ACS(I) complete National School Games rugby grand slam with C Division triumph

SINGAPORE – Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) C Division rugby captain Asher Pei knows the pressure of competing in a final all too well.

In 2023, he and his teammates narrowly edged out St Andrew’s Secondary School 36-34 in the National School Games (NSG) C Division final after their opponents missed a crucial conversion. Although thrilled with the victory, Asher was determined that the team would not be put in a tight spot again.

Before the start of the season, the Secondary Two student – who plays as an inside centre – stressed the point to his teammates, and repeated it before the final on Aug 26.

His message was definitely well received, as ACS(I) notched a dominant 42-24 victory before a crowd of nearly 1,000 supporters at the Jurong West Stadium.

The C Division win completes the 2024 grand slam for the school, who picked up the A and B Division titles earlier in the season. It also marked their seventh consecutive C Division title since 2016 – there were no competitions in 2020 and 2021 owing to the pandemic – and their 25th overall, having reached every C Division final since 1993.

Asher, 14, who contributed two tries in the final, said: “We wanted to show everyone what we are really made of and that resulted in the strong start. We knew we have been better than our opponents so the pre-match talk from me to the team was about telling them to play hard and live up to what we have showed so far in the competition.

“Everyone was super motivated. We wanted to make sure as well that we would not be complacent... I am really proud of everyone for playing hard and well from the start to now.”

Teammate Kyler Tay, 14, added: “On the way here to the Jurong West Stadium, you could tell everybody was focused on doing the job. Usually the bus would be noisy and everyone would be full of energy but there was just silence, everyone had their earphones in and just preparing mentally.”

The boys in blue and yellow had dominated the NSG competition from start to finish, heading into the final having scored 309 points and conceding only 20. And so even as the Saints delivered a gutsy haka just before kick-off, there were no nerves in the ACS(I) ranks as they had the psychological advantage from a 49-11 victory over their rivals in the pool round.

By half-time, ACS(I) had raced to a 28-10 lead, before wrapping up the victory 42-24 in the next period.

Saints coach Sam Chan rued their slow start, adding: “In the first half, we did not really stick to the game plan, we did not move up the pitch enough to deny them the space and we missed a lot of tackles. In the second half, we did better. We had about five starters who are in Sec 1 and they will still be around next year, so now it is about bringing forward the experience.”

While ACS(I) coach Adrian Chong, who is in charge of their A, B and C Division teams, noted that “our discipline could have been better” as they “gave away unnecessary penalties and got some yellows”, he was also quick to praise his young charges.

He also credited the parents, his fellow coaches, school staff and his players for the dream treble.

He added: “I’m just very blessed that we have got very supportive leaders in the school, as well as parents, who put their heart and soul into supporting our cause. It really takes a village to have this kind of success. We have consistently made the C Division final, which is something we are extremely happy and proud of.”