BUHAY at handing magbigay ng dangal sa sambayanan ang Philippine rugby team.

Iginiit ni Ada Milby, Philippine Rugby Football Union secretary-general at unang babaeng miyembro ng International Rugby Union board, na handa ang koponan at handing makipaglaban sa medalya sa 30th Southeast Asian Games sa Nobyembre.

“We (PRFU) do feel confident that both our men’s and women’s teams will end up with a podium finish in the SEA Games,” pahayag ni Milby sa kanyang pagbisita sa ‘Usapang Sports” ng Tabloid Organization in Philippine Sports (TOPS) nitong Huwebes sa National Press Club (NPC) sa Intramuros, Manila.

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Itinanggi man ni Milby na sigurado na sa Pinoy ang gintong medalya, nangako siyang maganda ang magiging performance ng men’s and women’s team sa SEAG.

“If I have a crystal ball, I’lll definitely use it to let everybody know the results of every game But I can promise all of you here that we are doing the most preparations that we have ever done before,” sambit ni Milby, inirekomenda rin na maging deputy chef de mission sa darating na biennial meet.

“We’re making sure that we can give our teams the best chance of success in the SEA Games,” aniya.

“In the last SEA Games, both men and women just missed a podium finish and placed fourth. Both our teams lost to Malaysia.”

Hiniling ni Milby, naglaro ng American football sa high school team sa US, ang suporta ng sambayanan para sa kanilang kampanya sa Sea games.

“It’s really an exciting time for our women. In Borneo, we beat the Singapore development team. It’s always a great news as part of our preparation for the SEA Games,” sambit ni Milby sa lingguhang forum na itinataguyod ng Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) at napapanood ng live sa Facebook via Glitter Livestream.

“Our men’s team is now getting ready to go to Hong Kong next weekend for the HK qualifiers to get into the World Series, wh8ch is the premier league participated in by top 12 teams globally. They play on a world stage so it it’s fantactic.”

“The men’s will alo play in Taiwan in June and Sri Lanka in August and the Olympic qualifiers in November before the SEAG. The women will go to Singapore in June and China in August and a developmental tour in November,” aniya.

Bilang miyembro ng koponan na nagwagi ng bronze medal sa 2015 Sea Games, sinabi ni Milby na akma ang sports sa Pinoy dahil sa angking ligse, bilis at tapang sa laban.

“Rugby sevens is very unpredictable sports unlike in traditional format. There are a lot of upsets n the game because here are onlt seven players on the field. You could just have that one breakaway or one turnover that could make the difference,” aniya.

Nakatakda ang 30th SEA Games sa Nov. 30-Dec. 10.

Nakamit ng Volcanoes ang gintong medalya sa 2015 SEA Games, habang ang Lady Volcanoes ay hindi pa nakakatikim ng ginto.