MANILA — The Philippine Lady Volcanoes opened their account in the Asia Rugby Women’s Championship Division 1 by trouncing India, 19-5, at the Queenstown Stadium in Singapore on Tuesday night.
Playing for the first time in the 15’s level since 2012, the Lady Volcanoes played as if they are a cohesive unit for quite some time, banking on their speed to inch closer to the end zone, although India’s defense held fort for most of the first half.
Sylvia Tudoc finally broke the ice for the Lady Volcanoes as she zoomed past the defense for the try just before halftime. Agot Danton nailed the conversion for the 7-0 halftime count.
Nine minutes into the restart, Tanya Bird added another try for the Lady Volcanoes with Danton again nailing the two-point bonus as the lead ballooned to a 14-0 scoreline.
Playing Coach Ada Milby, who replaced an injured Bird shortly after the latter’s try, joined the scoring parade and made another five-pointer for the Lady Volcanoes in the 65th minute to somehow seal the win. Danton, however, failed to make the conversion from an angle.
Priya Bansal finally put India on the board with a 70th minute try, but it was a bit too late for the team.
The win assures the Friday night championship showdown between the Lady Volcanoes and host country Singapore, a 30-5 winner over India on Saturday. (Ivan Stewart Saldajeno/PNA)
