SINGAPORE turned the tables in its favor in the final moments of the first half and held off the Philippine Junior Volcanoes, 35-15, in the battle for third place in the Asia Rugby Under 19 Division 1 Championship Saturday at International School of Manila field in Taguig.
From there, the Singaporeans stepped up with their attack in the second half, scoring three tries to earn them the bronze.
Bernard Tay led Singapore with 30 points, including 14 made on ground balls in the second half.
“We fell short in the end. It was a 70-minute game. The momentum swung just before the second half,” said Junior Volcanoes assistant coach Jake Letts.
The Junior Volcanoes were in charge in the 30:36 mark of the first half, after James Ryan went for grounder and scored on a try, 15-9.
Then, a try and a conversion from Tay in 37:16 mark allowed Singapore to take the upperhand, 16-15 at halftime.
Later in the day, Korea squeaked past United Arab Emirates, 14-13, to claim the gold medal.
Joonbeam Park drove in a try and Kimim Kim converted in the last 2:30 as the Koreans fought their way out of a 0-10 deficit.
The Junior Volcanoes lost steam with the offensive play before the end of the first half when skipper Robert Gray McCafferty suffered a leg injury. Singapore took a 6-0 lead early off Tay’s penalty shots.
Then, the Junior Volcanoes snatched the upperhand when Ryan Santos scored on a penalty and Francis Serafica went for a grounder, 8-3.
James Ryan put the Junior Volcanoes up at 15-9 with a try off a scrum at the 31st minute.