RUGBY

Polytechnic-Institute of Technical Education (POL-ITE) Games 07

To view fixtures, click here.

Preview by Muhammad Hannan.

The four Polytechnic and the Combined ITE teams have been working hard to compete for glory and bragging rights in this year’s POL-ITE (pronounced ‘polite’) Rugby Championship. The rugby championship will run from December to January 08 compared to the October to November schedule of the previous year. Furthermore, after playing only one game, a three-week break in the fixture schedule to accommodate the National U-20 players participating in the December Asian Rugby Tournament will test the mental and physical preparation of each team.

The first game commences today, Tuesday, 4th December, with Temasek Polytechnic taking on Ngee Ann Polytechnic at 4.30pm, at Yio Chu Kang Stadium. (All fixtures are scheduled to be played at Temasek Polytechnic but the field is not ready.)

Here’s a preview of each team.

Singapore Polytechnic

With a change in the coaching staff, many may find the defending champions weaker as they undergo a change in playing style. However, with the number of past and present national age-group players in the ranks, this is one team the neutrals should not write off and a consecutive championship title is possible. Will Singapore Polytechnic be the first team to successfully defend the title?

Players to Watch: Hadizan Jamaan, Sanjay Pandey, Marah Fahmy, Ashraf.

Temasek Polytechnic

Temasek were the 2005 Champions and last year's first runners-up. Playing on home ground for the third year running, Temasek Polytechnic definitely have an edge over the other teams, having the luxury to train on the field on a regular basis. With a good core of the players playing regularly in this year's National Rugby Championship, the team packs more firepower than they did last year. Could a repeat of 2005 be possible for the host school?

Players to Watch: Gaspar Tan, Harresh Krishnan, Ben Fong, Farij.

Ngee Ann Polytechnic

In the first year of the POL-ITE Rugby championship, The Rhinos had the best team on paper but were not able to translate their power to the field and are still hunting for their first medal. Just like Singapore Polytechnic, the Rhinos have undergone a change in coaching staff. Playing a friendly with the Singapore Cricket Club Colts as part of their pre-tournament preparations, the Rhinos will look to draw first blood come 4th December in the opening match with Temasek.

Players To Watch: Nabil, Nigel Lum.

Republic Polytechnic

Republic Polytechnic are the weakest team in the championship with the least amount of rugby experience having not participated in the IVP competitions previously. A young team, the team has progressed well over the past two years as they have proven with good performances in previous POL-ITE championships. Keeping off the bottom of the table would be an achievement for the Republic team.

Players To Watch: Hussein, Suhaimi.

Combined ITE

The Combined ITE team are the dark horses of the championship after winning the bronze in the past two seasons. ITE are a team that command much respect because arranging training sessions is a challenge in itself as the players aren't from the same ITE. Many have different schedules and the coach relies on weekend trainings for a full team run. Previously, obtaining a field to train was tough. However, this time around they are making full use of ITE Simei's field for training purposes.

Players To Watch: Md. Imran, Wong Say Hai, Md. Azzeri, Md. Fathur, Md. Jamil.

In the end, it all boils down to this – four games to win the POL-ITE rugby championship.

FIXTURES:

Date – Day – Time – school vs school – Venue

YCK – Yio Chu Kang Stadium
NP – Ngee Ann Polytechnic
TP – Temasek Polytechnic
SP – Singapore Polytechnic
RP – Republic Polytechnic
ITE – Institute of Technical Education

4th December 2007 – Tuesday – 4.30pm – NP vs TP – YCK
4th December 2007 – Tuesday – 6.00pm – SP vs RP – YCK

3rd January 2008 – Thursday – 4.30pm – SP vs NP – tbc
3rd January 2008 – Thursday – 6.00pm – ITE vs TP – tbc

8th January 2008 – Tuesday – 4.30pm – ITE vs SP – tbc
8th January 2008 – Tuesday – 6.00pm – TP vs RP – tbc

12th January 2008 – Saturday – 4.30pm – RP vs ITE – tbc
12th January 2008 – Saturday – 6.00pm – TP vs SP – tbc

date and time to be confirmed – Republic Poly vs Ngee Ann Poly – tbc

date and time to be confirmed – ITE vs Ngee Ann Poly – tbc