Independent’s Elliot Ng (AC #15) attempts to score a try in the semi-final as Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) beat Raffles Institution 67-3 (Photo 1 © Bryan Foo/Red Sports)

MOE (Evans) Stadium, Thursday, 15 August 2024 — Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) will compete in the National School Games C Division Rugby final after a 67-3 win over Raffles Institution in the semi-final.

The defending champions finished the game with eleven tries collectively, including two tries from captain Asher Pei (AC #12) and a hat-trick from number eight Kyler Tay (AC #8).

ACS(I) got to an early 12-0 lead with tries from Asher Pei (AC #12) and Caleb Seah (AC #19), as well as a conversion from flyhalf Abel Lie (AC #10).

Number eight Kyler Tay (AC #8) then scored his first try after brilliantly taking a gap and sidestepping two more defenders on his way to the try line. Flyhalf Abel Lie (AC #10) converted from between the posts.

Tay (AC #8) could not be stopped as he ran in for his second try in as many minutes, after a pick-and-go from the back of a scrum, giving his side a 24-0 lead.

Independent were soon within 10 metres of the Raffles’ try line again and were awarded a penalty. The Raffles defence was caught unprepared as centre Pei (AC #12) feigned kicking for the touchline, but he instead opportunistically took a quick tap to score his second try untouched.

Raffles then got themselves on the scoreboard after an offside offence from ACS(I) in the following kick-off.

Opting to kick for goal, flyhalf Elgin Lim (RI #10) struck the ball well to bring the scores to 29-3.

On his team’s performance, Raffles captain Onith Senaratne (RI #8) said, “I think we really pushed, at the end we could have pushed a bit more… but [for] the way that we performed and pushed through, I’m really proud of that.”

Before the half time whistle, Kyler Tay (AC #8) completed his hat-trick after storming through several Rafflesian defenders. Abel Lie (AC #10) converted for a 36-3 lead as the game went into halftime.

In the second-half, the ACS(I) team executed an effective counter-attack as Asher Pei (AC #12) took a gap before giving the offload to teammate Gordon Allan (AC #5) who finished with the try. Abel Lie (AC #10) added the extras.

Independent’s Yap Kuan Teng (AC #13), however, seemed to prove a difference for ACS(I), as the centre managed to create an opportunity for himself to score a try through several defenders.

ACS(I) then scored two more successive tries through wingers Evan Lim (AC #6) and Ashwyn Wong (AC #47), while Abel Lie (AC #10) made a conversion for a score of 60-3.

The Rafflesians did not throw in the towel and continued to battle until the final whistle, putting on a commendable defensive display once more to push ACS(I) back repeatedly beyond their half.

Despite the eventual scoreline, Raffles C Division Coach Mr Ismail said: “For the season so far, [the team has] gone through a lot and the performance has improved leaps and bounds.”

“There is still room for improvement definitely. [We will] go back to our blackboard and see how it goes.”

A stand-out individual effort from Ashwyn Wong (AC #47) closed out the game, as the AC winger beat no less than four defenders in a 70-metre run to the try line.

The match was brought to a close following the successful conversion from Lucas Kaufmann (AC #27) to make it 67-3, with the mercy rule applied following the greater than 60-point differential.

“I’m definitely very happy that we have come this far… the team has worked really hard,” said ACS(I) captain Asher Pei (#12). “We’re quite excited… we’ll definitely look forward to it and play our best there.”

Looking toward the final, ACS(I) head coach Adrian Chong said: “Finals being finals, we can’t predict. It’s not so much how we start but how we end, so just hoping that we will end well.”

“Just happy that this is probably our 30th [C Division rugby] final in a row, so just happy to have done that and hopefully we can cap it off with a win,” added coach Chong.

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) will play Saint Andrew’s Secondary School in the final at Jurong West Stadium on Monday, 26 August 2024 at 3.00pm.

Raffles Institution will play Saint Joseph’s Institution in the 3rd/4th placing match at Jurong West Stadium on Monday, 26 August 2024 at 9.00am.

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) v Raffles Institution

Scoring by half
Half-time: 36-3
Full-time: 67-3

Scorers

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)
Asher Pei (#12) – 2 tries
Seah Yi Kai Caleb (#19) – 1 try
Kyler Tay Zi Ying (#8) – 3 tries
Gordon Alexander Allan (#5) – 1 try
Yap Kuan Teng (#13) – 1 try
Evan Lim (#6) – 1 try
Ashwyn Wong (#47) – 2 tries
Abel Sebastian Lie (#10) – 5 conversions
Lucas Heinz Kaufmann (#27) – 1 conversion

Raffles Institution
Elgin Lim Shunwen (#10) – 1 penalty

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) Roster
Tham Ye Heng Zachary (#1), Nathan Tan Yok Hon (#2), David Soh Jun Ler (#3), Edred John Tan Teng Yeong (#4), Gordon Alexander Allan (#5), Evan Lim (#6), Oliver Nicholas Iskandar Cocks (#7), Kyler Tay Zi Ying (#8), Raphael Peter Chew McEwin (#9), Abel Sebastian Lie (#10), Elijah Choo Zhong Yi (#11), Asher Pei (#12), Yap Kuan Teng (#13), Koh Zechariah (#14), Elliot Ng Shi Rong (#15), James Christian Ng Tze Feng (#17), Tay Jun Heng Timothy (#18), Seah Yi Kai Caleb (#19), Low Rui-Kai Julien (#20), Jayden Lim Choon Jay (#21), Wee En-Kye Kieron (#22), Lester Ang Weizhi (#23), Patrick Matthew Goh Wei Jie (#25), Ethan Samuel Ang (#26), Lucas Heinz Kaufmann (#27) Jeshurun Varma (#28), Joseph Thomas Loi Chuan Khai (#30), Liu Yichen (#35), Tyler Seth Tay (#40), Ashwyn Wong (#47)

Raffles Institution Roster
Goh Tian Le (#1), Cao Hanjin (#2), Jayden Peter Lo Khye Ler (#3), Mohamed Muzammil (#4), Koh Li Hom (#5), Jayden Teo Chi Wun (#6), Xu Jiayi (#7), Onith Insita Senaratne (#8), Yamazaki Shinzo (#9), Elgin Lim Shunwen (#10), Ang Hern Khai, Kai (#11), Jayden Lee Zheng Rui (#12), Asher Ng Yu Xiang (#13), Nathan Ho Zhexian (#14), Varshanth Arun Kumar (#15), S Sundareshvara (#16), Fu Bowen (#21), Nor Rizqin Eshan (#22), Nathan Wong Wen Yao (#24), Jason Yang Hanbo (#25), Darryl Foo Sheng Jie (#26), Wu Yufeng (#27) Ivfan Raziq (#28), Muhammad Shahir Mifzal (#29), Wesley Tan Kyle Yik (#30), Howard Pang Yean Khai (#31), Chin Jin Yee (#32), Yu Hong Rui Hardy (#33), Du Jingkang (#34), Kyle Yang Shunmugam (#35)

*** NOTE: Names and jersey numbers are based on official team sheets.

More photos next page. Please let us know if you recognise any of the players in the photos by leaving a comment, so we can edit the captions to include their names.

Saint’s Wesley Choo (SA #15) slides to score the final try of the semi-final as St. Andrew’s Secondary School beat St. Joseph’s Institution 45-3 (Photo 1 © Bryan Foo/Red Sports)

MOE (Evans) Stadium, Wednesday, 14 August 2024 — St. Andrew’s Secondary School have progressed to the final of the National School Games C Division Rugby after a convincing 45-3 win over St. Joseph’s Institution.

Despite the Saints-dominated final score-line, it was SJI that struck first with a strong start in the first ten minutes.

Edging towards the St. Andrew’s try line, SJI were awarded a penalty for repeated offside infringements from the Saints. 

Opting for the penalty kick, SJI put in a 3-0 lead through Aydyn Haris (SJI #8). 

“I’m very proud of the boys, they gave their 100% effort,” said SJI coach Mr Farhan Amran.

He added: “We didn’t expect to make it to the semi-final… but the boys really worked hard for this tournament.”

Despite having possession this quarter, the Josephians were frustratingly unable to put in the points. SJI’s lead was short-lived as St. Andrew’s made their own entries onto the scoreboard.

Wesley Choo (SA #15) scored Saint’s first try after receiving an SJI clearance kick and making a break down the left wing. The try was successfully converted by Choo (SA #15).

Not long later, St. Andrew’s found themselves 5 metres from the SJI try line with a penalty awarded. Javier Chen (SA #30) took a quick tap but passed the ball to forward Acopio Rafael Inigo Dingcong (SA #3) who dived over for a try.

The Saints were in the same position again, being awarded another penalty. Taking the quick tap, Chen (SA #30) instead drove over the line for the try this time.

Choo (SA #15) did well to kick both conversions from the left of the pitch successfully for a 21-3 lead at halftime.

In the second-half, Giani Lorenzo Ivo Wen (SA #17) and Isaac Nair (SA #24) both found themselves on the scoreboard through tries of their own. 

Choo’s (SA #15) first conversion bounced off the post, but managed the second conversion from the sidelines as St. Andrew’s extended their lead to a comfortable 33-3.

Javier Chen (SA #30) then found his way to the try line again and Choo (SA #15) kicked his fifth conversion.

SJI made headway in the next period as they dominated territory off the kick restart and came within 10 metres of scoring.

A Josephian knock-on off a strike move, however, returned possession to the Saints and led to St. Andrew’s attacking back into SJI’s half.

Wesley Choo (SA #15) sliced through the defensive line and finished a try for a game-high haul of 20 points.

