instruction rubbed off on the full XV as India dominated China and booked its place in Saturdays final against another surprise entry in the Philippines. The winner of the Division II tournament will be promoted to Division I next year to replace the relegated Chinese Taipei.
India was led by experienced captain Nasser Hussein, who ran out at flyhalf today marking his third position in as many years of Asian 5 Nations competition after lining up in the centres in the Division II competition in Thailand in 2008 and at flanker in the same tournament last year in Kuala Lumpur. Hussain put in a strong performance with ball in hand as India enjoyed one-way traffic from the earliest moments of the match.
The hosts jumped out to a 44-0 lead by halftime with the fullback Sethna accounting for 19 of these. Other try scorers in the first half included winger Deepak Dagar (1t), prop Sandeep Singh (1t), winger Kayrus Unwala (1t), prop Parvinder Singh (1t) and centre Pritom Roy (1t).
The second half offered no rest for China as flanker Kamaldeep Dagar opened the scoring with a try in the 6th minute. Reserve Puneet Krishnamoorthy posted a second half brace scoring two tries within five minutes, both of which were converted by Sethna, who added his own second try of the day just three minutes later for a 3-try rush within ten minutes. Further tries from reserve Thimmalay Madanda winger Kayrus Unwala (his second of the day) and prop Parvinder Singh (also his second) sealed the final score at 94-0 after Sethnas conversions.
The only bright spot of a dismal afternoon for China was the play of captain Ma Bing whose hard charging runs and refusal to yield will hopefully inspire his teammates to reach a bit deeper for the 3rd/4th place play-off on Saturday.
Semi Final 1 Scoring:
India (94): Sethna (2T, 2P, 9C), Deepak Dagar (1T), Sandeep Singh (1T), Kayrus Unwala (2T), Parvinder Singh (2T), Pritom Roy (1T), Kamaldeep Dagar (1T), Puneet Krishnamoorthy (2T), Thimmalay Madanda (1T), Amit Lochab (1T)
China (0)
The surprises continued in the afternoons second semi-final as the Philippines, the promoted team from Division III 2009 came through in an exciting match to book their place in the final. Newly promoted from Division III, the Philippines have won every match they have played in HSBC A5N rugby. In 2008, the Volcanoes won the Guam Regional tournament to advance to Division III last season, which they hosted and won to earn promotion to this years Division II competition.
Adding to the surprising upset was the fact that the Philippines blooded six new players in todays starting XV. For the first time in its test match history, the Philippines is also fielding a fully Filipino side having dropped the few remaining expatriates for a line-up solely consisting of players of Filipino heritage drawn from the Philippines, Australasia and the United Sates.
Despite being unranked in world rugby (the Philippines were only admitted as a Full Member of the IRB since the end of 2009 and are waiting to amass the test matches required for international rankings) and facing off against the worlds 70th ranked rugby team in Thailand, the Philippines refused to yield an inch.
The end result was a seesaw encounter that saw both teams trade opening salvos in a first half that ended with the Philippines leading 29-16 at the break. Two players stood out in the scoring stakes today with Thai fullback Warongkorn Khamkoet accounting for all of Thailands first half points through a try, a conversion and three penalties in the opening 40 minutes.
On the Philippines side, the first half was a family affair as flyhalf Oliver Saunders added 14 points of his own through a try, a penalty and three conversions. Saunders points and two of his conversions complimented tries from his brothers the centres pairing of Matt and Ben Saunders. No. 8 Michael De Guzman added a try in his own right to edge the Philippines out front 29-16 at the break.
Both Oliver Saunders and Khamkoet continued their strong play in the second half with the pacy Thai fullback with the massive boot accounting for a further seven points in the second half (1P, 2C). He also set up both of Thailands tries in the second half with some darting runs and good interlinking with his support players. Those tries came through hooker Somjate Anuesaen and reserve Jaisutti Anuchit.
Flyhalf Saunders added nine more points of his own in the second half as the Philippines pulled away thanks to their more imposing physical presence. A second try came through Matt Saunders while winger Harry Morris scored along with a last minute tally for reserve lock Rafael Zappia.
Scoring:
Philippines (53): Oliver Saunders (1T, 2P, 6C), Michael De Guzman (1), Matt Saunders (2T), Ben Saunders (1T), Harry Morris (1T), Rafael Zappia (1T)
Thailand (33): Warongkorn Khamkoet (1T, 4P, 3C), Somjate Anusaen (1T), Anuchit Jaisutti (1T)
Halftime Score: Phils. 29 16 Thailand, Full score: Phils. 53 33 Thailand
Todays results create an exciting final between India and the Philippines. Will the Volcanoes winning streak in A5N rugby continue or will Rugby India be able to convert home support into promotion? Asian rugby fans will find out on Saturday at the finals of the HSBC A5N Division II tournament. The Final will be held at 19.30 on Saturday evening, 6 June, while the third / fourth place play-off between Thailand and China will be held at 17.30.
The Division II tournament also marks the continuation of the HSBC Asian 5 Nations Youth Rugby Festivals as a major womens sevens tournament is being held on the sidelines of the Division II competition with over 35 participating teams from the New Delhi region. A tag rugby festival for children from local charities and NGOs is also being held. Headlining these activities will be HSBC A5N coach Frank Hadden and A5N Ambassador Rory Underwood, England Rugbys leading try scorer.
Training with the some of the best ruby team in the world!!!
