Raffles win back crown after edging out ACS(I) with extra-time penalty

Hey OurHero, congrats to you and your son. It appears that yes, you have been fortunate. Hope he enjoys RJC.

On a side note, as a bystander, I cant help but inquire about this remark “When I think about how humble, helpful and good that RJC has been to John, I know now that God does exist because he’s taking care of my son.”

With all due respect to RJC, cant it be said that its not surprising that they would treat John so well? In all fairness, I think its the practical thing to do. Lauding them as saints… is stretching the yard a bit too far, wont you agree? Then again, I wont know and may have come off as overly unfair towards RJ. If I have, I apologise. Perhaps they like John for who he is though one can easily question their intentions

Respectfully,
bystander

Les,

I’m rushing now and will reread my commentary to find your deletions, if it’s not too bad, I won’t ask you to delete all as before, etc.

I really don’t mind receiving allegations about my son here. It can only be from one source, the usual one and we scoff at that source, don’t worry.

I know so much about the issues in the above context that none of your commentators, forum participants can put anything that I can’t easily refute. It’s really my pleasure.

Please see my comment of your recent video. Tks.

check, thanks for your encouragement.

I’ll try to do the following simply, logically and be as unprovocative as I can be although what ‘acs’ put above really turns me off. I’m sorry that I missed his comments 3 weeks ago. I’m a first time commentator to a forum like this one and i’m too old, fat and dumb to keep up adequately with the others here. But I want to clear a few other points first and I do hope going back over some of the old ‘arguments’ doesn’t meet with too much disapproval.

* The ‘acs’ quote above is dated ‘May 27, 2007 at 3:38pm,’ for your reference.

* There were three ac commentators responding emotionally to something that I put, ‘acsi, ‘acs,’ and ‘against cheap shots.’

* I did answer the comment acsi put there above acs but I was rushing that day so I want to go over a few points in his message.

1) Sean Ang and DSA. JC DSA is not done at the end of the year. It’s going on right now in 2007. And there are current ACS(I) Sec 4 ruggers in touch with RJC. In 2005, May 31st was the first day to file a DSA application. The application period ends about mid-June. Afterwards, there is a period of couple of weeks when the JCs review the applications and make offers to the DSA hopefuls. Following this period, the recipients of DSA offers have about two more weeks to confirm, sign an acceptance letter. There is a 2nd Phase, lots of rules concerning the binding commitment, etc., etc. In 2005, the deadline to accept a DSA was about July 15th. Acsi has his dates wrong.

Sean signed the RJC DSA commitment letter. In late Oct, about Oct 23rd there was a Open House at RJC for students other than the Raffles students in the integrated program coming through from RI and RGS to RJC. My son, John, was already committed to RJC but at the Open House address that day by the RJC Principal, I was in attendance. As I described in an earier comment here I described how Sean was surrounded by two ACSI rugby coaches, pretty strange. I was not the only one who had those feelings that day.

On the following day, the Saturday, all the committed DSA students to RJC, all sports, guys and girls plus parents were given a presentation by the RJC Principal. Remember DSA at the JC level was new, so there was a lot of preparation, explanation, questions, etc and excitement. So John and his ACSI colleagues saw their new DSA Rafflesian classmates. Sean didn’t turn up.

On the following Monday around 9am, I was about to enter the General Office at RJC when through the doors came the RJC Principal. He told me immediately that he just received a message from Sean giving up his DSA chance at RJC. The Principal said that that he was most disappointed because the DSA slot that Sean accepted in July could have gone to another applicant.

I know that in that first DSA year, 2005, RJC received hundreds of applications and made offers to only about one out of 13 applicants. I know the exact #s, in fact.

Just to summarize acsi here, he describes the DSA/Sean issue, says that I’m badmouthing the ACSI rugby community and his last point about my son and I being part of the AC rugby community I answered previously.

