Story by Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports. Photos by Lim Yong Teck and Lee Jian Wei/Red Sports
Kamen Tang (#1) of Anglo-Chinese Junior College tries to break away from a RI tackle. He scored the final and winning try of the game. (Photo 1 © Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports)
PESEB, Monday, May 11, 2015 — Down 8–12 and with less than two minutes to play, Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) needed a try to turn the tide of the game. Kamen Tang (#1) answered, scoring the clutch try off a ruck near Raffles Institution’s (RI) try line.
The ACJC vice-captain’s big play, coupled with the conversion by Jaren Heng (#10), pipped RI 15–12 for third place in the National A Division Rugby Championship.
This is ACJC’s first top-four finish after a two-year absence. They were the champions in the Plate Championship in 2013 and 2014.
“It was all thanks to the team’s effort,” said Tang (#1).
“Rugby is a team sport. We train together, we die together, we shed blood together. Honestly, the try was not just by me; it was by the 15 players on the field. We pushed our hearts out and we came back.”
He added, “Although we were disheartened in the first half, AC rugby has always been about making comebacks. We will not give up till the very end, and this is what our values are.”
Defensive lapses bugged ACJC throughout the game, allowing RI to hold a four-point (7–3) advantage at the half, after a try and a conversion by Ivar Johann Lassesen (#6) and Christopher Mak (#10).
ACJC’s defensive woes continued in the second half as they conceded another try to RI’s Koh Teng Chun (#23) in the 49th minute. To make matters worse, a lack of communication between the ACJC forwards cost them two try attempts.
After a line-out near RI’s try line, an undaunted Brandon Nathanael Beng (#11) stepped up, and powered through four RI defenders for the try, reducing the deficit to just four points (8–12).
With just under two minutes to go, a more aggressive ACJC forward pack managed to force a scrum near RI’s try line. After a ruck, Tang (#1) took advantage of his size against the smaller RI defenders and powered home the game-winning try.
“We gave up a few crucial possessions in the first half, so we had to change our game in the second half, and that helped us a lot more,” said ACJC coach Lincoln Tan.
“The credit must go to the boys. They just wanted to win it.”
Score by Half
RI vs ACJC
1st half: 7–3
2nd half: 5–12 (12–15)
Scorers
RI
Ivar Johann Lassesen (#6) – 1 try
Koh Teng Chun (#23) – 1 try
Christopher Mak (#10) – 1 conversion
ACJC
Tang Mun Hei, Kamen (#1) – 1 try
Beng Zhe Wee Brandon Nathanael (#11) – 1 try
Jaren Heng (#10) – 1 penalty, 1 conversion
RI Roster
Keith Tay (#1), Foo Jih Shenn (#2), Kim Do Kyum (#3), Shawn Paul Fredrick (#4), Ivar Johann Lassesen (#6), Ryan Sek (#7), Park Chang Kyu (#8), Isaac Goh (#9), Christopher Mak (#10), Soh Qi Xu (#11) , Shant Sin (#12), Cleven Loh Kai Wen (#13), Muhammad Ridhwan (#14), Harish Rai (#15), Russell Tan (#17), Fang Jun Tao (#18), Remus Lai (#20), Zhang You Sheng (#21), Daniel Tan (#22), Koh Teng Chun (#23), Mustafa Siddiqui (#26), Tishya Khanna (#28), Shreyash Hemanthbabu (#29), Khoo Jun Yuan, Lai Jin Hoe, Tan Wei Han, Zakir Nasruddin
ACJC Roster
Tang Mun Hei, Kamen (#1), Nickolas Tan Jian Meng (#2), Chia Zhi Xuan (#3), Wang Wei En, Jerry (#4), Michael Takaaki Leong (#5), Douglas Wei Jing Allwood (#6), Wee Hong Lin (#7), Hu Yi Liang Joseph (#8), Anders Quah Shi Kang (#9), Jaren Heng (#10), Beng Zhe Wee Brandon Nathanael (#11), Tan Ee Shuen Scott (#12), Jared Tang Shao Kuang (#13), Alaistair Wong Choong Shin (#14), Inoue Toshikazu (#15), Sujandren S/O Alaghimanvalan (#16), Richard Ng (#17), Muhammad Aliff Karya Johari (#18), Park Gun Ha (#19), Voon Min Shen Marcus (#20), Khoo Li Jie Nicholas (#21), Ivan Ng Jun Jie (#22), Teo Hua-Xin, David (#23), John Alec Mendoza Branzuela (#24), Andre Quah Shi Zhang (#25)
National A Division Rugby Championship — fixtures and results
More photos next page
Leave A Comment