Story by Koh Yizhe and Renuka Singh. Pictures by Kenneth Chia and Charis Chia.
Sentosa, July 5, 2008 – The Singapore Fun Beach touch rugby Tournament welcomed a motley group of teams earlier this month. From the team that never played or knew the rules of touch rugby, to more professional teams with ex-international players, they were all there. Although they were from different places and had different rugby backgrounds, they all gathered for one purpose: to have fun!
Take the Rockin Elusive Bananas for example. They joined this tournament to relax after their exams. The Raffles JC 2 students said, "This is a great way to de-stress after our exams. It would be great to win it, but the main purpose is to have fun." With their previous experience in touch rugby, that very nearly won it but they just lost out in a close semi-final against SP Burners in the Under-20 category.
The large guys from WMBC are a different kind of team. George, the captain, said, "We are from a drinking club and are brought together by alcohol; we only play casually. The purpose today is to enjoy the beach and have a few beers. If we win, it would be great, if not, our purpose has already been achieved."
Then there are the pros like the Red-Dot Rebels who aim to win. With eight teams in the competition, they placed first and second in the women division and came up winners in the Boys U-20 category. They also had three teams in the semi-finals, with the men's Rebel A team losing in a thrilling final.
Alex of the Rebel A men team said of the Red-Dot Rebels: "We encourage rugby in Singapore by recruiting young players and giving them real experience. We do this by exposing them to local as well as international tournaments, like this one. That's the main purpose of coming here today. Winning is also important, but that is secondary today."
Another team focused on winning is the Bedok Boozers. They sent two teams who went through tough training in preparation of this tournament. Jeneviev Weber, their trainer, said, "Because the rules of beach touch rugby are different from the usual touch rugby, we had to train hard to get use to them. The weekly training routine would include two trainings every week lasting two hours each as well as a match with another team. Through this hard training, we finished in first and second place which we expected to do."
When asked about the tournament, Chris Dyson, Rugby Development Officer and organiser of this tournament, said, "Everyone I asked about the tournament said they enjoyed it and had plenty of fun. That shows the success of this tournament. The whole office needed to be involved to organise this wonderful tournament. It was great that the office also came out to participate, forming two teams in the men's and mix category (SRU and SRU Spartans). Although it is a little disappointing that none of the teams won anything, the main purpose is to have fun; and that is exactly what this tournament is all about!"
Leave A Comment