I don’t badmouth the AC rugby community unless relating what I saw, the facts, is badmouthing. I described the incredible incident of two AC rugby coaches accompanying Sean to the Oct 23rd RJC presentation. I don’t want to draw his one out but I also described earlier that I was a witness at SJI when the AC player got penalized for ‘stomping,’ and that I wrote to the ST trying to defend the boy, ccd the message to Dr Ong who messaged back thanking me and asking if I would serve as a witness, expert if the matter came to some sort of official review. I stated then that my ‘Letter to the Editor’ was posted on the ST as a back up letter so not very effective. What I didn’t say then was that it only got to that back-up, on the webpage status because I kept sending it to the ST and later found someone who knew the Sports Editor of the ST, that person helped me to get my ‘defense’ as far as it got. I did my best to help that rugger, secondarily ACS(I).

Dr Ong, the ACSI Principal and I were, maybe still are correspondents. In May 2006, I sent him a message saying that 5 former ACS(I) ruggers were now starting players for RJC (I stretched the facts concerning Shawn Yam). He messaged back congratulating the boys asking them all to be good representatives of ACSI. I always liked him and still do. He was always good to John and he’s a person concerned with the big issues.

However, I messaged him very clearly, more than once, about the 2 ACSI rugby coaches at the DSA presentation with Sean Oct 23rd at RJC, saying that it was unnecessary, and demeaning to ACSI. I’m sure he reads my messages because he’ll respond sometimes.

Anyway, those coaches are no longer ACSI coaches.

* A few weeks ago, there was an issue in this space about a commentator named ‘sprugger,’ etc.

Scroll up and read some of the comments posted by acsi, he uses the same expressions in his comments that ‘sprugger’ used more recently, ex. HaHa !

‘acsi’ is masquerading here as ‘sprugger.’ And I’m the one with a vendetta vs ACS(I) ? Just more nutty behaviour from some AC commentators to this forum.

* The most important reason for my long commentary here is to respond to ‘acs,’ and his comment, May 27, 2007, 3:38pm. He is taunting me, insinuating something about my son and putting something out that if I don’t respond, then my silence looks like my affirmation of his comments.

If you read his comment he makes these points: that ‘I know why (and he knows) why the ACSI rugby coaches didn’t respond to my inquiry about the IB at ACSI when John was Sec 4,’ ‘that I shouldn’t be badmouthing ACSI rugby coaching,’ and ‘that I/we ‘gave-up’ because nothing was offered, etc.’

If you read the ‘acs’ comments (above) after the recent A Division Final he says that the RJC victory is nothing to brag about, etc., etc. I could comment about his other commennts here but I’m being very lengthy already. He’s just a sore loser.

There were comments earlier about how so many ACS(I) ruggers in 2005 crossed over to RJC.

Anyway, to address his first point and insinuation about ‘what I know (and he knows)’:

2005 was a confusing, different year for ACSI. They were moving into a new school building being build next to the campus, with the IB ACS was about to become a JC, the Sec 4 class was split between O level stream and the Sec 3 and Sec 4 IB boys, then JC DSA was announced by the MOE, ACS(I) lost to SA for the second time in B Division rugby (a big issue at ACSI), etc., etc.

For the non-IB students/parents, it was confusing, also. As I said earlier, I started to think about RJC as an alternative for John in Feb 2005. I was at the ACSI field on a Saturday in February, 2005 and met a former ACSI rugger who crossed over to RJC, J1 there. I asked him why he did so, was he happy, etc., etc.

He gave me the Raffles rugby coach’s tel. #. I called that coach a few days later and we agreed to pick up again things in July, 2005.

In mid-April, SA beat ACS(I) 6-0 in the B Division final game, I wrote about that one and the issues previously, etc.

The night of that defeat, there was a party, ACSI must have been anticipating a victory. I wasn’t there but Dr Ong mentioned that he was going to take in to the IB some O level students, depending on their O level results.

On May 10th, I was reading the ST in the morning and on the front page was the announcement about JC DSA, all the rules, phases, qualifications, etc.

By chance, that same day ACJC was playing SAJC in an A Division game at the previous SAJC campus not far from ACJC. At the time, I was living just behnd ACJC. Wee Ban Bee, your photographer, gave me a lift to that campus to make the 5pm kick off. I had never watched an A Division game other than two previous finals. After the game, as Mr Wee, his son and I were walking to his car, perched up a level scouting the game was the RJC rugby coach and the teacher-in-charge at RJC for rugby.