The Saints were almost in for a late try in final play but did not manage to finish, and the game ended with a full time score of 45-3.

“It feels very good to win,” said St. Andrew’s captain Joshua Kee (#9).

“We worked very hard over the long weekend to prepare for this game… We started off slow and SJI put up a good fight.”

Mr Jacob, St. Andrew’s C Division Rugby teacher-in-charge, said: “We have been very critical of ourselves… we’ll be trying to be a bit more positive. [The final] will be tough… we’re going to work hard as a team.”

In spite of the loss, SJI captain Elio Neo (#15) said, “It was a good effort from the team today, we just have to push harder in the 3rd/4th placing match.”

“We’ll try to get 3rd with all our heart.”

Saint Andrew’s Secondary School will play Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) in the final at Jurong West Stadium on Monday, 26 August 2024 at 3.00pm.

Saint Joseph’s Institution will play Raffles Institution in the 3rd/4th placing match at Jurong West Stadium on Monday, 26 August 2024 at 9.00am.

Saint Andrew’s Secondary School v Saint Joseph’s Institution

Scoring by half
Half-time: 21-3
Full-time: 45-3

Scorers

Saint Andrew’s Secondary School
Acopio Rafael Inigo Dingcong (#3) – 1 try
Giani Lorenzo Ivo Wen (#17) – 1 try
Isaac Diamante Nair (#24) – 1 try
Javier Chen Bingxian (#30) – 2 tries
Wesley Axel Choo (#15) – 2 tries, 5 conversions

Saint Joseph’s Institution
Aydyn Haris bin Hisham (#8) – 1 penalty

Saint Andrew’s Secondary School Roster

Andre Gerald Castillo Gunasagar (#16), Javier Chen Bingxian (#30), Acopio Rafael Inigo Dingcong (#3), Kian Tay Kuang Yong (#1), Liang Kaisheng Kayden (#18), Ong Chin Say (#22), Chen Siyao (#20), Wong Zing Bok Alexander (#2), Isaac Diamante Nair (#24), Nathan Ang (#4), Axel Chen Ke Xu (#12), Kiefer Cheong Kai Feng (#26),Tan Ying Yi Aidan (#23), Wesley Axel Choo (#15), Ezekiel Tan Rui Jie (#21), Jovan Poh (#5), Kaydon Cheng Lin Kai (#25), Josiah Ong Zhuo En (#29), Moloney Harry Phit (#8), Manas Singh Dhillon (#10), Sergius Franklin Flemming (#11), Alexander Luke Chng Ji Cheng (#19), Giani Lorenzo Ivo Wen (#17), Joshua Lim Kai Xuan (#7), Joshua Kee (#9), Koh Ting Wei Gabriel (#6), Evans Lim (#13), Huang Junkai (#27), Lim Jing Teng Tyler (#14), Lim Yih Shan Aidan (#28)

Saint Joseph’s Institution Roster

Zheng Xuanlang (#1), Matthew Peters (#3), Aydyn Haris bin Hisham (#8), Darius Chia Feng Kai (#19), Low Junfeng Paxton (#20), Rephael Lee Fhei (#31), Raleigh James Pritchard (#29), Ong Shixiong, Everett (#42), Aidan Chan Yong-Rui (#25), Benjamin Soh Yoke Wei (#13), David Emmanuel Bloodworth (#9), Matthew Ethan Lee Ming-En (#6), Alexander Marc Tay Chen Kai (#10), Blane Evangelius Sim (#7), Ethan Ng Zi Yi (#30), Joshua Kuan Jun Hou (#24), Elio Neo Yan Jun (#15), Zachary Noel Ang Ming Xian (#21), Yan Keyang (#4), Kieren Phua Chyi Yuan (#12), Zachary Teh Zhuo Ming (#28), Emilio Jude de Silva (#2), Loke Junrong Rafael (#5), Xander Kane Neufeldt (#18), Khoo Jia Jun, Louis (#17), Khoo Jia Long, Brendan (#22), Shane Pravin Thomas Xuan-Yi (#23), Zhang Fenghua (#11), Edward Pang Yu Rui (#26), Nathaniel Tan (#36)

*** NOTE: Names and jersey numbers are based on official team sheets.

More photos next page. Please let us know if you recognise any of the players in the photos by leaving a comment, so we can edit the captions to include their names.

RI’s Ernest Matthias Yap (#6) dives over to score his team’s second try. (Photo 1 © Joash Chow/Red Sports)

Jurong West Stadium, Tuesday, 23 April 2024 — Raffles Institution beat a spirited Anglo-Chinese Junior College 17-3 to make it to their seventh straight final of the National School Games ‘A’ Division Rugby.

The game started promisingly for ACJC as Noah Oey (ACJC #11) gave his team an early 3-0 lead through a penalty goal in the third minute.

Raffles soon responded with a try by Luke Chai (RI #7) in the 10th minute after an earlier turnover and assist from hooker Rafael Low (RI #2).

RI looked to add to their 5-3 lead as they advanced deep into ACJC’s half. Strong defence from ACJC, however, led to a knock-on by RI just two metres short of the try line.

Nonetheless, Raffles soon found their way back as Ernest Matthias Yap (RI #6) powered over for a try. Captain Caleb Loh (RI #22) converted successfully from the right edge to make it 12-3.

The rest of the first half remained scoreless with both sides exchanging possession and defence.

The second half presented slipperier conditions as a downpour fell over Jurong West Stadium.

ACJC were unable to exit their half after two consecutive knock-ons but continued to hold strong defensively against Raffles’ offensive attempts.

It took a dummy and a sidestep from Caleb Loh (RI #22) to provide RI’s first attacking spark as captain Loh (RI #22) crossed ACJC’s 22-metre line. A few phases later, Luke Chai (RI #7) was in for his second try to extend Raffles’ lead to 17-3.

As the rain continued to fall, the intensity of the game increased with harder carries and bigger tackles from both sides.

RI were then reduced to 14 men for the rest of the game after Jonathan Lok (RI #29) was shown a red card for making head contact in a ruck clear-out.

ACJC were intent on scoring in the final minutes, but were ultimately well-contained until the final whistle by a cohesive 14-men Raffles defence.

“They played their hearts out from the first minute to the last whistle. Even though we were down for the majority of the game, I didn’t see any of our players with their heads down,” said ACJC captain Harrold Wong (ACJC #08) on his team’s efforts in the semi-final.

“Props to Raffles, there really wasn’t much more we could have done.”

While on Raffles’ performance and their run-up to the final, Raffles Rugby Master Mr Tan Mian Ou said: “I think they managed to execute the game plan which we had discussed and had been working on for quite a fair bit… Credit to ACJC, I think they made it difficult for us and they came to play for sure, but suitably satisfied with how the boys executed.”

“If there is one thing that is weighing on my mind, we have made the A Division Finals since 2016, apart from the Covid-19 years, we have been close in the last two or three years, so hoping it’s a ‘Lucky 7’ [this year].”

Looking towards the final, RI captain Caleb Loh (#22) said: “A big part will be the mentality game. ACS(I) have been the champions for the past 7/8 years. But I think we know that we don’t always have to be the best team, we just have to be the best on that day, so we’ll just be trying to focus on being strong mentally.”

“I think we have a good shot.”

Raffles Institution will play Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) in the final at the National Stadium on Monday, 6 May 2024 at 4.00pm.

The final will be live-streamed at the following link.

Anglo-Chinese Junior College finished 3^rd after besting Saint Andrew’s Junior College 24-10 in the 3rd/4th placing match played on Monday, 29 April 2024.

Raffles Institution v Anglo-Chinese Junior College

Scoring by half
Half-time: 12-3
Full-time: 17-3

Scorers
Raffles Institution
Luke Chai Rong Yan (#7) – 2 tries
Ernest Matthias Yap Tse Meng (#6) – 1 try
Loh Sze Kai Caleb (#22) – 1 conversion

Anglo-Chinese Junior College
Noah Oey (#15) – 1 penalty

Raffles Institution Roster
Jordan Lee Zhao Feng (#8), Luke Chai Rong Yan (#7), Ernest Matthias Yap Tse Meng (#6), Rafael Low Ren Xiang (#2), Jayden Tan Junjie (#3), Lim Zong Shen (Titus) (#23), Marc Leong Weng Mun (#1), Loh Sze Kai Caleb (#22), Anand Isaac Sithu Tian Kai (#13), Dylan Ong Kang Jun (#17), Morrisey Izz Al Din (#21), Kushagra Kesarwani (#11), Christian Tan Jun Han (#27), Jian Haomin (#30), M Parikshith (#26), Yeo Shan Yuan Keane (#18), Prawin Kuhanesan (#28), Liu Zheming (#9), Leong Jun Loong Benjamin (#19), Ryan Tan Yuming (#5), Vishnu Swaroop (#14), Wang Molin (#25), Ong Rei Hong (#24), Gao Huajun (#16), Lu Yuanxi (#10), Huang Jianwen Peter (#4), Jonathan Lok En Xu (#29), Aryan Ranjan Singh (#20), Fazil Olayemi Olaniyan (#12), Jin Junzhong (#15)

Anglo-Chinese Junior College Roster
Gareth Seah Ren Xiang (#02), Fitzand Kua Faye Zen (#24), Makoto Sueyoshi (#03), Darrian Shaedon (#01), David Lim Onn (#17), Ethan Koh Tze Kit (#20), Bertrand Tan Yhuet Gen (#32), Andre Dominic Wong Hoi Wan (#16), Harrold Wong (#08), Hayyan Danish bin Johari (#21), Isaac Yang Shaoxuan (#12), Javier Tan Junkai (#06), Javier Toh Jun Lin (#15), Jayden Toh Jun Yan (#10), Keane Wong Min Rong (#19), Kyle Christian Somasundram (#18), Lee Jia-Yi Samuel (#09), Lim Ke Juin (#07), Lukas Andersen (#05), Bradley Hang Zong Han (#25), Ng Yi Wang (#28), Noah Oey (#11), Ong Hua Jie Ro-I (#23), Ryan Shane Low Wen Liang (#27), Ryan Tan Yi Ren (#22), Sean Khoo Jia Sheng (#04), Shum Wei Liang, Rey (#13), Soh Yong-Jin (#14), Timothy Seow Zhi En (#26), Toh Boon Peng David (#29)

*** NOTE: Names and jersey numbers are based on official team sheets.

More photos next page. Please let us know if you recognise any of the players in the photos by leaving a comment, so we can edit the captions to include their names.

