SINGAPORE – The Singapore women’s rugby team had to settle for silver despite a valiant effort in the South-east Asia Sevens final against traditional powerhouses Thailand, losing 22-7 at the Singapore Sports Hub on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts had earlier beaten the Philippines and Laos to finish second in the group stage, which was held at Jurong West Stadium on Friday, to qualify for the final. Thailand had topped the group stage after beating Singapore 19-5.
Singapore captain Victoria Chew said: “For most of us, it was our first time playing a home tournament, so the adrenaline and excitement definitely helped us to step up when opportunities presented themselves.
“We trained about four to five times a week for this tournament and had a lot of expectations to get into the final. I think we did great taking one game at a time. We trusted the process and the outcome took care of itself.”
The Republic will now prepare for the upcoming Asia Rugby Sevens Series, to be held from August to October, in multiple countries. In between that tournament, the team will also ramp up preparations for September’s Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Chew, 24, added: “Right now, we just want to keep building upon our recent experiences, like in the SEA Sevens. We’re aiming towards consistency each time we step onto the field, whether or not it’s a major game. We want to play each game like it’s the final.”
The men’s team lost 12-7 to Malaysia in their semi-final on Friday and narrowly missed out on a place in Saturday’s final, which was won by Chinese Taipei. They clinched bronze by beating Thailand 26-7.
Coach Suhaimi Amran said: “We were gutted losing to Malaysia in the semi-finals at the last second. However, my boys came back with a strong fighting spirit against Thailand.
“Playing the SEA Sevens can only aid us in preparation for major Games like the SEA Games and Asian Games. It has given us real tournament experience that you can’t replicate in training.”
Rugby Sevens was removed from the SEA Games line-up at the Hanoi edition in 2022 and will not feature in the upcoming May 5-17 Cambodia Games. There are, however, plans to reinstate the sport for future Games.
Suhaimi added: “We hope to remain in the top six in Asia for both the Asia Sevens series and in the Asian Games for both our men and women’s teams.”
The SEA Sevens was held in conjunction with the HSBC Singapore Sevens. Defending champions Fiji entered the Cup quarter-finals despite a pool-stage loss to Samoa and will face France on Sunday.
The other last-eight clashes see Argentina taking on Australia, New Zealand facing Britain and the Samoans meeting Uruguay.
South Africa, champions here in 2004 and 2019, finished third in Pool A after losses to Australia and New Zealand and were relegated to the ninth-place play-offs.
Sunday’s Cup quarter-finals:
Samoa v Uruguay (12.18pm), Argentina v Australia (12.40pm), France v Fiji (1.02pm), New Zealand v Britain (1.24pm)
