Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) win 10th straight A Div rugby title after beating Raffles Institution 3-0
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ACS(I) celebrating their 10th consecutive A Division rugby win after defeating rivals Raffles Institution.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
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SINGAPORE – With a narrow 3-0 win over fierce rivals Raffles Institution (RI) on May 14, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) maintained their vice-like grip on the National School Games A Division rugby title for a 10th consecutive time.
A converted penalty from Rahul Baskar 10 minutes from time was all that separated the sides in a cagey contest at the Ministry of Education (Evans) Stadium.
RI were left gutted, despite having closed the gap on ACS (I) over the last few years.
RI rugby master Tan Mian Ou said: “3-0 is the closest margin we’ve had in the last decade or so (and) it always felt like we were edging closer and closer, but we didn’t manage to get it done and didn’t manage to cross the line today.
“But I’m really proud of the boys, because we have gone from a 34-5 hammering in the group stage against the same opponent and I think there was a lot of courage, desire and fire.
“But such is sport and in life, no matter how close, almost there means not there. We just go back and work harder for next year, as always.”
ACS (I) had several injuries leading up to the National School Games A Division rugby final on May 14.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
Despite being hampered by injuries and having last played on April 21, when ACS (I) thrashed St Andrew’s Junior College (SAJC) 70-6 in the semi-finals, coach Adrian Chong was “just happy” that his charges retained their crown in the lowest-scoring final of their 10-title run.
“Obviously Raffles prepared and played really well... I think the long break didn’t help us, to be honest,” said the 58-year-old, who has coached the school for 26 years.
“We had to get the boys back to the grind again and had to pace ourselves to train for another three weeks for the final, so that was not easy, because I think we were probably past our peak.
“This wasn’t the kind of game that we were hoping for, but just happy that we still managed to clinch the 10th in a row.”
ACS (I) held off early pressure from their rivals as both teams started sluggishly on a muddy pitch.
As the half wore on, RI seemed the likelier to score but were unable to break the deadlock, after missing two penalties.
ACS (I) were hit by injuries to two of their front-row forwards, having already had several players sidelined.
The second half started with some confusion as the teams resumed play without the match officials on the field.
Rahul Baskar scoring the penalty that gave ACS (I) their 10th consecutive A Division rugby title.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
After the sides battled through several scrums following the restart, ACS (I) were awarded a penalty near the halfway line 10 minutes from time.
Up stepped fly-half Rahul, who launched it between the posts for a 3-0 advantage his team would not relinquish.
Said ACS (I) captain Elliot Chan, 18: “This is really a testament to our hard work throughout the whole season. It’s been really long, but I think the boys stayed focused and were determined, and this was the result of it.”
RI captain Liu Zhe Ming, 17, added: “We all just feel really down right now... We all knew that this team was capable of so much more, and we thought that we could finally bring the title back to Raffles after (over) 10 years, but to lose 3-0 just from a penalty kick, it’s really gutting.
“I’m proud to say that even though we’re all disappointed, we walked away with no regrets, and we can look back on this day in the future, knowing that we played our hearts on the field, and that we gave everything.”
In the earlier third-place play-off, Anglo-Chinese Junior College edged out SAJC 12-11.
ACS (I) also retained their B Division title with an 18-15 win over St Andrew’s Secondary School in the final on April 7.
Melvyn Teoh is a sports journalist at The Straits Times.