ACS(I)’s Hayyan Darwish (#6) sprints to the line to score his second try. (Photo 1 © Jared Chow/Red Sports)

Jurong West Stadium, Tuesday, 23 April 2024 — Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) put on a clinical display to put Saint Andrew’s Junior College away with a 66-0 win in the first semi-final of the National School Games (NSG) ‘A’ Division Rugby 2024 Season.

ACS(I) opened the scoring within the first minute with a half-field effort from Russell Lim (AC #22). Captain Isaac Chow (AC #9) converted to take the lead 7-0.

Independent repeated another half-field line-break, this time by Jedd Tan (AC #12) to bring his side up 12-0.

A knock-on by ACS(I) in their half gave SAJC an attacking opportunity. However, Independent’s stiff defensive pressure led to the boys in blue-and-gold soon regaining possession.

Captain Chow (AC #9) seized an opportunity with a quick tap and ran from the 50-meter line to score. David Magnus (AC #11) converted the try to bring the score to 19-0.

ACS(I)’s next try came off a scrum strike-move from their clinical backline. Inside centre Jedd Tan (AC #12) received the ball on a loop and drew in three Saint’s defenders before releasing the ball to Oscar McEwin (AC #26) out wide. McEwin (AC #26) bumped-off another two defenders on his way to the try line.

Two back-to-back tries were scored by Hayyan Darwish (AC #6). Magnus’ (AC #11) successful conversions brought ACS(I) up 40-0.

Audric Cheng (AC #4) scored next off a penalty. Substitute flyhalf Rahul Baskar (AC #27) failed to convert from the left edge.

Nevertheless, Rahul Baskar (AC #27) quickly redeemed himself with a try of his own after a line break and offload from outside centre John Heng (AC #13). This time, Rahul Baskar (AC #27) converted successfully.

Within the next two minutes, Rahul Baskar (AC #27) found the tryline again and converted to make it 59-0.

SAJC’s defensive pressure halted ACSI’s final attack attempt in the first-half, when the AC ball-carrier was forced into touch. However, a stray knock-on in the lineout by the Saints brought the first-half to a close.

The second-half lasted all but two minutes as Rahul Baskar (AC #27) rounded up a hat-trick of tries and converted his final try.

The match ended at 66-0 in favour of ACS(I), with the mercy rule applied following the greater than 60-point differential.

“We started off quite strong, and we managed to remain quite composed throughout the whole game, so hopefully we can continue this momentum into the finals,” said ACS(I) captain Isaac Chow (AC #9).

Speaking for SAJC was captain Ryan Haziqi (SA #26), who was unfortunately forced to spectate from the sidelines due to a shoulder injury. He said: “We are one of the most inexperienced teams in the A Division, we have a lot of new players, but regardless of the score, I am proud of what the team managed to [achieve] for putting up a good fight.”

“It shows how far we have come, [especially] as players who have only been playing for one year.”

“It was a professional performance by the team,” said ACS(I) head coach Mr Adrian Chong.

“We will be focusing on various scenarios that may happen in the final and to be able to handle them to the best of our ability come the day of the finals.”

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) will play Raffles Institution in the final at the National Stadium on Monday, 6 May 2024 at 4.00pm.

The final will be live-streamed at the following link.

Saint Andrew’s Junior College finished 4^th after going down 24-10 to Anglo-Chinese Junior College in the 3rd/4th placing match played on Monday, 29 April 2024.

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) v Saint Andrew’s Junior College

Scoring by half
Half-time: 59-0
Full-time: 66-0

Scorers

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)
Audric Cheng Yu Xiang (#4) – 1 try
Hayyan Darwish Bin Johari (#6) – 2 tries
Chow Rae Howe Isaac (#9) – 1 try, 1 conversion
Jedd Tan Shi Jie (#12) – 1 try
Russell Lim Yi (#22) – 1 try
Oscar Andrew James McEwin (#26) – 1 try
Rahul Baskar (#27) – 3 tries, 3 conversions
David Christian Wei-An Magnus (#11) – 4 conversions

 
Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) Roster

Emmanuel Tan (#1), Au Yeung Chi Hang Lucas (#2), Harshavardhana Niteesh (#3), Ryan Hia Juay Hng (#8), Ng Ray-Ven (#16), Evan Tan Kai Jin (#17), Ho Marcus (#18), Lucas Yeo Zhen Ye (#19), Audric Cheng Yu Xiang (#4), Evan Tan Yuren (#5), Hayyan Darwish Bin Johari (#6), Javier Ling Qing Hong (#7), Chow Rae Howe Isaac (#9), Ryan Joshua Ong (#10), David Christian Wei-An Magnus (#11), Jedd Tan Shi Jie (#12), John Heng Kai En (#13), Euan David Ong Yi-En (#14), Chan Ee Xi Elliot (#15), Zhou Sanzheng (#20), Kayden Tok Zhi Yu (#21), Russell Lim Yi (#22), Lucien Ang Yixun (#23), Ong Tze Herng, Kieran (#24), Shane Wong Zheng Xian (#25), Oscar Andrew James McEwin (#26), Rahul Baskar (#27), Lee Weng Ern (#28), Lee Wen Hao, Judah (#29), Tan Jian Ting (#30)

Saint Andrew’s Junior College Roster

Tan Jee Tao (#25), Ryan Haziqi Bin Zulhakimi (#26), Lee Zhong Jun, Ronald (#3), Soh Hoi Yin (#18), Low Jun Heng (#22), Chew Wei Zhe Oliver (#2), Quile Jing Er (#4), Nabil Afiq Bin Jumali (#23), Yong Yew Wey Sean (#16), Augustine Chong Jun Xuan (#17), Joshua David Bean (#20), Lin Yuanfeng Javier (#9), Ryan Chew Jen Yenn (#1), Zhang Jiachen Ryan (#1), Goh Wayne (#24), Chan Hian Hong, Feodor (#12), Sim Jun Ming, Reeve (#28), Aloysius Koh Jun Rui (#14) Karthikeyan Vikhram (#13), Lim Jun, Terrell (#21), Wong Shi Zun Joseph (#5), Lee Kai Jie (#30), Ethan Ng (#7), Cedric Tan Li Heng (#10), Ethan Liew Ka Djun (#15), Isaac Lean Jing Yu (#8), QUek Wen Han Joshua (#11), Ben Oliver Cooper-Bell (#19), Wong Tai Zhao, Kendrick (#6), Zachary Wee Jun Zhe (#27)

 *** NOTE: Names and jersey numbers are based on official team sheets.

More photos next page. Please let us know if you recognise any of the players in the photos by leaving a comment, so we can edit the captions to include their names.

St. Andrew’s Ashton Lim (#9) grounds the ball to score his team’s third try. (Photo 1 © Joash Chow/Red Sports)

Jurong West Stadium, Thursday, 25 April 2024 — St. Andrew’s Secondary School will be hoping to retain the National School Games B Division Rugby cup after defeating Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) 31-0 in the semi-final.

St. Andrew’s took little more than a minute to open the scoring. A well-coordinated kick behind the Barker defence led to a try finished in the corner by winger Eldric The (SA #27).

ACS(BR) were in a good position to respond as they spent the next period in the Saints half. The boys from Barker Road came within a metre of the try line but were stopped short. St. Andrew’s was shown a yellow card as Jedd Tng (SA #1) was penalised in his defensive attempts.

The 14-men Saints persisted with their defensive efforts, driving ACS(BR) back from their tryline. A knock-on from Barker returned possession back to Saints.

St. Andrew’s did not wait to hit back. From the scrum, the Saints backline move created space on the wing. Scrumhalf Ashton Lim (SA #9) received an offload on the inside as he ran to the try line. Unfortunately for the Saints, the play was called back as the offload had gone marginally forward.

The Saints soldiered on and soon scored a try through inside centre Jareb Seow (SA #12) to bring his side up 10-0.

St. Andrew’s continued to exert their dominance, with their forwards stepping-up distinctly in the scrums.

A Saints-dominated scrum led the ball to pop out, with scrumhalf Ashton Lim (SA #9) nipping the ball and running in for an easy try. Vice-captain Travis Goh (SA #10) successfully converted to round-off the scoring for the first half at 17-0.

St. Andrew’s did not wait long to continue racking up points in the second half.

At the 43rd minute, Travis Goh (SA #10) added another seven points for Saints. From a scrum five metres from the AC tryline, Goh (SA #10) threw a dummy-pass and slid through the gap to ground the ball under the posts. Goh then successfully converted his try.

Saints once again found themselves short as the St Andrew’s #18 was shown a yellow card for a late tackle.

Although they were a man down, the Saints managed to extend their lead. Brendan Liu (SA #8) took a penalty quick tap 5 metres from the Barker tryline to dive in for a try against an offside ACS(BR) defence. Travis Goh (SA #10) converted to make it 31-0.

With 11 minutes to go, the game ground to a halt as the lightning alert siren activated.

Both sides were raring to go as play resumed. An intense Barker’s defence prevented the Saints from scoring any further more points.

St. Andrew’s were again down to 14 men after Damien Chvojka (SA #4) was shown a yellow card for an offside offence.

Barker quickly followed suit after Ryan Ng (AC #30) was sent off for a foul.

The match was brought to a close as ACS(BR) knocked-the-ball-on in last play.

Saints ‘B’ Division head coach, Ashraf Nasser, said: “I think they did pretty well in terms of what we needed to do.”

“As a whole, we were looking at coming into the tournament not thinking that we are champions because that was last year’s team,” said the Saints coach.

“Like I said to them, to win a championship is easy, to defend a championship is harder.”

SAJC vice-captain Travis Goh (SA #10) said, “We’ll work on our discipline, reduce the number of mistakes we make and the number of cards we get… put 110% into every training to win the final for the second year in a row.”

“We put up a great fight, we have improved from the group stages, said ACS(BR) captain Josiah Williams (AC #2).

St. Andrew’s Secondary School will play Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) in the NSG ‘B’ Division final at the National Stadium on Monday, 6 May 2023 at 2.00pm.

The final will be live-streamed at the following link.

Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) finished 4th after going down 17-10 to Raffles Institution in the 3^rd/4^th placing match held on 29 April 2024.

Saint Andrew’s Secondary School v Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road)

Scoring by half
Half-time: 17-0
Full-time: 31-0

Scorers

Saint Andrew’s Secondary School

Liu Brendan Brian (#8) – 1 try
Lim Yih Shao Ashton (#9) – 1 try
Jareb Seow Yu Zhen (#12) – 1 try
Eldric The Zhi Xian (#27) – 1 try
Goh Kai En Travis (#10) – 1 try, 3 conversions

Saint Andrew’s Secondary School Roster

Muhammad Erhan bin Mohan (#17), Chen Sibin (#26), Poh De Wei Daryl (#3), Jedd Tng Jie (#1), Emmanuel Tong Ke Jun (#2), Liu Brendan Brian (#8), Ong Li Heng, Lloyd (Weng Liheng) (#16), Casper Keh Jin Hao (#20), Zac Chan Jun Yang (#24), Fyffe William Maxwell (#18), Kayven Lim Yu Zhe (#17), Muhammad Hazim bin Mohd Azhar (#19), Afiq bin Muhammad (#14), Eldric The Zhi Xian (#27), Gareth Koh (Xu Jianzun) (#22), Paquingan Clarence Dave Diez (#11), Ashton Tay Liqian (#13), Josh Lee Dong Jun (#18), Tan Kai Wen (#15), Timothy Tan Jia Yi (#5), Andika Yap Trisulo (#21), Damien Alec Chvojka (#4), Jake Kong Zit Caie (#6), Isaac Luke Choo (#23), Khow Jyun Zhen (#7), Lim Yih Shao Ashton (#9), Nathan Adnan Yu Zhe Amin (#28), Goh Kai En Travis (#10), Noah Loh Leya (#25), Jareb Seow Yu Zhen (#12)

Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) Roster

Josiah Zhi Yang Williams (#2), Ong Yiu Kiat (#3), Wong De Rui Jonathan (#1), Hafiz Arwyn Jones (#19), Nacova Ding Kai (Chen Kai) (#17), Ian Vilasis Lee Ern (#18), Kyle Ng Zhi Kai (#23), Gianluca Primo Speciale (#28), Ralph Gan (#13), Kaelan Wong Yan Siang (#26), Wong De Li Derrick (#14), Daniel Kwok (Guo Xueyi) (#12), Edrik Chen Jiehong (#8), Teng Le Qi, Denzel (#24), Lee Jaeyoon (#21), Evan John Rustrick (#10), Ian Ee Enxi (#11), Jamie Thomas Andersen (#5), Andre Ian Lim Ji In (#20), Ryan Ng Yi Kai (Huang Yikai) (#30), Teo Rui Feng (#9), Arya Evan Zaccheus (#6), Ezra Lye Ci Yuen (Li Siyuan) (#4), Keefe Loh Jun Qi (#25), Samuel Siang Yu (Shang Yu) (#7), Goh Yu Heng Joshua (#27), Elliot Cory Rantung (#16), Muhammad Danial Bharizun Bin Noordin (#29), Wan Ian Irfann Bin Wan Shamsury (#15), Nico Caviezel (#22))

 *** NOTE: Names and jersey numbers are based on official team sheets.

More photos next page. Please let us know if you recognise any of the players in the photos by leaving a comment, so we can edit the captions to include their names.

Ames Leung (AC #1) breaks off from a lineout maul and takes on RI’s Gregory Wee (#30). (Photo 1 © Joash Chow/Red Sports)

Jurong West Stadium, Thursday, 25 April 2024 — Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) have made it to the National School Games (NSG) B Division Rugby final after a commanding 46-7 defeat of RI in the first of two semi-finals.

The game was held scoreless for the first quarter despite Independent spending much of that time in the Raffles half. It was a resolute Raffles defence that prevented ACS(I) from scoring when the boys from Dover Road came within a metre of the try line on two occasions.

ACS(I) eventually settled for three points through an easy penalty kick taken by Iestyn John (AC #15).

The decision to kick for points turned out well for ACS(I) as it relieved their frustrations on attack.

Within five minutes of the restart, ACS(I) went in for two quick tries from Ethan Kuah (AC #23) and Iestyn John (AC #15) to take the score to 13-0.

Raffles had all to play for as they were handed an attacking opportunity following a poor kick from ACS(I) that went directly into touch.

After a few phases of attack, scrumhalf Iain Chong Chow (RI #9) found the tryline from a pick and dive. Captain Daniel Park (RI #10) successfully converted, bringing the score to 13-7.

Unfortunately, RI’s comeback efforts were blunted as RI lost the ball from the restart.

ACS(I) capitalised with a try from Jeremiah Lee (AC #12) while Iestyn John (AC #15) managed a difficult conversion from close to the sidelines. The first-half concluded with ACS(I) leading 20-7.

“It was a slow start from our team but we eventually found our rhythm and started to play better,” said ACS(I) head coach Mr Adrian Chong.

ACS(I) continued to put up the points as the second half unfolded. A brilliant solo run from Iestyn John (AC #15) extended ACS(I)’s lead as he received the ball at the halfway mark before sidestepping his way through four Raffles defenders. Iestyn John (AC #15) added the extras with his conversion.

Raffles found themselves with 14 players on the field as Aden Chong (RI #12) was shown a red card for a shoulder charge that made direct head contact.

Yet the Rafflesians did not relent, even as ACS(I) looked to score from a strong lineout-formed maul. Brave tackles from Gregory Wee (RI #30) and Ashton Yong (RI #06) paid off, causing hooker Ames Leung (AC #1) to knock the ball on just shy of the Raffles try line.

RI came close to scoring when Gregory Wee (RI #30) contested an attempted kick from the AC side. The ball did not find the intended target cleanly and Wee (RI #30) chipped the ball towards the ACS(I) try area. However, a try-saving tackle by Ryan Lee (AC #27) brought Wee (RI #30) down.

In the final quarter, ACS(I) pulled away as Raffles continued the fight 14-men strong.

Leon Loh (AC #7) scored a try off a line break by Isaac Kong (AC #8). Iestyn John (AC #15) converted, taking his individual contributions to the score line to an admirable 19-point haul.

Ethan Lim (AC #2) made an incredible 65 metre run to score, which Christian Hunter (AC #28) converted successfully.

In the last minute of the game, Zachary Chua (AC #26) scored a final try to conclude the match 46-7 to ACS(I).

“It was a bit of a wake-up call for us in the first half because we had made many mistakes and unforced errors,” said ACS(I) captain Jansen Ling (AC #9).

“But in the second half, we did well to turn those mistakes into great outcomes like long-range tries.”

RI captain Daniel Park (RI #10) said: “Despite the setbacks that we faced… no matter how much we were down, we kept our heads up, we kept each other going.”

“Everyone knew that this was going to be a tough game, but it’s a challenge that we didn’t back down from.”

Raffles ‘B’ Division Coach Mr Faizal Ahyar added: “We did really, really well on defence. It’s just the few key moments that we were not connected… that’s when we let them punish us and score the tries.”

“I think we’ve progressed really well, from the first game against Barker…  each game we got better and better.”

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) will play Saint Andrew’s Secondary School in the NSG ‘B’ Division final at the National Stadium on Monday, 6 May 2023 at 2.00pm.

The final will be live-streamed at the following link.

Raffles Institution would go on to finish 3^rd in the division after beating Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) 17-10 in the 3^rd/4^th placing match held on 29 April 2024.

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) v Raffles Institution

Scoring by half
Half-time: 20-7
Full-time: 46-7

Scorers

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)

Ethan Lim (#2) – 1 try
Leon Loh Shu-Juin (#7) – 1 try
Jeremiah Lee Wei Han (#12) – 1 try
Ethan James Kuah Qing (#23) – 1 try
Zachary Chua Kai En (#26) – 1 try
Iestyn David Gareth John (#15) – 2 tries, 3 conversions, 1 penalty
Hunter Christian John Kusmuljadi (#28) – 1 conversion

Raffles Institution
Iain Chong Chow (#9) – 1 try
Daniel Howard Park (#10) – 1 conversion

 Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) Roster

Ames Leung Man Hon (#1), Ethan Lim (#2), Parith Avasadanond (#3), Erick Tio Ding Fan (#4), Tran Zhen Wei, Nathaniel (#5), Callum Stuart Morrison (#6), Leon Loh Shu-Juin (#7), Kong Hoe Wah Isaac (#8), Jansen Ling Qing Xian (#9), Jaryl Lee Jianming (#10), Harry Irfan Curran (#11), Jeremiah Lee Wei Han (#12), Tyler Law Hon Ray (Liu Fengrui) (#13), Low Ying Xiang, Joshua (#14), Iestyn David Gareth John (#15), James Cheng Jinhui (#16), Quinn Adrian Young Xiang Hong (#19), Pang Kae Ler, Jovan (#18), Ashton Wong (Huang Yichang) (#19), Tyler Wong (#20), Han Eii Kuang (#21), Tay Shi Kai, Oscar (#22), Ethan James Kuah Qing (#23), Quentin Thales Wong Shi Jie (#25), Zachary Chua Kai En (#26), Ryan John Lee (#27), Hunter Christian John Kusmuljadi (#28), Dion Lee Jikai (#31), Li Parone Avasadanond (#32), Nicholas John Lee Wei Cheng (#33)

Raffles Institution Roster

Huang Yihan (#1), Bhaskar Mall (#2), Tian Kaiwen (#23), Khoo Kai Ren Ascensius (#4), Andrew Foo Don Xiang (#5), Gong Hanrui (#16), Xiao Nianxing (#17), Yeo Zhi Xian, Ethan (#18), Wang Tianwei (#19), Gu Hao Gen (Wu Haogen) (#20), Joseph Benjamin Poon (#25), Ashton Yong Hao Ming (#6), Kyran Yeo Zhen Yu (#7), Muhammad Rayyan Anaqi (#8), Iain Chong Chow (#9), Daniel Howard Park (#10), Yong Chai Jinghen (#11), Aden Chong Chow (#12), Chaw Sheng (#13), Joseph Paul Lee Wei Cheng (#14), Isaiah Ng Ding Heng (#15), Kwa Rei Kai, Daryl (#21), Fang Keyi (#22), Muhammad Zuhri Setiawanggsa (#33), Dang Yu Tien (#24), Young Shang Lok (#26), Darius Lee Jun Sheng (#27), Josiah Ezra Menon (#28), William Ng Xinjie (#29), Gregory Wee Shao Heng (#30)

*** NOTE: Names and jersey numbers are based on official team sheets.

More photos next page. Please let us know if you recognise any of the players in the photos by leaving a comment, so we can edit the captions to include their names.

Brandon (ACS 2011) challenging for the ball against ACS 2000. (Photo 1 courtesy of David Wirawan)

The Cage, Turf City, 23 August 2022 – Two years of enforced rest by the spoiler Covid virus only added to the restlessness among the Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) alumni as seven cohorts battled for bragging rights at the 2nd ACS Knights Eagle Eye Inter-year Soccer Tournament.

With a video-cameraman and a photographer on site to record the proceedings for posterity, the event was bigger and flashier. Once again, the organisers were thankful to William Kristanto (ACS 2000) for his assistance in securing the jerseys and the medals for the tournament, James Loke Pooi Yin (ACS 85) for keeping scores, and Cannes film-maker Derrick Lui Chien Leng (ACSP 1988) for guiding the video documentation.

The curtain-raiser kick-off between the veteran teams of white-draped 1985 and all-red 1989 ended in a goalless stalemate as both sides were overcome by the fear of conceding and played with an abundance of caution.

Defending open champions IBDP 2017, led by Meredeth Chin Choon Siang (IBDP 2017), started the tournament on the wrong foot by surprisingly letting in a goal against the run of play from Lennard Quek (ACS Barker 2003) of camouflaged-jersey debutants ACS 2003. With that opening loss, IBDP 2017 was always struggling to catch up. With the enthusiastic co-ordination of Leong Chi Chao, ACS 2003 threatened to contend for the Championship and set the tongues of the spectators wagging in anticipation.

With the introduction of the Nett Championship Trophy, teams that had a torrid first tournament but were briming with potential, were incentivized to play their best in the latest edition. Based on the last league tournament, bonus points were awarded to teams to equalize their standings in a handicap table. The Trophy allowed teams of average strength to realistically fight for a prize and made every game meaningful.

Fellow debutants deep-blue ACS 2013 was illegible for prizes as the team was short of the players and had to be vastly supplemented with non-alumni semi-professional players from the sponsor team Eagles. Nonetheless, this proved to be a formidable team manned by Colin Chan (ACSI 1998), becoming the undefeated joker in the pack that added some variety and increased the challenge of the tournament. All results relating to 2013 were designated as 0-0 draws.

The competition was bruising and frenetic, as the players coursed from box to box, pelting the goalframe and its keeper in their efforts to score the winning goal. The unrelenting series of games that followed one after another turned this event into a marathon of endurance and grit, where only the team with the most persevering and skilful players linking in formation would prevail in the quiet of the night.

Favourites ACS 2000 dotted with seasoned campaigners such as Poon King Yau (ACSI 2000) and Ian Wu Qianhuang (ACSI 2000) outplayed the opposition with tenacity and determination, grinding out a solitary-goal victory against IBDP 2017 by the diving header of William Kristanto and clinching first place with 12 points in the Open category.

The team in classic JVC cadmium yellow jerseys played out goalless draws against ACS 2003 and 2013, and defeated ACS 85 2-0 with a yet another trade-mark back-flip header by William Kristanto, and crushed ACS 89 3-0.

IBDP 2017 could only settle for 3rd place with 10 points after the two losses, despite destroying the veteran teams of ACS 85 and ACS 89 4-0 each in vengeance.

Black-uniformed ACS 2011 had lost 0-2 to IBDP 2017, and therefore settled for 2nd place with 11 points, but with its bonus nett points of +6, was the outright winner of the Nett Trophy. Representative Seet Ming Wei (ACS Barker 2011) beamed when he stepped forward to collect the trophy, but rued what could have been, as his team had sorely missed the presence of Ngen Ge Liang (ACSI 2011), who was the Most Promising Young Player in the first edition.

The Veteran Cup was won by ACS 85 with 5 points, after the team unexpectedly attained a 1-0 victory against ACS 2003 with a long-curling shot by Chng Nai Wee (ACSS 85) who pushed the ball past a fatigued defender into the penalty box and fired diagonally and speculatively past the surprised keeper. Out of action after the initial games, James Lye (ACSS 85) threw on his teenaged son Jake Lye (ACSI Year 4) in his place, injecting energy, zig-zagging and trickery in the team play. David Lee Yeow Chor, goalkeeper (ACSS85) displayed tenacity and acrobatics in keeping the scorelines more respectable.

ACS 89, who had started the tournament brightly, having a few sons of fathers in the group, retired for the night with 3 points, after conceding the last game from exhaustion and injuries with a walk-over of 0-3 to ACS 2000. The 1-1 draw with ACS 2003, and 0-2 loss to ACS 2011 completed its record for the evening.

Ezra Lim Pin (IBDP 2017) was the tournament top scorer for the second time in a row while Richard Wong of ACS 2000 donned the Top Gloves Award for guarding his fortress best.

Organiser Chng Nai Wee reminded the gathering that the essence and manifestation of ACS neither resided in the physical infrastructure of the school nor in its crest and motto. Rather, the manifestation of ACS was in the expression of its spirit as embodied by each and everyone of us. We are ACS. And with that exhortation, we committed to carry ourselves to a bright and positive future of excellence, camaraderie and hope.

Continued next page

ACS(I)’s Sean Russell Tay (#71) brought his team from 5th to 1st on the anchor to clinch the C Div boys’ 4x400m relay gold. That sealed his fourth win at the meet having won the 200m, 400m and 4x100m relay, emerging as the only quadruple gold medalist this year. (Photo 1 © Iman Hashim/Red Sports)

National Stadium, Friday, April 28, 2023 — As 400m-400m hurdles champion Caleb Loy anchored Raffles Institution (RI) to the A Division boys’ 4 by 400 metres gold in the final event of the meet, a successful campaign for the athletes in green, black and white was sealed as the school clinched its first A and B boys’ divisional titles since 2016 and 2018 respectively, while it was the school’s first time claiming both trophies at the same meet in 33 years.

Victoria School’s (VS) silver medal in the C Division boys’ 4x400m relay proved even more pivotal as the school ended up tied on 138 points with Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) in the overall C boys’ divisional standings, with the Victorians claiming the trophy by virtue of having more golds. VS’s historic title shattered a 20-time winning streak held by HCI (formerly The Chinese High School), with VS also the last school to have won it all the way back in 2000.

In the same race, Sean Russell Tay brought Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) from fifth to first place on the anchor to bag his fourth win at the meet, emerging as the only quadruple gold medalist this year adding to victories in the 200m (23.40s), 400m (53.45s) and 4x100m relay.

ACS(I) teammate Sebastian Chong, who ran the third leg in the 4x400m, garnered three track golds having already won the 1500m (4:31.55) and 3000m (10:00.90). He was also the top C boys’ individual finisher at the National Schools Cross Country Championships.

Elsewhere, HCI and Cedar Girls’ Secondary each clinched its fifth straight overall team title in the girls’ A and C divisions, respectively, while CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School retained its B girls’ championship after last winning it in 2005 before last year.

What other historic nuggets went down on the final day as the annual athletics meet returned under the National Stadium roof for the first time since 2019?

Red Sports gives you a full lowdown of the relay finals along with pieces of statistical trivia.