I urged Mr Wee to introduce me to the RJ coach which he did. Down came the RJ teacher who gave me his mobile #, said he’d call me in a few days, his email address, etc. so I connected with RJC the evening after the JC DSA announcement in the newspaper.

The next day I just went to RJC, not waiting for the teacher’s call and met the PE HOD at RJC and indicated our strong interest in RJC. On the same day I called Dr Ong’s secretary asking for an appt to see him, he was away until Friday so that week on Friday I met Dr Ong and the Head of Sports or PE HOD at ASCS(I). Dr Ong had a copy of my April message slamming the current ACS(I) rugby coaching in his lap. I didn’t come to see him about that issue but I told him that we were in touch with RJC about DSA, that John would consider an IB offer but we had to know asap, etc.

Afterwards, I smsd and called Chong and Deng about John and both said it was about O level results, the same as Dr Ong’s comments, he wanted to see Prelim results. I mentioned this in my previous comments here.

I was not that keen on ACS(I), more excited about RJC, but for John’s sake, to show him that we were giving ACS(I) a chance, I pursued the IB option and was absolutely transparent about all.

Back a few months in 2005, when I mentioned to John about crossing over to RJC, he almost started crying, saying ” I’m an ACS boy, how can I go to RJC when I just spent four years learning to hate Raffles.” Who taught him to hate Raffles at ACS(I), his math teachers or the rugby coaches ?

So this transition period from April through to the end of DSA, in mid-July, 2005 was very difficult for us. John is very simple, straight and good.

As we entered the last week of the acceptance period of DSA, the deadline on a friday, John had the DSA offer from RJC, ACJC and the attempt by HCI to have John apply DSA, we never followed up there.

I asked John what he wanted, I said that Dr Ong has always been good to us.

John said, “No.” I think he had time to think over the prospects of being a Rafflesian and by that time we knew that Thaddeus, Aaron and possibly Sean would be at RJC, also. John ‘gave-up’ ACSI, he chose RJC.

‘acs’ says that we know why the coaches never responded to us, that we didn’t ‘give-up,’ we were never offered, etc.

With DSA and half the ACSI rugby team in the O level stream, I think the rugby coaches including ‘acs’ had to have a priority of players, so I’m assuming that they had higher priority players than John. Prelim results were also very crucial to this O level group for eligibility to the Year 5, IB. Again, it was a transition year for ACS(I), mentioned above, and I think AC IB wanted to take in stronger students.

Furthermore, there were lots of O level stream in the other ACSI sports, I don’t think Dr Ong could give all his ‘available’ places to rugby. Again, it was a cautious, sort of unfolding time at ACS(I).

So with the ACS(I) rugby coaches probably having prefernces and Dr Ong wanting to see Prelim results since most of the O level ruggers were about the same general standard as students, I knew that we would have to wait out things to have a real option in the IB. There was an impending DSA/MOE deadline.

So, ‘acs’ ‘WE’ gave up.

Nothing was offered because once you sign a DSA letter there is a MOE list of signees and there was ‘punishment,’ loss of DSA place if a student tried to accept two letters or do other funny things with the rules.

So once John signed the DSA letter he was in the future no longer an AC student.

In the final quarter of 2005 that handful of O level ruggers who had to show Dr Ong their prelim results were all accepted to the IB, the same group that didn’t play vs RJC in May because it was mostly a J1 IB team(‘acs’ comments above). John said that some had prelim results over 20 points. I think part of the reason why they were accepted was because by late 2005 it was apparent by that time that 3-4 ACS(I) ruggers had crossed over, Shawn Yam came to RJC in March 2006, influenced by the previous ACSI ruggers who moved over. Jed Chua made his interest known in moving to RJC in Oct/Nov 2005 and he was accepted as an ‘Appeal’ candidate in Dec 2005. I should say that there were other Sec 4 ACS(I) ruggers who also wanted to move to RJC at that stage but only Jed was accepted.

* I’m ’rounding the turn now’ and will conclude by addressing the ‘acs’ accusation ‘of having no right to antagonize acs coaching….blah, blah’, above here. This one is really a joke.

1) John was an ACS(I) rugger for 4 years, boarded at ACS(I) for 4 years, I traveled with the ACS(I) team twice on rugby tours to Malaysia, I can’t comment about ACS(I) rugby ??

