Singapore Women's Rugby

Singapore Win Plate in Borneo & Keep Faith for Asian 7s

2011-09-27T18:55:00.000+08:00

27 September 2011

Singapore came away Plate Winners in the Asia Pacific Women's 7s 2011 after a hard fought final against the Cook Islands in Borneo over the weekend. It was a remarkable turn around for the republic who had lost to the same team in the pool stages by the largest margin in their campaign and sweet revenge for the sudden death one-try defeat in last year's Plate Finals.

Pooled with Samoa, Hong Kong and the Cook Islands, Singapore had a slow start to the tournament with a 34-5 penalty-ridden loss to Cook Islanders in their first game notwithstanding a last-gasp try by Tan Hui Juan. The second pool game saw a better Singapore side which nearly edged Samoa in the 12-10 loss as Wong Yilin and Lim Li Yan got their names on the scoresheet. A 28-5 victory by Hong Kong in the final pool game placed Singapore at the bottom of their group which meant a cup quarterfinal play-off against China who topped the other pool comprising Papua New Guinea, Malaysia and Tonga.
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Singapore Women's 7s Squad For Borneo Selected

2011-09-08T11:16:00.002+08:00

8 September 2011

Singapore Women's 7s coach, Danny Tauroa, has made his team selection for the Asia Pacific Women's Sevens 2011 which will be held at the same time as the second leg of the Asian Rugby Seven Series in Borneo.

Singapore stunned Samoa and Tonga in last year's tournament with successive wins over the larger islander teams in the pool stages and the quarterfinals respectively before falling to Papua New Guinea in the semifinals last year. The republic narrowly lost out on third placing in a nail-biting sudden death Plate finals against The Cook Islands.
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Hong Kong Dominant in Home Ground Display

2011-05-24T14:13:00.006+08:00

Photo courtesy of Gloria Cheung

24 May 2011

by Lee Pei Qi

Having improved their score against Japan last week, the Hong Kong team took their game up another level by beating Singapore with a resounding score line of 53-8.

Fielding a team comprising mainly of new faces, the Singapore team never had a chance during the game of showing down the home team.

The game started off positively for the visitors with an aggressive defense line chasing after they kicked off, however the power and determination of the Hong Kong forwards took its toll on them early on in the game.

The physicality of their Hong Kong opponents seemed to have taken the Singapore defense by surprise when they repeatedly committed three or more players to take on a single Hong Kong forward.
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Singapore vs Hong Kong Preview

2011-05-19T09:09:00.011+08:00

Picture by Richard Seow

19 May 2011

by Wang Shao Ing

After ruminating on their recent loss to Japan, Hong Kong’s hard-hitting open-side flanker, Royce Chan, remarked that her side committed too many to the contact area, due in no small part to the physicality of the game. "This allowed Japan to have an overlap in numbers” Chan explains.

Hong Kong has never beaten Japan in test match since both sides first locked horns in 1998. The 15-0 loss to Japan three weeks ago is as close as they have gotten and a far cry from the 78-0 pummeling in the World Cup Qualifiers in 2005. Still, Chan suggests that the Japanese squad that traveled to Hong Kong three weeks ago was probably not Japan’s strongest suit.
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Bedok Kings Skyllas make history with win

2011-03-15T11:43:00.003+08:00

Photo by Lawrence Ang

15 March 2011
by Wang Shao Ing

Bedok Kings Skyllas made history at CCAB on Saturday with a 15-10 win over Blacks A in extra time. It would be the first time since the Women’s XV league started that Blacks RFC have not held the championship.

It’s been a rough few months for the Skyllas as they were booted out from Singapore Recreation Club but the move to Bedok Kings has changed their fortunes. Now coached by Mohamed Zaki and led by new skipper, Sophie Gollifer, the team has demonstrated positivity in their game and are now the new champions of the Guinness Singapore Rugby Women’s XV League 2011.
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GSR Week 4: Bedok win leaves Blacks B & Bucks with everything to play for

2011-03-09T14:11:00.006+08:00

9 March 2011
by Ang Weiyi & Wang Shao Ing

Despite being greeted by the presence of a threatening skyline covered with looming grey clouds, spirits were not dampened on both sides as Blacks B dusted off their bus journey from Singapore to face the Dingoes.

The Dingoes wasted no time in displaying their strength at their forwards when they managed to turnover a scrum awarded to Blacks B. The evidently smaller Blacks B pack showed their determination not to be undermined and turned over the next Dingoes scrum with a concerted drive. Tabitha Fong from Blacks B utilised the change in possession with her boot to gain territory.

What seemed like an exciting match unfolding was halted abruptly due to nearby lightning and a heavy downpour. A 45 minute break gave both teams ample time to re-group and strategise. The hiatus and wet weather did not mollify the teams as both sides resume play with added vigour.