64th National Schools Track and Field Championships 2023 — Relay wrap-up

Heather Tan (#53) anchors Cedar Girls’ to gold in the C Div girls’ 4x100m relay final. National Junior College finished second, while Nanyang Girls’ High were third. (Photo 2 © Iman Hashim/Red Sports)

C Div Girls’ 4x100m Relay Final
Cedar Girls’ Heather Tan mounted a comeback on the anchor leg to clinch the C Div girls’ 4x100m relay gold in 53.94 seconds for her team, which also included Chloe Toh, Ess Claudia Joan and Kayley Seah. It was Cedar’s second straight win in the event after ending a 23-year drought last year.

They finished just 0.19 seconds ahead of second-placed National Junior College (NJC), who claimed the first ever C Div relay medal for their school before the 4x400m team added another silver later in the afternoon.

Nanyang Girls’ High (NYGH) finished third in 54.70s, pipping CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ to the line by 0.03s, and ensuring that it was the sixth straight time that both Cedar and NYGH have placed in the top 3 for the event.

Interestingly, Cedar’s 53.94s is the slowest winning time in this event since 1989 (54.6s, also Cedar).

Results
1st Cedar Girls’ Secondary School — 53.94 seconds
2nd National Junior College — 54.13
3rd Nanyang Girls’ High School — 54.70
4th CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School — 54.73
5th Singapore Sports School — 55.00
6th Dunman High School — 55.13
7th CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) — 55.68
8th Tanjong Katong Secondary School — 55.98
9th Crescent Girls’ School — 56.17

Neo En Yu (#462) anchors SSP to first place in the B Div girls’ 4x100m relay final. (Photo 3 © Iman Hashim/Red Sports)

B Div Girls’ 4x100m Relay Final
The Singapore Sports School (SSP) quartet of Bevlyn Koh, Bernyce Koh, Zara Almira and Neo En Yu took gold in the B Div girls’ 4x100m relay final, clocking 50.09s. In a tight finish, Cedar Girls’ finished second in 50.38s, and CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ were third in 50.39s. NYGH clocked 51.24s for fourth.

For the first time in 21 years, the winning B girls’ 4x100m relay team did not feature any of the top 3 finishers in the individual 100m final (Clara Lim of Raffles Girls’ School; Teh Ying Shan of Chung Cheng High (Yishun); Chloe Chee of Methodist Girls’ School). Even the top 4 relay teams this year did not boast any of the top 4 individual 100m girls in their ranks (fourth-place 100m finisher was Emily Anne Choi of CHIJ St. Theresa’s Convent).

With the talent pool more spread out this year — the eight finalists in the B girls’ 100m all hail from different schools — the 4x100m relay final saw the fastest 3rd, 5th, 6th and 8th-place timings in National Schools history.

However, SSP’s 50.09s is remarkably the slowest winning time in this event since 2008. While Cedar won last year in 50.06s, spectators have been spoilt by frequent sub-50s — or even sub-49s — SSP B girls’ relay teams from 2009 to 2017, most notably the 48.22s record-setting quartet in 2011 featuring Singapore sprint queen Shanti Pereira.

Nanyang Girls’, spearheaded by the two fastest B Division girls over 100m in National Schools history, Elizabeth-Ann Tan (12.25s) and Bernice Liew (12.37s), also clocked the third- and second-fastest B girls’ relay times all-time of 48.50s and 48.30s in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

In better news, SSP finally reclaimed the gold in this event, its first since a 12-year winning streak from 2006 to 2017 right after the school’s establishment.

Results
1st Singapore Sports School — 50.09 seconds
2nd Cedar Girls’ Secondary School — 50.38
3rd CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School — 50.39
4th Nanyang Girls’ High School — 51.24
5th Raffles Girls’ School — 51.35
6th Methodist Girls’ School — 51.78
7th CHIJ St. Theresa’s Convent — 53.27
8th CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) — 53.27
9th Dunman High School — 53.29

Trisha-Ann Tan (#104) anchors HCI in the A Div girls’ 4x100m relay final. HCI finished 1st, followed by SSP and RI. (Photo 4 © Iman Hashim/Red Sports)

A Div Girls’ 4x100m Relay Final
Long jumper Trisha-Ann Tan, younger sister of national sprinter Elizabeth-Ann, brought home the A Div girls’ 4x100m relay gold for HCI, crossing the line in 50.68s. It was HCI’s second gold in a row in the event after last winning it in 2015 before last year.

The rest of the HCI team consisted of Meredith Lee, Gwendolin Lim and 100m-200m champion Eleana Goh. This was Meredith’s second consecutive 4x100m win after winning the B girls’ relay with Cedar last year, while Eleana was the only surviving member from last year’s HCI winning quartet.

SSP took silver this year in 51.11s, with RI claiming bronze in 51.27s.

Since 2007, HCI, SSP and RI (formerly Raffles Junior College) remain the only schools to have won the A girls’ 4x100m and 4x400m relays.

Results
1st Hwa Chong Institution — 50.68 seconds
2nd Singapore Sports School — 51.11
3rd Raffles Institution — 51.27
4th Victoria Junior College — 52.16
5th St. Andrew’s Junior College — 52.24
6th National Junior College — 53.31
7th Dunman High School — 53.63
8th Eunoia Junior College — 56.07
9th Anglo-Chinese Junior College — 56.59

Continued next page

RI’s Enzo Senna McCully (RI #21) reaches for the line to score the final try of the match. (Photo 1 © Shenn Tan/Red Sports)

MOE (Evans Road) Stadium, Monday, 8th May 2023 — Raffles Institution ground down Anglo-Chinese Junior College in the A Division rugby semi-finals on Monday, running away in the second half to finish 45-6.

This is the first A Division 15-a-side rugby season in 3 years — the Covid-19 pandemic cancelled the 2020 and 2021 tournaments, whereas 2022’s NSG was played in the 7s format in order to conform to prevailing safety measures.

“It feels great to be back playing normal rugby again”, said Raffles vice-captain Dylan Tan (RI  #9).

“7s is more backs-oriented but now with 15s, the whole team is there playing; really helps with bonding and the team spirit.”

RI and ACJC traded penalty attempts early on. ACJC were the first to break the deadlock through Noah Oey (ACJC #15), who kicked a penalty to score 3 points for his team.

Raffles, however, were the first to score a try, with Muhammad Haziq bin Mohd Azhar (RI #19) the beneficiary of turnover ball. Tristan Ang (RI #10) was unable to convert the try, making the score 5-3.

Raffles remained in control of the match and their backline was able to consistently find space to run.

RI #23 Titus Lim made an exciting break down the right side before being dragged down 10 meters out by the AC defence. The Rafflesians capitalised on their field position and a few phases later, Jordan Lee (RI #7) offloaded to teammate Ernest Yap (RI #15) to score. Tristan was able to find his target this time, taking the score to 12-3.

Noah hit another penalty for ACJC soon after, making the score 12-6.

But RI had the final say in the half; scrum-half Dylan Tan (RI #9) took a quick tap from a penalty and his team made their way downfield, culminating in a try to Titus (#23). Tristan missed the conversion, and the scoreline remained 17-6 heading into the break.

Kyler Teh (RI #8) grounds the ball underneath the posts. (Photo 2 © Shenn Tan/Red Sports)

Raffles gradually asserted more dominance over the game as their opponents tired in the second half.

Powerful number 8 Kyler Teh (RI #8) scored two tries in a row, with both converted by Caleb Loh (RI #18), who took over kicking duties for the rest of the game.

ACJC then gained possession after sloppy play from RI, and made their way upfield. Raffles were able to hold out, however, defending resolutely on their tryline even with Caleb (RI #18) injured downfield. Caleb was able to return to play and eventually, the ball was turned over.

A yellow-carded high tackle soon afterward from AC’s Jaylen Ang (ACJC #10) resulted in ACJC being reduced to 14 men for 10 minutes, and momentum swung back to RI, with whom it remained for the rest of the match.

Play eventually resulted in a scrum to AC on their 5 meter line, but the clearing kick failed to find touch. The ball made its way through Raffles hands to Mark Lee (RI #25) on the opposite side of the field, and he cut through a light AC defence to score. Caleb added the extras to make the score 38-6.

Following the kickoff, RI broke away from the AC defence once more. Kyler (RI #8) carried strongly into the AC half, and Enzo Senna McCully (RI #21) picked the ball from the ruck and darted the final 10 meters to score. The game finished 45-6 to Raffles Institution after the conversion from Caleb (RI #18).

“There’s still gaps and mistakes to work on as we look towards the finals,” said Raffles vice-captain Dylan. “We’ll see what goes down on the field next week, but we have the self-confidence in our ability and the team to put on a good show.”

Speaking for ACJC was captain Ryan Seow, who was unfortunately injured before the season: “I think it was a little bit disappointing… but I could see (my teammates) play with their all on the field and I’m still proud of them.”

Ryan also noted the high tackles from his teammates during the game, saying: “defence is definitely something we can work on before finals.”

Raffles Institution will play Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) in the final at MOE (Evans Road) Stadium on Monday, 15 May 2023 at 4.30pm.

