THE Philippine Volcanoes won a fight-marred opening game against Kazakhstan before losing 24-0 to tournament favorite Hong Kong in the group stage of the first leg of the Asian Sevens Series at Hong Kong Football Club.
Michael Coverdale, Jamie Hood Hood and brothers Alex and Tom McQueen scored tries as Hong Kong dominated possession in storming to a victory that sent them top of Pool D and left the Volcanoes with a tough quarter-final assignment in the shape of South Korea.
“We were competitive [against Hong Kong]. Unfortunately, we didn’t win the kick-offs and that allowed them to have 75-80 percent ball possession. You can’t win without possession,’’ said team manager Matt Cullen.
But Cullen praised the Volcanoes for their intensity and for two try-saving tackles that kept Hong Kong from pulling away.
Ned Stephenson sat out the match against the hosts after being handed a two-game ban for a punch-up with a Kazakhstan player on the pitch during the stormy ending to the Volcanoes’ 31-0 victory in a morning match.
Stephenson, 22, was given a straight red card while three players from Kazakhstan were sent off and another was shown a yellow card for their roles in the incident, which erupted as both sides lined up for a throw-in late in the match.
Cullen lamented the “unfortunate” incident but welcomed the ruling that allows Stephenson to return for the later stages of the tournament after sitting out Sunday’s quarter-final against South Korea.
That match will determine whether the Volcanoes go into the top-tier Cup competition or the Plate competition.
“It’s unfortunate,’’ Cullen said. “Our player reacted to some physical activity by a Kazakhstan player. Luckily, after the judicial committee reviewed video evidence, it was decided that his actions were on the minimum side.’’
Stephenson has never been involved in a disciplinary incident in his four years as a player with the Philippine team, Cullen said, and “that was another mitigating factor’’ for him.
“It’s a learning curve, he’s only 22,’’ Cullen said. “This is a good lesson for him to learn: Play hard and clean and don’t end up in a judicial office.’’
Andrew Wolff grabbed a brace of tries against the Kazakhs, while Sean Lynch, Jason Lynch and Chris Everingham also touched down for the Volcanoes.
Against the “big, strong and robust” Koreans in the quarter-finals, Cullen said the Volcanoes need to retain possession and move the ball to their speedy players so they can go on the attack.
In women’s action, the Lady Volcanoes dropped all their three matches without scoring a try in a highly competitive Pool W led by Asian No. 1 Japan. The Filipinas followed a 41-0 defeat by Japan with a 34-0 loss to Kazakhstan and a 19-0 loss to Singapore.
“The results were a bit disappointing, but the way the players played was encouraging,’’ said coach Susan Konstanty.
Konstanty did not think that opening their campaign against Japan was a problem for the Lady Volcanoes. Their primary target, she said, was the Singapore match and it was good that the team had two tough matches to prepare for it.
Unfortunately, the Lady Volcanoes could not capitalize on their opportunities.
“Our mistakes let us down and it all comes down to experience,’’ Konstanty said.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph