SINGAPORE - Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) retained their Schools' National A Division boys rugby title after beating Raffles Institution (RI) 12-3 on Saturday (May 20).

The two schools met in the final last year with ACS (I) winning 36-3, but it proved to be a much tighter affair final this evening.

Held in the National Stadium for the first time, the ACS (I) boys took off at full steam, powering down the flanks and testing the RI defence. It took eight minutes of non-stop pressure before ACS (I) took the lead from a lung bursting run by forward Isaac Tan.

RI however stood their ground against the swarm of ACS (I) attacks for 14 minutes before the boys in yellow squeezed in a second try to end the first-half 12-3.

The ACS (I) boys then held onto their lead in a scoreless second-half to take home their fourth consecutive title.

The two powerhouses posted emphatic wins in the semi-finals with ACS (I) beating Anglo-Chinese Junior College 35-7 and RI winning Saint Andrew's Junior College 26-7.

ACS (I) captain Joshua Lee commended his opponents' grit: "I was really impressed with the way RI played. I've never seen a team like that play with a will to never give up. They gave all they had so kudos to them."