RUGBY

National ‘B’ Division
St Andrew’s Secondary vs Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)
Tuesday, 27 March 2007 at SAJC

Story by Coach Dick Yip. Pictures by Leslie Tan. © Red Sports/soulbreath pictures

Last Tuesday, ACS(I) beat Saints 8-5 in National ‘B’ Division game at SAJC. The two teams will likely meet again in the final.

Hasif of Saints goes down under a tackle by Benjamin Chong of ACS(I). Benjamin also scored his school’s only try of the game. © Leslie Tan/Red Sports

This high-tempo match up between the two in-form sides was played in perfect weather conditions before a packed gallery. Play was evenly balanced in the first half with both sides gaining lots of possession and advancing into each other’s territory, going close to the try lines on some occasions but uncompromising, sturdy defence ensured no breakthrough either way. That was until the 29th minute. From a ruck and a maul on the extreme right flank, in a congested and confused situation, the ball ended up with ACS no 19 Benjamin Chong, who made the 1st try at the right corner in a very tight situation. Fullback Mohd Fadhil failed to convert from an acute angle to leave ACS(I) with a 5-0 lead. Goaded by the home ground support , the Saints pushed up strongly right in front of the goal area. The referee blew for a scrum with Saints having the ball. Their forwards pushed and shoved with all their might as the pack gyrated towards the tryline. Then, a loud blast of the whistle by the referee signalled the sudden end of further action as the first half ended.

During  play and during the break, I noticed many adult supporters from both sides venting their verbal frustrations and unhappiness about the standard of refereeing. Some of these  exasperated gentlemen even approached me, seeing I had a notepad and scribbling notes, to ask why the referee "is blowing and blowing?" and yet "there are so many clear offsides that were missed completely!"



Fadhil of ACS(I) attempts a conversion. © Leslie Tan/Red Sports

The second half started with the hosts, Saints, looking more determined to catch up. They advanced and pressured their rivals in their own half into defensive and handling errors. In the 5th minute, ACS(I) was penalised for a ruck holding offence. Fullback no 15, Daryl Chia missed the penalty kick as the ball sailed past the left post. But Saints continued to pin their opponents in their own half and the pressure paid dividends in the 7th minute when from a scrum breakout near the 22 yard line, Saints’ right winger no 14 Iswan scored the try to level the match 5 – 5.  Saints would have taken the lead had fullback Daryl converted but it was not his day. ACS were again penalised in the 11th minute for a lineout offence and Saints opted for a penalty kick from almost midfield. Up stepped no 21 outside centre Robert to test his skill. His execution was good but the ball flew past the left post. Both sides were focused on preventing breakthroughs as they concentrated more on defence and possession as the game wore on. In the 16th minute, ACS fullback Fadhil, doing an overlap run, nearly got through but as was the case with both sides, there was a lack of support for him to off load the ball to.

The stalemate was broken in the 22nd minute when ACS(I) were awarded a penalty kick on the left flank. Fullback Fadhil again stepped forward, placed the ball gingerly on the cone, took a few steps back, adjusted his angle and line of approach, looked up, looked down and struck the ball firmly. The call was good and ACS led 8 – 5 in these closing minutes. 5 minutes later ACS(I) were awarded another penalty kick for a Saints offside on the left flank. This time the kick missed completely. From this point on till the final whistle, the host went on an all out attack while ACS(I) defended desperately, particularly on their right flank. Saints had all the possession but simply could not find a way through.


Daryl Chia of St Andrew’s gets ready to kick the ball.

There was good support from the alumni of both the schools with many fine, professional looking gentlemen and ladies among the healthy crowd. For many of these senior, elderly supporters, I am sure the sport of rugby is probably only next to religion in its importance in their order of things. Thus I was not at all surprised at the amount of verbal outbursts I heard all directed at the referee’s decisions or perceived shortcomings.The flow of the game, for both sides, was badly affected by the incessant whistle blasts. Most lineouts were followed by a stoppage call which drew looks of, "What? Why?" by those around me at the touchlines. The gentlemen did not look amused at all with the referee’s performance and some were downright angry and had to be restrained by others.

For most of those present that day, I surmise that the match will best be remembered not for the thrills and spills of the day but for a potentially enjoyable classy match that was destroyed by poor handling of the whistle.

Here are some golden words of advice and wisdom from international experts on rugby refereeing. Please do add your comments to improve our collective wisdom if you have any. Feel free to comment also if you wish to share your observations.

1. We want to allow 30 people to enjoy a game of rugby, not be the centrepiece of the match! ( Robert Burns, an IRB referee )

2. The referee may not be God, but for 80 minutes he is bestowed with similar power. And some take this role as LORD a bit too seriously! ( Robert Wagner, a referee)

3. Rugby is essentially a players game. No other sport imposes so little "Big Brother" supervision. The touch judges interrupt play only when the ball is already dead by being out of bounds. The advantage rule is designed to keep play flowing. Basically 30 players are supposed to create their own brand of ordered chaos without interference. Rugby has just 27 laws; 14 related to the manner in which the game is actually played. Consequently, rugby refereeing involves knowing when and how to keep a LOW PROFILE and let players do their own things! ( Rugger- How to play the game)

4 A good referee needs more than just a whistle and a nice jersey. He/She : a) needs to be in good physical condition b) have full knowledge of the game c) must exercise fairness and good judgement d) love the game e) have a healthy respect for and the co-operation of all the players. (Gil Bovard)

More action shots in the Picture Gallery.

 
For a picture story of last week’s game, look here.