Dingoes forwards gained attacking momentum as they punched through Blacks B’s defense. With a steady lineout, the Dingoes gave their back line a good platform to launch their attack. As both sides traded penalties, neither side managed to dominate play after the break.

Blacks B had a few opportunities on attack and managed to out-number their opposition but the Dingoes were quick to close in on the Blacks B backs. The valiant fight put up by both teams saw the game draw to a close after 33 minutes at a nil-nil tie.

Over in Singapore, Bedok Kings Skyllas sealed their place in the final with a resounding 56-0 win over Bucks RFC. The writing was on the wall by the end of the first half when Bedok made six of their ten-try haul.

Indiscipline at the breakdown saw Bedok skipper, Sophie Gollifer, binned for a team offence but the defence of the Bedok held fast. Bucks had a few opportunities through their pack but could not retain possession for the enough phases to convert their pressure to points.

Bucks held the Skyllas well for twenty minutes after the break but Bedok exposed their defensive weaknesses out wide and Gollifer nabbed a hat trick with both Nahdiah Ahmad and Angela Zheng coming close scoring two tries a piece.

A win is needed for Blacks B tonight in their game against Bucks to see them placed a commendable third on their debut in the league and Bucks want to win this to have something to show for their season which started out well but has since seen them slide down the rankings.

Related Links:

Match Statistics - Week 4

GSR Week 4 Preview: Finals Spots still up for Grabs

2011-03-04T16:45:00.001+08:00

4 March 2011
by Wang Shao Ing

Blacks A and Bedok Kings Skyllas met in a cliff-hanger on Wednesday in their rematch of the week 1 game which was rained-off and the finals are now anything but certain.

Blacks A got onto the score board first with Amanda Teo touching down. But a lapse in the Blacks A defence in their half cost them and the Skyllas struck back through Katherine Bergeron who completed her line break with a chip, chase, catch past Blacks A's last line of defence to even the score. Karen Yeoh converted the same to put Bedok 7-5 up at the break.

Blacks A found more possession and territory in the second half through the boot of Eunice Tay which tested the Skyllas back three who were finding trouble fielding Tay’s prying kicks. Blacks A were rewarded with two tries from the pressure with a score from Gina Tan and Samantha Teo, whose charge down of a clearance by Esther Phua paid handsomely. Wong Yilin successfully converted one of the two to take the score to 17-7.

However, the inexperience and imprecision of the Blacks A pack showed as the Skyllas dominated the lineouts. Operating with just one pod, Bedok were aerially superior with Koh Mei Giet finding Sophie Gollifer on their own throws and the latter pinching enough opposition throws to keep her side out of trouble in their half.

Indiscipline and fatigue crept into the Blacks game whilst the Skyllas stuck to their guns and Annabel Woo soon made it 17 -12 for her side. The last quarter of the game saw Blacks A defending in their 22 and with the clock ticking, a play by Woo and Gollifer from the scrum put Angela Zheng into space on the blind for an equalizer.

Blacks A are still top of the board and have completed all their pool games. Bedok may yet knock the four-time champions off their perch to take top spot if they can beat Bucks by more than 58 points this weekend but victory over Bucks with less than that margin would still guarantee them a place in the finals.

With two games in hand Bucks stand a chance of making the playoffs if they can win both their remaining games or at least draw one of them whilst chalking up enough on the scores to pip the Skyllas on points. If they are to do this, they will need Lewis or more verve in their backline play as whilst the might of their forward pack is without question, the difference between first game win and second game loss has not only been the opposition but the absence of a penetrator in their backline to capitalize on the possession provided by their forwards.

RSC plays Blacks B on 5 March 2011 and Bedok Kings Skyllas meets Bucks RFC on 6 March 2011.

Related Links:

Match Statistics - Week 3

GSR Week 3: Blacks A & Bedok On Track

2011-02-28T11:55:00.010+08:00

28 February 2011
by Wang Shao Ing

Both Blacks A and Bedok Kings Skyllas came away winners this weekend with comfortable victories against Royal Selangor Club and Blacks B.

It was by no means business as usual for Blacks A on Saturday as the back line creaked for much of the first half. Although Blacks enjoyed more possession than the Dingos, a myriad of handling errors kept them in their own turf for much of the game. But the Dingos were unable to contain the runners out wide and Chan Jiayu and Lim Li Yan got points on the board for their side before the break.

Lim added another try just after half time and Christabelle Lim took advantage of a broken Dingos defence off the restart to add to bring the score to 22-0 in Blacks A’s favour. The Dingos indiscipline cost them dearly as they conceded a host of penalties and Priscilla Humphries touched down for Blacks A off a scrum close to the Dingo’s try line. Amanda Teo and Samatha Teo also added to the points haul and a poorly aimed kick by the Dingos gave the latter another break and try before the close of the game to bring the score to 46-0.

