Of rugby moms, punches and… oh yes, rugby

By Leslie Tan/Red Sports

Saints Chan Mingqi (face to camera) and Daniel Chua celebrate their victory over ACJC last week. Will they have something to cheer about tomorrow? (Photo © Leslie Tan/Red Sports)

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and St Andrew’s Junior College won their respective semi-finals earlier this week in the National A Division Rugby Championship and will face off against each other tomorrow in the final.

SAJC beat Anglo-Chinese Junior College in a close and exciting game for neutrals while ACS(I) saw off Raffles Junior College in a slugfest of a semi-final.

As expected, once the on-field battle was over, the off-field battle began – between readers. The arguments in the comments section of both stories showed an intensity that matched the play on the pitch. It got to a point where even mothers got involved, with Blandon’s mom kindly offering tea to anyone who came over to say hi to her tomorrow at the Padang. As we all know, don’t mess with people’s momma.

Readers also had a bit of an argument over the issue of punching. Said “Old Rugger”: “An old RI boy expressed that he was "disgusted and ashamed" with RJC's number 17 & 28. They were more interested in boxing than rugby. RJC's 28 was punching away at ACSI players from the side of the scrum in front of the stand and lineman. Somehow the lineman was talking to the RJC's coach and did not see it; while the referee was at the other side of the scrum.”

That of course triggered a response. “Old SA Boy” said: “There are more than punches that go on in rugby, in fact, in any sport. If sports people can’t handle the heat, then stick to playing something like Chess/Scrabble.”

That of course, triggered a robust response from “Old Rugger” who said: “I believe that Rugby being a contact sports does not justify punching and stomping. Just because the referee did not see it, does not justify that it is right to do it; because you get away with it. Just because punching and stomping is a common practice for some schools does not legitimize it. Just because you watch some big Rugby stars doing it, does not mean you should do it.”

“Old Rugger” continued: “Is there a need to punch and stomp? I agree that "you take some, you give some," but you do not intentionally punch and stomp an opponent. Rugby is a gentleman game but it is sad that certain schools do not buy into this philosophy.”

And then of course, there is the rugby. After the semi-final between RJC and ACS(I), Kevin Neo of RJC had this to say of the game: “I think my team realised from the start that the most vital thing we had to do throughout the game was to apply pressure on the opponents’ defence, and I believe we did that very well. As things turned out, the AC defence didn’t know how to manage it as we kept coming, and they just continually fanned out their defence hoping to stop our pick-and-gos. They were mostly on the backfoot during these instances. We contested hard in the rucks, and this made it hard for them to retain possession of the ball in the tight play. Our mauls kept them on a constant back foot, and though they did put in a lot of effort to stop the advance, they left small spaces along the sides of the mauls which we utilised to score our tries.”

“I think it was crucial that we put in that first 3 points just before the end of half-time, as it was in a way a moral booster for us. Half time allowed us to really regroup and get stuff sorted out. I believe that it was from there that we really brought the game to them. Following that, i think that the last ten minutes were key to how the game would turn out, as I remember the team (RJC) camping in the AC half throughout nearly the entire of the last half.”

RJC fought back from 3-12 down and were only a try away from a win. They ran out of time and fell 13-17 to ACS(I).

With the big final around the corner, the ACS team are going through their normal routine in preparation. Said ACS(I) coach Jock Tiernan: “ACS will be doing nothing out of the ordinary with regard to preparation for the final. The players are still at school and they will be following the normal training: Tuesday, Thursday and Sat morning with a swim recovery/ice bath session on Friday.”

When asked what he thought were SAJC’s strength, Coach Jock said: “Under the new coaching panel, SAJC we believe, will maintain the existing strengths that were in place under Gene Tong and develop a flowing game using both their forwards to secure the ball and the backs to run it. It should be a good contest with the two teams striving to throw the ball wide and do so at amazing speed. They have a very strong line out with Arthur throwing with 80% accuracy this year. They will look to strive to move that ball wide from that phase and no doubt try to run outside our back line.”

Many eyes will be focused on both teams tomorrow. But in the battle for victory, a rugby mom had the best advice. Said RugbymomX: “Sports is about perseverance, endurance, discipline and belief. It’s not just about winning! Sure, success is sweet, most coveted. Everyone knows how to bask in its glory. But true winners are those who know how to accept the loss graciously, overcome the defeat and turn it into an enriching learning experience. This will eventually make them stronger and more resilient in life. Proverbs says : "BEFORE HONOUR IS HUMILITY". So lets promote the true meaning of sports.”

The game will take place at 4:30 p.m., Monday, May 12, at the Padang.