THREE students from Old Swinford Hospital have been selected to represent the Philippines in the under-19 Asian Rugby Championships.

Christopher Orr and James Ryan are currently in their final year at OSH, and Sean Riley has just started his A levels. The boys will be joining players based both in the Philippines and abroad to represent their national side.

Players are selected based on their past performances and recommendations from the Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) scouts.

The 2017 Asia Rugby Championships will be held at the International School Manila on December 13 and 16. The first match day will act as a semi-final with the Philippines drawn against Korea and Malaysia playing the United Arab Emirates. On December 16, the two winning teams will play in the final and the two losing teams will play for third and fourth place.

All three students regularly play for the OSH 1st XV team and Sean Riley was part of the winning NatWest Bowl team in 2017. Ryan, meanwhile, has also featured for Dudley Kingswinford this season.

Commenting on their selection, Jake Letts, director of rugby for the PRFU, said: “Having three members selected to represent the Philippines from Old Swinford Hospital is a great achievement. I would like to congratulate all three members. Having been involved in our national youth teams in the past, each player brings their own exciting style of play and the Philippines looks forward to having them return to international duties.“

OSH Director of Sport, Andrew Coalter, added: “We at Old Swinford Hospital are very proud of Chris, Sean and James and their achievements. All three have been working hard in our squads over a number of years to develop the skills needed to progress their game to a higher level. It is a testament to the hard work of the coaching teams, the players and to the success culture we are building here at OSH. We have many exciting young players at the School and the future is looking very promising.

"If you are a young rugby player looking to progress your talents and enjoy your rugby then Old Swinford Hospital is certainly a place that can help facilitate this.”