On Sunday, Bedok Kings Skyllas started their game brightly with two tries from Angela Zheng in the first twenty minutes of the game. Blacks B's defence out wide was in tatters as the Skyllas ran in another two tries before the half with Katherine Bergeron and Annabel Woo getting their names on the score sheet. Blacks B threatened the Skyllas try line just once with a chip from fullback Leung Wai Man on a break but otherwise Blacks found themselves in the own half for much of the game.

With Eunice Tay at the helm in the second half, Blacks B found a few more attacking opportunities but the Skyllas defence held fast. With the Skyllas pack dominating the scrums and lineouts, their backline got plenty of clean ball and the possession was not wasted as Zheng doubled her first half tally with another two tries after the break. Amanda Chua and Tan Sze Yin also touched down to give the Skyllas a 46-0 victory against Blacks B.

Bedok Kings Skyllas will replay the week 1 match against Blacks A on 2 March 2011.

Related Links:

Match Statistics - Week 3

GSR Week 2: Blacks A vs Bucks - A tale of two halves

2011-02-18T17:13:00.006+08:00

Photo by Debbie Tan

18 February 2011

by Wang Shao Ing

Blacks A put their lack luster performance last Saturday behind them last night and played out a 54 – 17 win against Bucks. It took Blacks A less than five minutes to break the tie and the Bucks backline defence was scrambling for much of the first half.

With the versatile Tan Hui Juan moving from No.8 to in-centre, the Blacks outside backs were unleashed by Tan where they were stuttering six days ago. The absence of flash backline moves just served to illustrate how underrated the simple skill of draw and pass and support play is sometimes. Amanda Teo clamed a hat-trick, Chan Jiayu touched down twice and Lim Liyan scored a well-deserved try.

But it was not all Blacks as Bucks captalized on Blacks A handling errors off the kick-off to make in-roads in to the Blacks half. Twice the Bucks forwards threatened to score with their pick and go strategy but the ball was turned over just shy of the try line. The sides went into the half with Blacks up 34-0.

It looked like it was going to be more of the same in the second half when Blacks put in three tries within 10 minutes. Two tries from Clarissa Lim down the same side of the field in open play and a brilliant individual effort from Samantha Teo from a loose ball at the scrum put Blacks nearly a half century ahead at the 50th minute.

However, for the next twenty minutes, Blacks A’s discipline folded and they conceded a whole slew of penalties which presented the hungry Bucks forwards with the perfect opportunity to stamp their authority. Blacks A gambled on running the ball from their try line and the handling error near their in-goal area cost them as Andrea Koh, led the charge from her pack.

Things were going to get worse for Blacks A as a string of consecutive infringements led to a penalty try being awarded. Bucks took the tap for almost every penalty awarded to them in the second half, leaving no doubt as to their intentions.

Blacks A thought they might have had the final say, when a break from Tan in the Bucks half put Teo through for her second try. But once again, Blacks A were made to pay for the penalty count and Koh put the ball down for her side just before full time to bring the final score to 54-17.

Related Links:

Match Statistics - Week 2

GSR Week 1: Bucks signal intent with home win against RSC

2011-02-16T12:22:00.015+08:00

photo by Emil Halim

14 February 2011

by Wang Shao Ing

Mother nature emerged the winner in the opening match of the Guinness Singapore Rugby Women's XV 2011 between Blacks A and Bedok Kings Skyllas as their first meeting in six months was abandoned after lightning threatened the close affair just after the half.

The encounter looked to be a tight one as the game remained scoreless until the 35th minute when Blacks A drove over the line following a series of penalties conceded by the Skyllas.

Blacks A might have edged Bedok Kings on possession and opportunities in attack which they failed to finish but play on both sides was lack luster and ridden with handling errors and penalties. Based on the regulations, this match will have to be replayed and Blacks A will no doubt look to improve their lineouts and decision making in the backline whilst the Skyllas need to find a way of playing the game out of their own half.

By some ethereal design, the rain cleared up in time for the for the Bucks and RSC encounter to the delight of the supporters. Pinned in their own half, the Dingoes were under immense pressure for sustained periods in the first half but were saved by their boot and Haslinda Mohd Salleh who kept her team in the game by robbing Bucks of possession at the lineout.

However, Bucks were not to be denied for long as Rebecca Lewis punished RSC for their indiscipline with a penalty goal. Credit must go to the Bucks pack, led by Andrea Koh, a tireless battering ram for her club all afternoon, were tenacious in general play and dominant in the scrums. This gave their backs a great platform to launch their attack but the Bucks backs were unable to capitalize on this as the handling errors and failure to straighten up saw them being driven out the sidelines and for all their efforts Bucks were only up three points in the first half.