Scorers
Raffles Institution
Kyler Teh Kai-En (#8) – 2 tries
Matthias Yap Tse Meng (#15) – 1 try
Muhammad Haziq bin Mohd Azhar (#19) – 1 try
Enzo Senna McCully (#21) – 1 try
Titus Lim Zong Shen (#23) – 1 try
Mark Lee Jun Kai (#25) – 1 try
Tristan Ang Rui Liang (#10) – 1 conversion
Caleb Low Sze Kai (#18) – 4 conversions

Anglo-Chinese Junior College
Noah Oey (#15) – 2 penalties

Raffles Institution Roster
Nathan Harrison Singgih (#14), Enzo Senna McCully (#21), Ilyas Kurniady bin Kamsul (#20), Tyler James Leong (#12), Gangisetty Venkata Datta Sai (#11), Kyler Teh Kai-En (#8), Mohammed Danish Khan bin Mohammed Noor Khan (#5), Aashish Babu (#26), Mark Lee Jun Kai (#25), Muhammad Haziq bin Mohd Azhar (#19), Dylan Tan Tze Kai (#9), Ho Shih-Yu (#6), Tristan Ang Rui Liang (#10), Perry Lai Yue Sheng (#1), Ethan Tan (#22), Josh Michael Tng (#24), Lee Jing Keane (#27), Isaiah Lee Ting You (#30), Jethro Lim Lei En (#16), Jordan Lee Zhao Feng (#7), Luke Chai Rong Yan (#17), Ernest Matthias Yap Tse Meng (#15), Rafael Low Ren Xiang (#29), Jayden Tan Junjie (#3), Titus Lim Zong Shen (#23), Marc Leong Weng Mun (#4), Loh Sze Kai Caleb (#18), Anand Isaac Sithu Tian Kai (#13), Isaac Lim Xin Hong (#2), Morrisey Izz Al Din (#28)

Anglo-Chinese Junior College Roster
Darrian Shaedon (#1), Rajendran Krishnan (#2), Harrold Wong (#3), Joah Wang Zheng Min (#16), Kieran Yi Wee (#17), Abiara Sherwin Uchenna (#18), Ng Khai Onn (#19), Muhammad Irshaad bin Mohamed Sultan (#29), Dennis Toh Yi An (#4), Manogaran Mohnish (#5), Benjamin Yong Zhen Yuan (#6), Jedidiah Lim Zheng Kai (#7), Javier Tan Junkai (#8), Ryan Tan Yi Ren (#9), Jaylen Ang Ding Heng (#10), Don Lam Xianjun (#11), Jonathan Varghese George (#12), Anand Devaprakash (#13), Hayyan Danish bin Johari (#14), Noah Oey (#15), Sean Khoo Jia Sheng (#20), Isaac Yang Shaoxuan (#21), Dylan Tan Ray Herng (#22), Russell Tan Yan Feng (#23), Mahadevan Sahishnu (#24), Juan Farrel Tjahjadi (#25), Ong Hua Jie Ro-I (#26), Chen Huai (#27), Alldan Chan Zea Keane (#28), Rey Shum Wei-liang (#30)

*** NOTE: Names and jersey numbers are based on official team sheets.

More photos next page. Please let us know if you recognise any of the players in the photos by leaving a comment, so we can edit the captions to include their names.

ACS(I)’s Jeremiah Williams (#8) streaks away to score a try. (Photo 1 © Joash Chow/Red Sports)

MOE (Evans) Stadium, Monday, 8 May 2023 — Reigning champions Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) secured a place in the final of the National School Games A Division Rugby, overwhelming Saint Andrew’s Junior College (SAJC) 62-0.

Rugby has returned to its full 15-a-side format across all divisions after a 3-year hiatus owing to the prevailing Covid-19 national guidelines at the time.

Building on their last outing against SAJC on 28 April, ACS(I) was keen to get on the score sheet right from the beginning. Within the first three minutes, Jeffrey Lee (AC #15) bagged the opening try, taking the lead 5-0.

SAJC fought back, defending resolutely for the next few phases. ACS(I) however proved too strong ultimately as they started reeling in the tries soon after.

Outside-centre Jedd Tan (AC #22) scored two tries in quick succession, sidestepping multiple defenders for his first and bashing through several tacklers for his second. Captain Tycen Yeoh (AC #58) added the extras to make it 19-0.

ACS(I) continued fast and furious with Jeremiah Williams (AC #8), Jeffrey Lee (AC #15) and Xavier Goh (AC #2) each scoring tries of their own in quick succession. A successful conversion by fly-half Bryant Sim (#12) brought the scores to 36-0.

Following another converted try by Marcus Tay (AC #7), the match grew even bleaker for SAJC when Jeremy Tan (SA #13) was sin-binned for tackling a ball-carrier mid-air off the kick restart.

Down to 14 men, SAJC soldiered on, exchanging thumping hits with their ACS(I) counterparts.

ACS(I) nevertheless continued to dominate in their offensive plays, with players carrying hard and passing the ball effectively into space.

Winger John Heng (AC#25) took the next try after receiving a one-handed offload from Jedd Tan (AC #22).

ACS(I) then scored a blinder in the following phase after kick-off. From deep in their own half, Bryant (AC #12) made a daring attempt to chip the ball behind the oncoming defensive line. John (AC #25) chased hard and the ball bounced in his favour, bringing the supporters to their feet and in cheers as he dashed towards the try line.

The match concluded within the first half as Jedd (AC #22) completed a hat-trick. The game concluded 62-0 in favour of ACS(I), with the mercy rule applied given the 60-point differential.

“We were playing for each other, we were very composed in the breakdown situations… the ability to link up with one another was something that gave us the game,” shared ACS(I) captain Tycen (AC #58).

About his team’s preparations for the 3rd place play-off, SAJC captain Jeremy Tan (SA #13) said, “I think one thing we can do better is to be more on the ball on our communication.” He added, “We can improve on [our] coordination in terms of our formations… those are just minor issues we can brush up. And over the next week, I think we will be ready for the next game.”

Looking forward to the final, ACS(I) head coach Mr Adrian Chong said: “[There is] still some way to go, still want to see the boys playing better as a team. I think individually we have got all the players who can make a difference, but I think in a final, I suppose the team effort is going to be what’s going to count.”

“Hopefully next Monday we can play better as a team, and we’ll be able to see a difference when the boys come together.”

ACS(I) will play Raffles Institution in the final at MOE (Evans Road) Stadium on Monday, 15 May 2023 at 4.30pm.

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) v Saint Andrew’s Junior College
Scoring by half
Half-time: 62-0
Full-time: 62-0

Scorers
Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)
Goh Min Xuan, Xavier (#2) – 1 try
Jeremiah Williams (#8) – 1 try
Jeffrey Lee (#15) – 2 tries
Jedd Tan (#22) – 3 tries
John Heng (#25) – 2 tries
Bryant Sim (#12) – 4 conversions
Tycen Yeoh (#58) – 2 conversions

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) Roster
Goh Min Xuan, Xavier (#2), Matthew Luke Lim Kaijun (#3), Shane Declan Choong Ken Rui (#1), Jeremiah Zhi Xiang Williams (#8), Chow Rae Howe Isaac (#9), Ryan Hia Juay Hng (#19), Au Yeung Chi Hang Lucas (#17), Emmanuel Tan (#16), Harshavardhana Niteesh (#26), Jeremy Kek Jianbin (#14), Mok Joon Loong Gareth (#13), Tycen Yeoh Yong Jun (#58), Jeffrey Lee Yuchen (#15), Parkhi Alakh Ajey (#11), Sim Xu Hui Bryant (#12), Nicholas Leong Zhong An (#4), Jacob Tan Kejie (#5), Marcus Tay Tse En (#7), Shaunak Suvir Shahani (#24), Javier Ling Qing Hong (#6), Ong Tze Herng, Kieran (#23), John Heng Kai En (#25), Zhou Sanzheng (#27), Euan David Ong Yi-En (#20), Ryan Joshua Ong (#21), Jedd Tan Shi Jie (#22), Audric Cheng Yu Xiang (#18)

Saint Andrew’s Junior College Roster
Muhammad Syahmi Bin Mohamed Yusman (#29), Eden Kang Yi En (#02), Veela Kannan Aaditya (#26), Joshua Lim Yan Loong (#03), Leung Jin Xi Evan Justin (#30), Tan Jee Tao (#08), Ryan Haziqi Bin Zulhakimi (#01), Nabil Afiq Bin Jumali (#18), Law Jun Wei (#19), Tham Qi Feng Jireh (#06), Dela Serna Kamil Yuri Delizo (#16), Suhan Krishna (#23), Jeyakumar Mahin (#21), Leo Wey Li Shawn (#04), Joel Tan Theng Yong (#28), Arjun Iynkaran (#17), Darius Ang Jing Kai (Hong Jingkai) (#11), Tangudu Sujith (#05), Dylan Loh Kai Yao (#20), Gundluru Nishanth Reddy (#22), Trever Sim Pin Yi (#27), Ryan Sing Aik Yong (#09), Elliot Nah Jing Zhi (#07), Ian Lee Khang (#12), Jeremy Tan Jia Le (#13), Lin Yuanfeng Javier (#15), Marc Tan Jindi (#25), Labarrere Hugo Kai Wen (#10)

*** NOTE: Names and jersey numbers are based on official team sheets.
More photos next page. Please let us know if you recognise any of the players in the photos by leaving a comment, so we can edit the captions to include their names.

St. Patrick’s School’s Viresh Kumar clinched the B Div boys’ high jump gold with a personal best clearance of 1.90m. (Photo 1 © Iman Hashim/Red Sports)

National Stadium, Friday, April 28, 2023 — Having already surpassed his 1.85-metre personal best twice as the field was whittled down to two in the B Division boys’ high jump final, Viresh Kumar could have easily been content with his showing even as he was trailing in the contest for gold.

But there was no barrier too high for the bullish St. Patrick’s School athlete, as he stared down the 1.90m-high bar and urged his fellow competitors and the crowd to clap along with him.

“At the end of the day, it’s just me, myself and I fighting for the medal,” said the 16-year-old after the event.

“It’s just me who will get it or lose it. In the end, I really fought for it.”

A faultless curved run-up later, Viresh took flight over 1.90m on his first attempt and looked up in disbelief as the bar remained intact. That was his third PB of the afternoon and it proved enough to snatch victory after a high jump marathon which lasted at least three hours.

