Fil-Australian veteran of the Philippine Volcanoes Chris Everingham is set to leave the country in mid-May, Philippine Rugby CEO Jake Letts shared the development through a press release on Tuesday.

“Chris will officially leave our shores in mid-May, and we want to thank him for all his services and time for Philippine Rugby,” Letts bared. 

“He has been instrumental as part of our National Teams support staff, as well as a former national player. His contributions have helped shaped numerous accolades for the Volcanoes, he will surely be missed,” he added.

A native of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia, Everingham made his debut back in 2010 and was suited up in 17 international stints for the national 7s program.  

Everingham became a key cog for the Philippine rugby that became the National Team Management Staff in his post-playing career, assigned to oversee the Strength and Conditioning Program and performance preparation for all National Team Programs.

For the past decade, Everingham ensured there is a continuity of success of the Volcanoes for both the Men’s and Women’s programs, boosting the Unions rankings in both the 15s and 7s programs.

“Philippine Rugby has been one of the sporting vehicles that showed me the world. It gave me the great hero’s journey and crafted who I am. From player to coach to manager, it’s been a complete journey and for this, I am grateful,” he said.

“I want to acknowledge those individuals in the community who planted the Philippine Rugby tree before us so we could all bear its fruit today. I also like to thank the friends and players I’ve been given the blessing to share life with – the coaches and match officials who I’ve learned so much from, and support staff for being the foundation of our team,” he continued.

For the veteran, besides being grateful for the coaches, managers, and staff, he also expressed gratitude for the whole Filipino community who welcomed him from the very start. 

“Thank you to the sponsors and media partners for your contribution in sharing our vision and, of course, thank you to the families, fans, and supporters for the love and care. I hope that all the achievements the national teams have had to this day, and my impact for a legacy towards performance preparation, will be the launchpad for an even greater Philippine Rugby organization,” he expressed.

Everingham will remain as a close resource for the Volcanoes, the Philippine Rugby Football Union wishes him all the best in his new venture in Australia and thanking him for all his dedication, expertise, and support to developing Philippine Rugby over the last decade and more.