With Lewis switching from second to first receiver after the break, Bucks began to stretch the RSC defence and convert their pressure into points. It was Amirah Amy who had impressed with her clean deliveries and control during the entire game who scored the first try and in the next ten minutes Nayantara Roy had also put the ball down for her side.

Thereafter RSC sorted their scrum and put up a valiant defence and even made a few forays into the Bucks half but were let down by their own handling errors and foiled by Bucks cover defence. It was Lewis who sealed the deal with her own try before full time with the score at 22-0.

The result puts Bucks first in the standings for now and take on Blacks on 17 February whilst Bedok Kings will have to contend with RSC on their home ground in Kuala Lumpur. Blacks A will complete a gruelling week with their third game in a span of 10 days on 20 February against Blacks B.

Related Links:

Match Statistics - Week 1

Pictures by Emil Halim on Facebook

GSR Women’s XV 2011 Preview

2011-02-11T16:43:00.008+08:00

11 February 2011

by Wang Shao Ing

It’s another milestone for women’s rugby in Singapore as the 2011 Guinness Singapore Rugby Women’s XV kicks off this weekend with a five-team league for the first time. The women’s XV league started in 2007 with three teams Blacks RFC, Bucks RFC and Singapore Recreation Club and welcomed the Royal Selangor Club on Board in 2009 with the development of women’s rugby in Malaysia.

Here's a quick low down on the teams for 2011.

Blacks RFC A & B

This year, title holders of the Women’s XV League since its inception, Blacks RFC, have entered two teams into the league which is a testament to the club’s growth. Relative to the others, Blacks have always had strength in depth but just fell short of the numbers for two full-fledged teams. The move to field two teams this year appears to demonstrate its commitment to development in the club and giving game time to all of its players even if it compromises their ability to draw on the talent in a depleted reserves pool or the luxury of fielding all their key players into one team.

Given their stretched resources and recent spate of injuries, will this decision dilute the quality of their preparation and can they continue to dominate the league in the manner they have for the past four years?

Est Since: 1996
Best Result in GSR: Champions 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

Bucks RFC

The youngest of all the Singapore women’s clubs, Bucks RFC leapfrogged SRC and RSC from their 4th placing in 2009 into second place last season. By far the most cosmopolitan of the teams, the club’s expatriate links sees an influx of multi-sport atheletes during the fifteens season.

Together with a growing number of local players, the edge-of-the-seat performance in their finals against Blacks last year suggests that the gap is narrowing between the clubs which makes for healthy competition and great viewing pleasure. The question remains whether Bucks will be able to maintain the momentum they have gathered from last year.

Est since: 2007
Best Result in GSR: Runner Up (2010)

Bedok Kings Skyllas

The now defunct Skyllas of Singapore Recreation Club have found a new partner in Bedok Kings. The 3 time-runners up in the women’s XV league have a good mix of experience and youth and have some real burners in their backs. The quality of their set-piece has seldom been in doubt and the key lies in whether their backline can fire.

The Skyllas will be looking to re-establish themselves having lost some ground to Bucks in last year’s league.

Est since: 2011 (formerly SRC est since 2001)
Best Result in GSR: (as SRC Runner Up in 2007, 2008 and 2009)

Royal Selangor Club

This is RSC’s third year in the league and Malaysia’s only women’s rugby team are trail blazers in their own right. Being the only established women’s rugby team, they also make up the bulk of the Malaysia 15s and 7s team which have participated in several international tournaments to date.

The hallmark of the Dingoes’ game has always been their hard-hitting mobile forward pack. Like the Skyllas, the ability of the backline to utilize the possession will be critical to their success this season.

Est Since: 2008
Best Result in GSR: 3rd (2008)

The GSR Women’s XV League will kick-off tomorrow at Republic Polytechnic. Stay updated with the latest results through our Live Tweets!

Guinness Singapore Rugby Women's 15s League 2011

2011-02-08T11:11:00.001+08:00

View the Guinness Singapore Rugby Women's XV 2011 Fixtures

Singapore Women's 7s Asian Games Report

2010-12-01T11:12:00.004+08:00

1 December 2010
Report courtesy of singaporerugby.com and photo by Team Singapore

Singapore retained their 6th placing from their Asia 7s Championships 2010 outing in July at the Asian Games in Guangzhou last week.

Pooled with Kazahkstan (2nd seed), Japan (4th seed) and India (8th seed), Singapore’s build up to the Asian Games was promising as they had beaten Hong Kong (5th seed) and had closely fought game against Japan in the Singapore Cricket Club 7s two weeks prior to the Asian Games.

