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Rodney College’s Patrick Abellera is travelling to China in December to play for the Philippines’ U19 national rugby team in the division one Asia Rugby Championships.
It is the second time he has been selected for the Philippines Volcanoes representative team and follows on from a good season last year.
The team came third overall at the last Asia Championships, beating China in the bronze final 33-19.
Abellera will join his team mates in China for five days of intensive training ahead of the division one tournament, which runs from December 11 to 14.
“We do three hours in the morning, have a break during the heat of the day and then return to it at 7.30pm,” Abellera says.
Kiwi Tom Coleman, from Auckland, is also on the team, along with a clutch of players from Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong.
Abellera came across the opportunity to play after reading an online advertisement that targeted people of Filipino descent living in rugby playing nations.
“I applied, then got an email confirming my selection. I had only four days to get my passport renewed,” Abellera says.
He says it is a privilege to represent his country, especially as his ancestral home region of Narvacan only has a population of 50,000 people, out of a country of 100 million.
As part of the U19s Asia Rugby tour, there is a pathway for selection for the Filipino national men’s team, which Abellera may be called upon to try out for.
Abellera hopes to continue playing rugby after finishing at Rodney College and doing his basic training in the New Zealand Navy.
