The team’s captain Danny Matthews according to the Philippine rugby website, said immediately after that their win that it “wasn’t the prettiest game, but [the team] showed a lot of heart to get the win.” He also gave “all credit to Singapore,” saying, “They were excellent, I can’t say enough how good they were,” referring to their opponents catching up to their opening 12-0 lead due to penalties.
In Matthews’ words, “Having two back-to-back games like this in quick succession was a big test and we showed immense determination to get over the line. It’s an important win for us. Our role as a team is to help with the development of rugby in the Philippines and to see the likes of Kingsley (Ballesteros) come off the bench is a testament to growth and development game. He’s come through the ranks and so it’s so good to see this experience for him.”
Jake Letts, a representative of Philippine Rugby, reviewed his team’s performance in retrospect, telling the media after their achievement, “It’s been really positive over the last two years especially, we have been building this program each year. To get this success is a great achievement. Credit to all the players and coaching & management staff, a tremendous job they deserve this result. A big thanks to our headline partners in First Pacific, MVP Sports Foundation and the PSC for their continued support.”
In order to obtain their ticket to the championship round, the Filipinos dominated the Chinese Taipei, then overcame Sri Lanka in the semifinals.
This is the first time the Philippine national team has won the top title since 2012 in the first division. Now, their sponsors are focusing on the women’s team as they enter the Asia Rugby Championships within the month from June 19 to 22 in Manila. They will be facing teams India, Singapore, and China.