In their opening match on Sunday and before a crowd of 40,000 spectators, the valiant ladies lost to Japan 17-12 after taking the early lead through Derelyn Chua. Japan came back strongly with 3 tries before Singapore came with a fight back through Wang Shao Ing who scored a try in the last minute of the game.

In the second of the pool matches, Singapore lost to eventual group champion, Kazakhstan 29-0. The team played bravely against a bigger and faster Kazakhstan who earlier romped past India 50-0. Kazakhstan raced to a 22-0 lead before the end of the first half. Singapore regrouped in the second half and kept the Kazakhs in their own 22m for the most part of the half and threatened to score several times.

In the last group match, Singapore defeated India 22-5, scoring 3 tries in the first half through Samantha Teo, Sophie Ngin Gollifer and Wong Yi Lin. Eunice Tay converted once for Singapore to lead 17-0 at the break. Tabitha Fong added another try before India scored a consolation try in the dying minutes of the game.

The match against 3rd seed Thailand was going to be a challenge in the Cup Quarterfinals but Singapore held up strongly in defence for the first 6 minutes of the first half before Thailand capitalized on a turn over to put in 2 tries before the half. The second half saw the Thais power through to put in 3 more tries diminishing the Singapore’s chances of gunning for one the top four placings. But Singapore never let up and Chua put one beyond the line for the Republic.

Singapore left no one in doubt of their right to the 5th & 6th playoff when saw off South Korea 31-5 with Fong, Angel Liu, Chua and Tay scoring a brace of tries.

A wounded Japan, who were beaten by Hong Kong in their Cup Quarterfinal match came up strongly against Singapore in the final game for both sides. Japan was clinical and fought off the Singaporeans to win the match 31-0 to place 5th in the competition.

Thailand won the bronze medal in a dramatic game against Hong Kong and Kazakhstan wrestled the Gold Medal from China an exhilarating final. The Singapore press has rated the Singapore Women’s Rugby Team as “credible” and having foutght “valiantly”.

Related Links
Web Albums: SCC 7s 2010

Sruwomens Asian Games Special

2010-11-11T14:39:00.005+08:00

11 November 2010

As we count down to the Asian Games 2010 and as part of our coverage on the Singapore Women's 7s Team at this event, for the next ten days we will be featuring profiles of each one of the members of the Singapore Women's Rugby 7s Team.

Stay tuned to the live updates of the Singapore's experiences and results in Guangzhou via our website, through Twitter and our Facebook site!

Singapore Looks On To Asian Games

2010-11-08T16:54:00.011+08:00

8 November 2010

Singapore will have a second bite at the cherry when they face Japan on 22 November in their opening game at the Asian Games 2010 in Guangzhou.

The republic is grouped with Japan, India and Asian 7s 2010 Runner Ups, Kazakhstan. The reigning Asian Champions, China, have been grouped with Hong Kong, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Korea. The Women's Rugby 7s will be played from November 21 to 23 together with the Men's Rugby 7s. The full competition schedule can be found here.

Singapore has retained its squad from the SCC 7s for the Asian Games.

Women’s 7s Team for Asian Games 2010

Tabitha Fong (Blacks), Leung Wai Mun (Blacks), Angelina Liu (SRC), Sophie Ngin Gollifer (SRC), Priscilla Humphries (Blacks), Derelyn Lim (Blacks), Tan Hui Juan (Blacks), Eunice Tay (Blacks), Amanda Teo (Blacks), Samantha Teo (Blacks), Wang Shao Ing (Blacks), Wong Yilin (Blacks)

Simon Etheredge & Gene Tong (Coaches), Kristy Teh (Team Manager), Emily Ortega (Sports Psychologist).

Stellar Performance by Singapore Women's Team at SCC 7s

2010-11-08T09:10:00.010+08:00

8 November 2010

Report courtesy of singaporerugby.com and photo by Lawrence Ang

The Singapore Women’s National team warmed up for the Asian Games by finishing runners-up in the first ever SCC Women’s International 7s competition, following an exciting final against Japan. The national team were roared on by a huge crowd at the SCC 7s Padang Stadium, with fans also enjoying the culmination of the pool stages of the main competition – the men’s Ablitt Cup.

Peter Hutton, Chairman, SCC Rugby 7s Organising Committee, said: “We have been treated to another wonderful day of rugby. We are extremely proud of the National Women’s team and are delighted that they have performed so well. Rugby 7s is a sport which appeals to men, women and children and we hope the Singapore team will improve their standing at next year’s tournament.”

Singapore progressed to the final of the Women’s competition by defeating Hong Kong in the semi-final 17-12 in extra time. Japan, meanwhile, overcame India, 36-0 in their cup semifinal. The final was an exciting spectacle of running rugby, which kept the large crowd on the edge of their seats. In the end, Japan beat Singapore after a tense and exciting game with a score of 14-0.

