CAPAS, Tarlac -- Team Philippines rolled out impressive outings in the curtain-raiser of the rugby event in the 30th Southeast Asian Games at the Clark Parade Grounds in Mabalacat, Pampanga.
A defensive-minded men's team blanked their first two opponents in blowout fashion before holding their ground against Thailand to assemble a first-day sweep. The Philippines first scored a 43-0 drubbing against Laos before quickly blasting Indonesia in the first few minutes to post an imposing 57-0 result over Indonesia.
Thailand proved to be a little trickier against the Filipinos, though the hosts still managed to come away with a convincing 24-14 win to go 3-0.
The women's team couldn't replicate the same feat against the Thais, though, as they closed out day one with a 7-38 loss against their counterparts. The team still managed to end up with a 2-1 record after cruising past Malaysia, 31-5, and Indonesia, 24-5, in its first two matches.
Thailand went 3-0 in the women's group by also crushing Laos (52-0) and Indonesia (38-0).
The last day of the tournament on Dec. 8 will wrap up with the conclusion of the round robin stage and the medal matches -- the first of which is set to start at 3:30 p.m -- where the Philippines will vie to improve from fourth-place finishes in the 2017 edition of the regional meet.