By IANS,
New Delhi : India went down 12-34 to the Philippines in the HSBC Five Nations Rugby Tournament (Division II) at the Delhi University grounds here Saturday.
As a result, Division II winners the Philippines will be promoted to Division I while China, who finished fourth in the tournament after losing to Thailand 3-56 Saturday, will be demoted to Division III.
India, who defeated favourites China 94-0 in their tournament opener Wednesday, began on a strong note in the final with Surinder Singh scoring a try in the opening minutes of the match. However, the Philippines bounced back with five straight penalties before Matt Saunders helped the visitors finish the first half with a lead of 22-7.
The Philippines carried the momentum in the second half, adding 12 more points while India could only manage another try through Surinder Singh again.