Eunice Tay, Captain of the Singapore Women’s team said, “The SCC 7s tournament has been a key part of our preparation and conditioning for the Asian Games and has been our final opportunity to play against some of our biggest competitors. We are confident as a team and hope to make Singapore proud at the Asian Games. At the end of the day, our biggest competitors are ourselves!”

Singapore and Japan had topped their pools respectively on day 1 to reach the cup semifinals. Singapore beat Indonesia 60-0 and Malaysia 27-0 on day 1 and Japan beat Hong Kong 12 -5 and India. Hong Kong and India relegated Indonesia and Malaysia respectively to the Bowl Finals in the cup quarterfinals. Unfortunately both Hong Kong and India could not advance further after their cup semifinals against Singapore and Japan and had to settle for the Plate Finals which Hong Kong won 19-7.

Related Links

Pictures by Lawrence Ang on Facebook & PBase

Web Albums: SCC 7s 2010

Straits Times - No Despair Despite Defeat

The New Paper - Gritty Girls

TODAY - What Women Want

Asian Games Teaser This Weekend at SCC 7s

2010-11-04T13:59:00.008+08:00

4 November 2010

Six international women's teams will be in action this weekend at the inaugural Women's 7s competition at the Padang as part of the Singapore Cricket Club Sevens 2010.

Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore will be slugging it out in the pools games on 5 November 2010 at 10am, 1pm and 4pm for top honors this weekend. The Women's Plate and Cup Finals will be played on 6 November 2010.

All the countries, save for Indonesia, will view this as an excellent opportunity to test their mettle ahead of the Asian Games 2010 in Guangzhou later this month. The draw for the two pools will take place this evening at the Singapore Cricket Club.

Singapore has announced it's team for the weekend and will be looking to challenge Japan and Hong Kong for the top spot at this tournament. The tournament schedule and details on how to get tickets to the event can be found here.

Singapore Women’s 7s Team for SCC 7s

Gene Tong (Coach), Kristy Teh (Team Manager), Emily Ortega (Sports Psychologist).

Tong Quietly Confident for the Weekend

2010-11-03T09:08:00.016+08:00

3 November 2010

by Wang Shao Ing

It’s been a hectic week for the Singapore Women’s 7s team. Fresh from their tour to the Asia Pacific Women’s 7s 2010, the team is back in action again this weekend at the Singapore Cricket Club 7s against the likes of Japan, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Indonesia.

Gene Tong, coach of the Women’s 7s team knows that though grueling to play two tournaments in back-to-back weekends, both the Asia Pacific 7's & Singapore Cricket Club 7's events are timely as part of the team’s build up to Asian Games. “We are looking to maintain our momentum right through to the end of the month and have a crack at a podium finish.”

Reflecting on their experiences in Borneo, Tong revealed that the team’s target was a top 3 ranking at the Asia Pacific Women’s 7s. While some might have thought this was wishful thinking with four teams from Oceania participating, Tong and his charges obviously had other ideas. The team swept aside the larger and more fancied Tonga and Samoa to produce two upsets which won them new fans and believers. They were only just denied their goal in the nail-biting Plate Final against the Cook Islands that went into extra time.

As for what we can expect from the team this weekend, Tong points out that three of the team’s core players were not available for the Asia Pacific Women’s 7s. “We are definitely looking at top two rankings for this weekend at SCC 7's as it will be an all-Asia affair. Furthermore, without Asian powerhouses of China & Kazakhstan, our chances of making the cup finals are pretty high and we are quietly confident that we can do well.”

The first women’s game of the Singapore Cricket Club 7s will kick off at 1024hrs on 5 November 2010. The complete schedule is available here.

Day 3: Brave Singapore Plate Runners Up at the Death

2010-11-01T21:01:00.009+08:00

1 November 2010

by Wang Shao Ing

With the rain pouring down and pitch conditions best described as swampy, Singapore took on The Cook Islands in the Plate finals of the Asian Women’s Pacific 7s 2010 held in conjunction with the IRB Sevens Series and the Borneo 7s in Kota Kinabalu.

It was the Cook Islands that put in the first score using their size and close quarter support to put the Singaporeans on the backfoot. With low visibility and slippery conditions, Singapore defended their hearts out and held the game 5-0 at the half.

The republic struck back in the second half by stretching the Cook Islands defence and Samantha Teo raced home to equalize. Both sides had further attacking opportunities but neither was able to seal the win before full time taking the game into extra time.

The Cook Islands played to their strengths at sudden death with a tight game, hitting the Singapore defence with their larger players, eventually winning the Plate Final.

Singapore emerged the Plate Runners Up and ranked 4th in the tournament. Kazakhstan beat Papua New Guinea 22-15 in an equally gritty display to be crowned Cup Champions of the Asian Pacific Women’s 7s 2010.

