By Melvinder Singh and Bryant Yuen
Muhd farihin (second from left), 16, captain of the Damai rugby team, joins with other B and A Division captains in an oath of sportsmanship and fair play at the National Schools Rugby Symposium. An inaugural Rugby Gentleman’s Award was also announced. (Photo 1 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
St. Andrew’s Secondary, Friday, January 17, 2014 — The inaugural Rugby Gentleman’s Award was announced at the National Schools Rugby Symposium.
Mrs Lucy Toh, National Schools Rugby Convenor and Principal of St Andrew’s Secondary School, said, “We want to encourage more positive sportsmanlike behaviour amongst the players as well as to encourage safe practices while playing.”
Players will be nominated for the award by coaches and teachers-in-charge of the opposing school as well as Match Day Commissioners and referees after the end of each match in the upcoming season. Nominees also must not receive yellow or red cards during the course of the season. Those shortlisted will go through an interview and there will be only one winner in each division.
This award serves to “recognise outstanding acts of sportsmanship and fair play, foster greater camaraderie and spirit between school players,” said Mdm Lee Lai Yong, the Principal of Jun Yuan Secondary School, who introduced the award.
The Symposium was held to create awareness of safety guidelines and procedures among the 12 main rugby schools in Singapore that are competing in the upcoming A and B Division Rugby Championships.
The Symposium was attended by the Principals of the 12 competing schools along with their respective rugby captains and vice-captains. Police Sports Association Rugby Convenor, DSP Poh Keng How, was the Guest-of-Honour.
“The award will be a reminder and something that the boys can strive for as it is an award that is prestigious, that is unique and not in any other game,” said Mdm Lee.
Hailey, captain of the Catholic Junior College rugby team, expressed his support for the launch of the Rugby Gentleman’s Award.
He also felt the move is “a step forward for all the different schools because it encourages them to show more sportsmanship and respect for their fellow competitors.”
“This [award] really does help to bring the level of sportsmanship in rugby up to another level even though in my opinion rugby has one of the highest levels of sportsmanship among sports,” said Mr Don Marcus Kannangara, the teacher-in-charge of rugby at Saint Joseph’s Institution. He added that every school that his team has competed against in the past has shown commendable sportsmanship.
The symposium itself also included an oath-taking by the rugby captains of the 12 schools. The oath encompassed the promise of observing sportsmanship while abiding by the rules and regulations of the game.
Safety was heavily emphasised at the symposium. Mr Azhar Yusoff, an NIE Lecturer and President of SSRUR, elaborated on discipline and safety guidelines and stressed the dangers of not adhering to the safety regulations and the penalties that could follow.
Ministry of Education Rugby Advisor, Mr Gary Ong, said, “The players’ safety is always our top priority and concern as far as the sport is concerned, so it is definitely of utmost priority for all the schools to ensure that the safety of players is always in mind.”
“These standards serve as a guide to all schools, coaches, teachers as well as players of the importance of playing the game safely. Therefore, I would hope all participating schools, officials and players will abide by the rules accordingly,” he stressed.
For St. Andrew’s Junior College captain, Samuel Koh, the game is more than just about winning.
“Rugby is also not all about winning. For me, it is also about building relationships with one another, fostering trust among teammates, displaying sportsmanship and gentlemanly character and of course bringing glory to my school,” he said.
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