Redemption for Wesley Choo as Saints defeat ACS (I) in B Division rugby final

SINGAPORE – Four players at the ready behind the try line, the remaining 11 locked in a tight scrum with Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), all St Andrew’s School (Secondary) needed to do to end three years of disappointment and defeat was to hold on.

And they did, as the Saints fended off their archrivals in the dying minutes of the National School Games B Division boys’ rugby final to win 23-19 and spark off wild celebrations from their supporters in the stands.

The victory at the Jurong West Stadium on April 1 was also sweet revenge for the team – they had lost the B Division final in 2025, and C Division titles in 2023 and 2024 to ACS (I).

It was also redemption for Wesley Choo, who had missed the crucial conversion in the C Division final in 2023, when his side were trailing 34-36 to the same opponents. 

Distraught and in tears then, Wesley could not have been happier on April 1, after delivering a flawless performance between the posts with two conversions and three penalties.

“I put all my trust in God, and just trust in God and everything will go according to his plan.” said the emotional 16-year-old. 

After that 2023 defeat, Wesley poured himself into training – the team train three to four times a week – by dedicating extra hours to kicking after each session.

“I’ve been practising a lot, even after team trainings. I’ll be by myself, and my dad would wait until seven or 7.30 pm for me to finish kicking so that I can go home,” he explained.

St Andrew’s captain Joshua Kee, 15, told The Straits Times that the sting of the past three defeats by ACS (I) had fuelled their determination.

He said: “After that C Division loss, most of the team felt quite embarrassed because it was a big loss, 42-24, and it happened in the same stadium, with the same referee as well.

“The team was just determined to prove a point and perform better in the finals.”

The fiery encounter between the rugby rivals had started in ACS (I)’s favour, as Kyler Tay opened the scoring with a try, which was converted by Elliot Ng. This was followed by a second try from Asher Pei, which was also converted as they surged ahead 14-0.

The Saints fought back before half-time, with Eldric The powering down the field to score a try, which Wesley successfully converted to cut the deficit to 14-7 going into the break.

A half-time pep talk by coach Ashraf Nasser worked a treat, as they came out firing with Wesley scoring three penalty kicks for a 16-14 lead.

As the skies opened up in the second half, flanker Oscar Tay’s try put ACS (I) 19-16 ahead with 16 minutes left on the clock. But the see-saw battle was far from over, as the Saints went through with one final try by Chen Siyao and Wesley’s conversion to lead 23-19.

The tension continued to mount on the pitch and in the stands, as ACS (I) threw themselves forward in a last-ditch attempt for a try. With both sides locked in a scrum close to the try line, the brave St Andrew’s defence held on to secure the school’s first B Division title since 2023.

At the final whistle, the defending champions collapsed onto the pitch in disbelief as their supporters cried in anguish, while the white-and-blue in the stands erupted in boisterous celebrations.

Ashraf, who has been coaching the Saints since 2017, said: “I think they went above and beyond expectations. In first 10 minutes, we were rattled a bit, ACS really ran hard at us. But they fixed the situation.

“They wanted to redeem themselves, so it’s a good redemption for them.”

For ACS (I), the loss was a bitter one to swallow, especially for players who had not experienced defeat since they were 13.

Captain Asher, 16, said: “We put in all the effort during training, showing up, putting in the hard work, and the results just really weren’t what we wanted.”

ACS (I) coach Adrian Chong, who has coached at the school for 27 years, added: “I thought we started well, but we didn’t end well. We had our chances to win, but we didn’t take them. That’s quite painful.

“We got too excited… we weren’t composed enough to finish.”