Singapore will meet India, Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia at the Singapore Cricket Club 7s this weekend.

Day 2: Singapore Stun Tonga but fall to PNG

2010-11-01T20:46:00.007+08:00

31 October 2010

by Wang Shao Ing

In the second day of the Asia Pacific Women’s 7s 2010, Singapore put their disappointing defeat to India behind them to stun Tonga to reach the cup semifinals.

Having won the crowd from their performance against Samoa in the pool stages, Singapore did not disappoint in the Cup Quarterfinals.

The diminutive Singaporeans were disciplined and resilient in defence and spirited in attack. Each tackle on their larger opponents garnered loud cheers from the spectators and a succession of penalties against the Tongans allowed Derelyn Chua to put Priscilla Humphries through for a try within minutes of the kickoff.

Tonga’s repeated infringements at the breakdown gave Singapore another opportunity in their half and a well-worked penalty move put Eunice Tay under the posts for the republic’s second try.

The half-time allowed Tonga to regroup and they used their superior size to drive home a score quickly after the break. But Singapore, who looked to be enjoying their billing as the underdogs, held their ground and forced the Tongans to play the game from their half. At the final whistle, Singapore were through to the cup semifinals with a 12-5 win over Tonga.

Papua New Guinea enjoyed a walkover in their quarterfinal match and arrived at the last match of the day well-rested. Several defensive decisions by Singapore proved costly in the cup semifinals and PNG’s flying winger was unstoppable once in space. PNG recorded their highest score in the tournament by beating Singapore 54-0.

Singapore will go on to play the Cook Islands in the Plate Finals for the 3rd and 4th placing in the Asia Pacific Women's 7s 2010.

Singapore's win over Samoa as the Talk of the Day

2010-10-31T00:21:00.009+08:00

30 October 2010

by Wang Shao Ing

After the first day of competition of the Asia Pacific Women's 7s held in conjunction with the IRB Asian Rugby 7s Series & Borneo 7s, the New Sabah Times hailed Singapore's victory over Samoa as "the talk of the day as the Islander girls sprang a surprise over the more fancied opponents".

After their first pool game loss to Papua New Guinea (28-0), the Singapore National Women's 7s team surprised the home crowd with their spirited performance and took the lead by just a conversion in the first half. The second half was a tense one with one Singapore player being yellow carded for a team offence but Singapore held their ground and were rewarded with a historical win against Samoa (7-5).

With both Samoa and Papua New Guinea beating India by at least seven tries each Singapore needed to pile on the scores against India to end the day ranked second in Group B. Given that the republic's last outing against India at the Asian 7s three months ago was 43-0, it should have been a comfortable win.

However, India had other ideas and employed their tight game well and with Singapore struggling to find their form, India took the game 10-7 throwing Group B into complete disarray with Singapore, India and Samoa having won 1 game each.

At the end of day 1, the Group A pool rankings were 1st: Kazakhstan, 2nd: Tonga, 3rd: Cook Islands & Group B 1st: Papua New Guinea, 2nd: Samoa, 3rd: Singapore & 4th: India.

Singapore Pooled with PNG, Samoa, India in Asia Pacific Women's 7s

2010-10-29T10:36:00.007+08:00

29 October 2010

The National Women's 7s team will face Papua New Guinea, Samoa and India in the first day of the women's competition at the Asia Pacific Women's 7s 2010 held in conjunction with the IRB Asian Series/Borneo 7s in Kota Kinabalu today.

A total of eight women's teams including several Pacific Rim countries will face off at the Likas Stadium this afternoon in the three-day tournament. The other women's pool comprises, Kazakhstan, Tonga, The Cook Islands and Malaysia.

Singapore are missing the services of three senior players but this should prove a good platform for some of the younger talents to stake a claim for spots on the Asian Games squad. Singapore will face Papua New Guinea at 1440 followed by Samoa and India.

NUS Women Win SR RP Tertiary 7s Tournament 2010

2010-10-26T17:52:00.008+08:00

18 October 2010

by Wang Shao Ing

The Singapore Rugby Republic Polytechnic Tertiary 7s saw 9 men’s and women’s teams from SMU, NTU, RP, SP, SIM and NUS slug it out at Republic Polytechnic's Sports Complex for the Tertiary 7s Title

The women’s competition kicked off with NUS against the SMU Barbarians. SMU Barbas scored quickly through Edwina Shaddick from a penalty 5 meters out from the NUS try line and looked like they might upset NUS’s chances at the title as neither side made much ground over the ensuing 10 minutes. However some cunning running from Esther Tan allowed the NUS to equalize. With a two minutes left on the clock, Caslin Ong outran the opposition to put NUS in the win 12 -5.