2) I’m not about to have an ex-ACS(I) rugby coach tell me what I can say or not say especially when he’s taunting me and making insinuations about my son.

3) After John decided to attend RJC in mid-July 2005, the ACS(I) rugby coaches never talked to him again, never talked with me again although we’d pass each other on the ACS(I) campus.

After John started RJC in Jan 2006, I once had a talk with the previous RJ coach, a Brit who earlier in his rugby career here
was some sort of part-time coach at ACS(I), as well.

He told me that the ACS(I) rugby coaches made the worst comments about me and John. He told me what was said but it was so pathetic that I won’t put it here. He put it down to real sour grapes and thanked me for bringing John to RJC because now he had a real winger who would turn upfield and run. RJC had just won the 7th UWC SE Asian JC Level, 10 aside rugby tournament held at UWC in Feb 2006. John scored twice against a vanquished ACJC team, in a RJC 2-0 victory. I had never really talked to that coach but he approached me at the close of that tournament day, confessing the above but thankful that John was at RJC, etc.

On May 17th, the day after the 2006 A Division Rugby Final, the loss to SAJC, I received an email message from ‘the rugby coaches’, saying among other things that John was a lousy rugby player, that he couldn’t play rugby beyond JC, that I was a bad guy, over, and over that RJC was bad, etc., a full page of pathetic non-sense.

I went to the Police in Queenstown, they read the letter concluding that since there wasn’t a threat they’d leave it but they took a copy, saying that if I received another one, they would view it as harrassment and go to ACS(I) to speak with the Principal and coaches.

I forwarded the letter to Dr Ong and his secretary saying that if I receive another one that his rugby coaches will be interviewed by the police in his General Office.

Menwhile, the Principal of RJC knows about all and calls in John at the end of one day to explain what’s going on. So John also knows about the behaviour of his former coaches.

*** Final chapter (hopefully), in March 2006, there was the S’pore Cricket Club Schools 7s tournament on the Padang. John didn’t play on the Saturday afternoon of the weekend event he was taking his Grade 7, ABRSM, Music Theory exam in Toa Payoh. Because he was unavailable for the whole weekend, he was scratched as a RJC player. On the first day, Saturday afternoon, I attended and as I walked through the spectators I heard from AC and SA supporters, “Where’s John ?” I told them about the music exam.

I proceeded to the ‘Results’ Board’ there and up came Lincoln Tan, the ACJC coach. Before he approached me, I hadn’t said more than 10 words to him in 5 years since he used to help out as a coach at ACS(I). I just never had spoken to him.

He asked me the same, “Where is John ?” I explained about the Music Theory exam, etc. I wished him luck and later that afternoon ACJC beat RJC.

That night I received a call from John, Lincoln had called him, don’t know where he got John’s tel. #.

Lincoln wants John to leave RJC and go to ACJC, this is mid-March, 2006. Lincoln doesn’t call me, he calls John whom I don’t think he knew very well.

The next night Chong, the ACS(I) coach calls John (after not talking with him in 9 mos), says he feels bad when he sees John in an RJ rugby outfit, urges John to return to AC, blah, blah. ACJC and ACS(I) are collaborating to get John to leave RJC.

On Monday, Lincoln calls John again saying that he thinks that John is the best JC player in Singapore, that he’ll make John, Captain of the ACJC team.

The next day, I see the Principal and PE HOD at RJC informing them about what’s going on. The RJ Principal is a bit startled when I informed him. I told him not to worry that John’s not going anywhere.

I call ACJC, make an appt to see the ACJC Principal, K. Chan, a saintly woman. We meet, decide that this interference has to cease, that it’s flattering but not healthy for John, ACJC or RJC.

‘acs’ are you going to tell me after the above that I have no right to ‘antagonize’ the acs rugby coaches after the rubbish that John and I have suffered, experienced by these coaches ??

There is more to say here but I’ve run on very long, but…

* Sean Ang and other J2 ACS(I) ruggers. I know the May 23rd ACS(I) loss was hard on the AC supporters. Losing esp. in big games is a big letdown.

