In the afternoon, pain.
The bowl final for 9th place overall against Kazakhstan was expectedly brutal. Piles of bodies in the mud brutal—it had started to rain a half-hour before the match, but there are no rain delays in rugby.
From the stands it looked like a group wrestling match. One could almost hear bones crunching, and that was in the midst of a thunderstorm. Defense was heavy; the first half ended at 0-0. Patrice Olivier got hold of the ball and for about 30 seconds it looked like glory: he ran 60 meters before he was caught and brought down. That was one of too few chances; too much of the grappling was taking place near the Kazakhs’ goal line. With two minutes left on the scoreboard a Kazakh player inched his way across the line with half the Philippine team on him. That one try and conversion was enough.
Kazakhstan 7, Philippines 0. The Philippine men’s rugby team finishes tenth overall in the Borneo 7s. Last year the Volcanoes were runners-up in the plate final (sixth overall). Clearly there is work to be done: for starters we need a specialist sevens team that plays together constantly. Sevens is brutal, and today it was excruciating.
Here’s Andrew Wolff with a post-mortem. I think the attempt to be flippant says more about pain than a bucket of tears.
This exclusive coverage of the Philippine Volcanoes at the Borneo 7s on JessicaRulestheUniverse.com is made possible by Globe Telecom.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
November 1st, 2010 at 09:12
i feel sad.. i don’t ever feel like losing kahit on behalf of whatever manok ko in whatever sport: tennis, soccer, rugby.. i think the guys would be feeling N times worse.. but there’s no use crying over it, but there is definitely a lot of good learning from it..
parang college lang: yung mga subjects na kung saan bumagsak ako, yun yung mga talagang unforgettable at hanggang ngayon may naaalala pa ako.. mostly, it was the feeling that i don’t ever want it (failing) to happen again..
November 1st, 2010 at 11:00
His eyes are so sad
November 1st, 2010 at 11:01
polaris at 11:00 am: Yours would be too if you killed yourself out there and it wasn’t enough.
November 1st, 2010 at 11:20
Agree with you Jessica. We need a core team that trains together. Here and elsewhere, rugby teams (whether pro, semi or non-pro) practice rigorously day in & day out, playing in all sorts of weather conditions.
They move with an instinctive synergy that can only result from focused training 300 days of the year.
They know each other better than their wives do.
November 1st, 2010 at 12:59
I am so sorry (parang lamay lang? No, really.) Virtual hugs to everyone.
November 1st, 2010 at 13:16
i used to play volleyball for the school in elementary. and i must say that a constant practice really helps. and sometimes, it’s not enough. you have to have more inside you. not to mention the diet, supplements, and gears. a lot of factors to consider.
we can still compete next year, di ba?
November 1st, 2010 at 14:08
We’re having gloomy weather here in Manila too, Jessica. Nakikiayon yung panahon :(
But to the Volcanoes, chin up! We salute you.What you’re doing out there, the sacrifices you guys have to make in order to play for the RP team, we are mighty proud of all of you!
From the coaching staff to the players, a resounding round of applause and standing ovation are in order :)
November 1st, 2010 at 14:16
Naiiyak ako. OA na kung OA. Pero nalungkot ako para sa mga bata. Gumagastos ng sariling pera, uma-absent sa trabaho/escuela, naglalaro para sa bayan kahit walang kapalit na yaman o gloria. Hay. Kelangan talaga mas madalas silang maglaro/train together. Ika nga ni Jaworski, dapat nagkakatinginan at amuyan lang, alam na ang gagawin.
November 1st, 2010 at 14:19
Ampanget ng pakiramdam yung wala kang maitulong. Sigh.
November 1st, 2010 at 15:54
Yes, Wolfie, there will be a next time and we will be there to cheer you on. Many thanks to the Volcanoes for representing the Philippines in the Borneo 7s (am sure you will be a much better team after this).
Many thanks as well to Ms. JZ for being our eyes and ears…we truly appreciate all your effort.
November 1st, 2010 at 20:01
to the TEAM: you gave it your best shot so do not feel so bad about it. We are proud of you. You took time from your busy schedule just to play for the Philippines, you deserve our thanks. We’ll do better next time [talagang we, as in I’m part of it na?]
November 1st, 2010 at 22:13
no, hindi OA yun, tehanu. it’s okay. nakita kasi natin yung ginawa nila before the match through ms. z. it’s okay to feel sad and cry. but we don’t stay there. what’s good about this is we know the things we’re lacking of and what we can further do. ang sarap lumaban next year with all those memories. they’ll have more reason to fight. 8-)
November 1st, 2010 at 22:23
To the PV’s: All of you did well. Thank you for taking the time and effort to represent our country. It hurts(in your case, literally) to not get what you want but this defeat did not kill you. What does not kill you makes you stronger.
November 2nd, 2010 at 03:07
It’s okay, team. The Volcanoes will kick their asses next time.
November 2nd, 2010 at 12:24
thanks atomic_bum! may pagka OA kasi ako talaga *LOL* pag may laro/laban ang pilipinas (asian games, manny pacquiao boxing matches, etc.) kaya binabantayan ko sarili ko.
November 2nd, 2010 at 22:19
thank you, Volcanoes. you have done us a great deal of pride. spending your personal funds only to go out there and get bruised up- all the while leaving your jobs/studies AND playing for the Philippines… these are very humbling acts of patriotism you deserve to be recognized and supported for.
November 2nd, 2010 at 22:27
#15 tehanu — I totally get what you’re feeling. My goodness, ganyan din ako, dinadamdam ko siya ng todo, minsan umaabot ng linggo grabe!
To think I wasn’t the one who played hehe.