In the next match, NTU wasted no time in ripping apart the RP defence and scored four of their seven tries within the first half with some serious pace from Amanda Teo, Teo Siew Huai and Bridgette Yeo. RP managed to breakaway in the second half to put in a try but it was too little too late for the hosts.

This next match between NUS and SMU was going to be pivotal for both sides as the round robin format of the tournament would favour the team which could pull out the stops at every match. NTU were the first with points on the board and NUS threatened to hit back through a break by scrum-half, Xie Ying, but a try-saving tackle in the try area by Teo Siew Huai prevented any such relief. The reprieve for NTU was short-lived as Esther Tan touched down for the equalizer off a scramble for the ball after a NTU put-in at the scrum.

NUS put up a commendable defensive display to shut down the NTU speed demons but struggled to get clean possession in attack as Lee Tao Jing wrecked all manner of counter-rucking havoc to the cheers of the crowd. However, NUS stuck to their guns and were rewarded with victory through Christabelle Lim as a prolonged period of defence gave way to indiscipline from NTU. It was the second hard-fought win in the day for NUS which was reflected in the 12-5 scoreline.

SMU Barbas then took on RP with relative ease trotting to a 43 - 0 win due in part to a disorganized RP defence but mostly thanks to some hard running by Samantha Teo, Chan Jiayu and Shaddick.

In the penultimate match of the women’s competition, NUS showed composure and confidence to put in six tries. RP scored with a consolation just before the final whistle but NUS had sealed the title and the MVP award which went to Esther Tan.

NTU and SMU Barbas’ final match of the day would decide the second and third placing and it started keenly as both sides tried to assert themselves but a few missed tackles allowed SMU Barbas to take the lead with two tries. NTU came back strongly were the first to score after half time but were unable to plug all the defensive gaps. SMU Barbas finished the game 20-7 to take second place.

Final Rankings: NUS (1st), SMU Barbas (2nd), NTU (3rd), RP (4th)

Singapore Head to Asia Pacific Women's 7s

2010-10-26T11:58:00.006+08:00

26 October 2010

As part of the build up to the Asia Games, the Singapore National Women’s 7s team will depart for Sabah this Thursday to participate in the Asia Pacific Women’s 7s held in Kota Kinabalu from 29 October to 31 October 2010.

Expected to attract over 500 elite rugby players and officials, the 3-day tournament will see some of the best rugby teams in the region fight it out for top honors in three categories – Asian Rugby Sevens Series (Men), Asia Pacific Women’s Sevens and the 10th Invitational Clubs Sevens (Borneo 7s)

The other women’s teams from the Asia and the Pacific Rim which have been confirmed for the women's tournament are Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Malaysia, Thailand and Kazakhstan.

Singapore Women’s 7s Team for Asia Pacific Women’s 7s

Chan Jiayu (Blacks), Sophie Ngin Gollifer (SRC), Priscilla Humphries (Blacks), Lee Peiqi (Bucks), Christabelle Lim (Blacks), Derelyn Lim (Blacks), Tan Hui Juan (Blacks), Eunice Tay (Blacks), Amanda Teo (Blacks), Samantha Teo (Blacks), Wang Shao Ing (Blacks), Wong Yilin (Blacks)

Gene Tong (Coach), Kristy The (Team Manager), Emily Ortega (Sports Psychologist), Lynne (Sports Trainer)

SIM narrowly pip NUS to SUNIG title

2010-10-18T18:03:00.009+08:00

18 October 2010

by Wang Shao Ing

The Singapore Inter University Games (SUNIG) 2010 for women’s rugby saw the four universities slug it out at the NUS on Saturday 2 October 2010.

NTU fresh from their Bowl Runner Up placing at Jonah Jones 7s 2010 the weekend before kicked off proceedings against SMU and they emerged with a comfortable 24 -7 win over the latter.

The second pool game was to be a hotly contested between SIM and NUS who had met each other in the finals of three previous varsity tournaments. SIM had the mental edge having won two of their previous 7s encounters but were caught out in their first game losing to NUS 17 – 5.

SIM were to be challenged again in their second game by NTU who fought bravely but SIM managed to come out with a 20-12 win. In the next match, NUS had to come from behind against SMU as a lapse in concentration near the try line resulted in the first points on the board from SMU. NUS recovered to bring the final score to 21-5.

The last two games in the pool round saw SIM beginning to show some of their true form with a resounding 46-0 victory over SMU. It was a tense encounter between NTU and NUS with one-try each at half time before NUS sealed their top ranking for place in the finals with try before the whistle.

The format of the tournament meant SIM had a second bite a the cherry and the finals was a closely fought encounter between the two rivals. With teams tied at the break it was going to be a case of who caved-in first. SIM looked more threatening in the second half and an unfortunate lapse in defence cost NUS the title but it was a finals not devoid of grit and guts.