But as everyone was milling around that rugby field after the match, Sean, JJ (a non-player now) and Wei Siang (?) were over with the RJ crowd clowning around with Aaron and Thaddeus, grapping each other, taking photos, sticking out their tongues, just having fun. They didn’t look like they were in ‘mourning’ like much of the rest of the ACS(I) team, crowd, students, etc. How much did they care about the loss ?

In 2006, when RJC lost, Thaddeus was out with an injury but after the loss, he went off into the side field crying by himself.

I was there, saw it all. His father gave me a ride home after the 2006 and 2007 games.

* A couple of the current ACS, IB teachers, John’s former teachers made the effort to come over to the RJC crowd after the Final and congratulated him, etc.

* There has been a lot made about the 5 former ACS(I) ruggers and Kevin Neo from SA starting for RJC last month but of the 17/18 players who played for RJC 11 or 12 were from RI/Raffles rugby. Next year year, 5 or 6 of those players will return. Some of the J1 players who didn’t play that day are legitimate, good players.

So May 23rd was in a way a victory for Raffles Rugby not just the JC.

John, Stuart Ho and Zer Han, the #s 12, 13 and 14 are all S’pore U19 players. So when they faced a strong ACS(I) team, J1s, J2s or whatever, that is nothing like playing the U19 teams from Japan, Thailand and Sri Lanka as those boys did in December in Taiwan. I was there on the sidelines, traveling with the team. I saw everything, every minute of play, every practice.

Raffles rugby produces a lot of very good players.

* Thank god that John is at RJC. We are so grateful. When I think about how humble, helpful and good that RJC has been to John, I know now that God does exist because he’s taking care of my son.

* I have been in touch with most admissions offices of the leading US universities, a group of about 20-22 names.

And one thing gets apparent very fast, that’s how well-known RJC is to these people, admissions officers. I can recall three universities’ admissions offices, senior staff saying that they regard RJC as the best pre-university school globally and better than the similar schools in the USA, more good students, more good results, etc although we know there are good students everywhere, but as an institution RJC has a huge reputation.

John is really fortunate. His whole family has the same feelings including John.

Sorry to go on so much, sorry for the typos, awkward language, etc.

The other day I was looking briefly at this forum, sort of still impressed that ‘check’ and ‘RJC’ defended me after ‘sprugger’ tried to put me down, when I saw the message by ‘acs’ that I wish I had dealt with three weeks ago.

I hope that my comments here are not censored or compromised again.

Afterall, I’m the only one here, or one of the few who has revealed his identity.

Thanks

stuart ho and aaron teo. aaron teo is the bigger and taller of the 2. hopefully that helps u les, and hopefully we can get to see the video soon.

and mr wisnioski, please post up your reply, but it’d be good if u could post acs’s question as well.

cheers.

The U-20 Standard Charted league has been around for years, played in it in 96/97/98 when all the clubs had youth sides and it was at that time a club only tournament, from u11 to u20 level.

Its been a bit of a joke in the last few years, drifting from a 6 team league to a few teams coming in and out. SP won it last year against combined schools and this year’s comp with expanded teams has been not too bad so far.

Teams to look out for would be TP, SP , ITE and Combined Schools. Blacks on paper look good, but with many of their members also playing for SP , ITE and combined schools it is debateable how well they will be. Wandeerers might be a dark horse esp with the RI/RJ players, however that will also have problems with the RJ players being selected to play for Combined Schools.

hey les, its the standard chartered u-20 league with teams from singapore poly, temasek poly and other polys, ITEs, several clubs and combined schools participating. not exactly a club based tournament.

sp rugger:

i suggest u check the qualifications of mr wisnioski before u pass a comment about him acting smart.

lol clearly sp rugger has no idea who he is talking to.

sprugger:

Thanks for your message. My message above was the last one about him, put there to provoke someone, tongue-in-cheek, etc.

I can see where it would provoke someone from poly, probably a dropout from SA or AC

check, what’s the make up of the games ? Last year there was a C Division game, 2 ‘Old Boys (?) games’ and 2 Raffles vs SA (Sec 4 and JC players) ? If it’s one date, it’ll probably include the C Division game, plus the 2 Alums games and the SA vs Raffles game. That’s a lot of rugby.