SINGAPORE'S Under-19 rugby team are one win away from joining the top tier of the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) tournament.

The side beat the Philippines 28-7 in Manila on Wednesday in a division two semi-final clash, thanks to tries from Shane Tay, Maverick Lim and Faddil Syed.

Captain Malcolm Samuel was pleased with his side's strong start, having led 20-7 at the interval. The Singapore Polytechnic student said: "We were focused from the start and led in the first 20 minutes. The job is not done yet and we are looking forward to the big game."

The youngsters will square off against Thailand in Saturday's all-important final. Victory secures promotion to division one alongside South Korea, Chinese Taipei and Sri Lanka. It will also enable Singapore to participate in qualifiers for the Junior World Rugby Trophy in 2016.

History is on the Republic's side as they had beaten the Thais 24-7 in a division two match last year.