“There was a lot of pressure. There was someone who was ahead of me quite a number of times,” Viresh said, referring to Raffles Institution (RI)’s Rei Tan, the B boys’ triple jump champion (13.33m), who had to be consigned to second place in his pet event.

“It took me a lot of courage to be here today, I struggled a lot. There were a lot of ups and downs, but at the end of the day, it’s amazing to get the win,” added Viresh.

Up till the previous height of 1.88m, RI’s Rei had been the frontrunner for gold, maintaining a spotless record of clearing every height he attempted in one try.

On the other hand, Viresh had taken the maximum three attempts to clear 1.80m, two attempts at 1.84m, and only went over 1.88m on his second try.

But Rei, who set a new C Division and national under-15 record of 1.85m last year, eventually faltered in all of his PB-equalling attempts at 1.90m to settle for silver on his B Division debut.

Rei’s RI teammate Lau Jia Hern and Victoria School’s Joash Tam both cleared a best height of 1.80m, but the latter claimed the bronze on countback.

Viresh’s win saw him become the first St. Patrick’s boy to win a B Division high jump medal of any sort, since 1970 at least*.

The gold also added to his bronze medal in the long jump, where he leapt a distance of 5.99m.

Giving credit to his coaches Tang Ngai Kin and Ronnie Cai, Viresh said: “They were always there for me at my lowest, they always taught me to do my best, be myself and not let anyone interfere in what I do. So I thank them a lot for that.”

*Note: Missing data in some years

64th National Schools Track and Field Championships 2023

B Div Boys’ High Final
1st S Viresh Kumar (#601, St. Patrick’s School) — 1.90 metres
2nd Tan Shou Yi Rei (#507, Raffles Institution) — 1.88
3rd Tam Jong-Hng, Joash (#710, Victoria School) — 1.80
4th Lau Jia Hern (#489, Raffles Institution) — 1.80
5th Wong Si Han (#192, Catholic High School) — 1.73
6th Jonah Jude Seah Yong Le (#689, Victoria School) — 1.73
7th Aryan Mehta (#579, St. Joseph’s Institution (International)) — 1.73
8th Chan Tzao Han Timothy (#474, Raffles Institution) — 1.70

More photos next page

Faith Zhen Ford (#193) of VJC set a new championship record in the A Div girls’ 1500m final stopping the clock at 4:52.41. (Photo 1 © Iman Hashim/Red Sports)

National Stadium, Friday, April 28, 2023 — She had set a new schools national record in the 3000 metres two weeks earlier, but moments before she toed the start line in the A Division girls’ 1500m final, Victoria Junior College (VJC)’s Faith Ford had niggling doubts about taking down the event’s 24-year-old electronically-timed record of 4 minutes 54.02 seconds held by Rahmah Begum, and Zhang Cuiying’s hand-timed mark of 4:53.7 set in 1991.

After all, she had never gone under 5 minutes over three-and-three-quarter laps, winning the event last year in 5:07.82 and recording 5:02.82 in this year’s heats.

“It felt like a bit of a stretch,” conceded the 18-year-old.

But familiar sources of encouragement in the form of her father, Erik Ford, and her coach, long-serving VJC teacher Tan Yew Hwee, helped her reshape her mentality going into the final.

“My coach and my dad were all like, ‘No, you can do it’, ‘You have it in you’, ‘Just go out there and try’… then I was like, you know what, I’ll just go out there and run and we’ll see how it goes,” she said.

Bursting out from the pack on the back straight and completing her first 300m in around 54s, Faith never relented and eventually crossed the finish line three laps later in 4:52.41, shattering both records in the process.

She finished at least 30 seconds ahead of her nearest challengers, with Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) duo Eunice Chin (5:22.43) and Sheryl Tang (5:34.17) taking the silver and bronze respectively.

Admitting that her initial target was just to finish under the 5-minute barrier, Faith said of her thoughts during the race: “After my first lap, I was like, whoa… actually this feels okay, I think I can maintain (this pace).

“After that, I maintained (the pace) and I was like, wait, I can do it… when I had 400 metres left to go, I saw it was three three something (around 3:34), and I was like, you know what, I’m going to try… I’m going to do it.

“When I finished, I was like, wow… it was a huge ‘pinch me’ moment,” she added.

Faith’s victory wrapped up a distance treble this season, after winning the 3000m at this track meet and being the top A girls’ individual finisher at the National Schools Cross Country Championships.

Her 10:41.48 clocked in the 3000m heats erased Raffles Institution alumna Toh Ting Xuan’s 2018 record of 10:46.37, before she ran 10:42.12 four days later in the final to bag the gold. At the cross country meet, Faith timed 13:45.79 over the approximately 3.8km route to finish more than one-and-a-half minutes ahead of her nearest competitor. That also helped VJC win the A girls’ cross country team title which the school last won in 2016.

Faith said missing out on the 3000m record by only four seconds at last year’s track meet had fuelled her fire leading up to this season.

“That inspired me to keep going,” she explained, referring to her 10:50.71 run last year. “I was like, you know what, I’m going to make sure I cut those 4 seconds next year.”

“That gave me motivation to do even better this year. As a result, that also showed in my other events,” said Faith, who is one-third of triplets.

Her sister Gemma represented Anglo-Chinese Junior College and ran alongside her in the 3000m as well as the 4x400m relay which was run less than two hours after the 1500m final.

Faith’s coach Tan Yew Hwee, too, initially expressed reservations about his athlete cracking the 1500m record, but maintained that she has the “values and character to do it”.

“Coaching her is challenging as she would want to know why we do this and that, which is good as she wants to know how the training benefits her,” said Mr Tan, who has taught and coached at VJC since 1995.

“To get her to rest is also challenging as she cannot sit still. She is pleasant to coach and very teachable and humble,” he added.

Mr Tan also paid tribute to Faith’s support system. “Her dad, Erik Ford, is her pillar. He monitors her progress diligently and will always communicate with myself and other teachers helping the runners,” he said, also thanking fellow teachers Kok Ye Hong and Russell Woo who helped to monitor Faith’s training whenever he was unavailable.

“It takes a whole village to raise a child,” Mr Tan added.

Faith’s foray into competitive running was a rather unconventional and accidental one.

Formerly a swimmer during her lower secondary days before Covid-19 struck, her running potential was first discovered by Mr Tan’s friend, Mark Neo, who was Faith’s neighbour.

“Mark noticed Faith’s determination when she was running on the treadmill and gave me a ring, asking if VJC needed female runners,” said Mr Tan, explaining that this was during the Direct School Admission (DSA) application period when Faith was in her final year at CHIJ St. Joseph’s Convent.

Mr Tan got Faith to run at a Singapore Athletics All-Comers meet in 2021 where she clocked 12:07.75 over 3000m, which he deemed “not bad for a beginner”.

“Faith’s coach then, Asmah (Hanim), also highly recommended her to me. We decided to take her (into VJC) after looking into her academics, and the rest was history,” Mr Tan added.

Meanwhile in the B Division boys’ 1500m final run earlier in the day, Reuben Loke (4:25.27), Isaac Tan (4:26.35) and Muhammad Akid (4:28.99) ensured a 1-2-3 medal sweep for Anglo-Chinese School (Independent).

The final middle distance event of the afternoon saw Raffles Institution’s Pranav Shreedhar (4:15.02), HCI’s Jacob Tan (4:16.51) and teammate Oumalee Theejutha (4:16.68) finish in the top three positions in the A Division boys’ race.

64th National Schools Track and Field Championships 2023

B Div Boys’ 1500m Final
1st Loke E-Jay Reuben (#79, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) — 4 minutes 25.27 seconds
2nd Isaac Tan Tze Sian (#66, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)) — 4:26.35
3rd Muhammad Akid Bin Muhammad Najib (#81, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)) — 4:28.99
4th Pranit Nitin (#646, Temasek Secondary) — 4:29.79
5th Koo Iain Cheer, Emerson (#251, Evergreen Secondary) — 4:29.91
6th Tan Wei Yee (#348, Hwa Chong Institution) — 4:34.22
7th Dhiran Dev Rajah (#554, St. Joseph’s Institution) — 4:34.41
8th Tristan Loh (#715, Victoria School) — 4:36.64

A Div Girls’ 1500m Final
1st Faith Zhen Ford (#193, Victoria Junior College) — 4 minutes 52.41 seconds (New CR)
2nd Eunice Chin Ee Teng (#82, Hwa Chong Institution) — 5:22.43
3rd Sheryl Tang Yu Xuan (#96, Hwa Chong Institution) — 5:34.17
4th Chew Zhi Qi (#173, St. Andrew’s Junior College) — 5:34.68
5th Edna Kwa Suan (#147, Raffles Institution) — 5:35.72
6th Caitlyn Marie Tey (#63, Eunoia Junior College) — 5:37.16
7th Natalie Tan Li Ying (#91, Hwa Chong Institution) — 5:37.83
8th Ophelia Neo (#61, Dunman High School) — 5:41.27

A Div Boys’ 1500m Final
1st Pranav Shreedhar (#230, Raffles Institution) — 4 minutes 15.02 seconds
2nd Jacob Tan (#121, Hwa Chong Institution) — 4:16.51
3rd Oumalee Theejutha (#135, Hwa Chong Institution) — 4:16.68
4th Mervyn Ong Shao Xuan (#14, Anglo-Chinese Junior College) — 4:17.46
5th Ferrell Lee (#34, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)) — 4:17.82
6th James Lachlan Chin (#38, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)) — 4:19.93
7th Bryan Cheung Jia Jie (#29, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) — 4:21.53
8th Jonathan Tan (#214, Raffles Institution) — 4:26.21

More photos next page

Clara Lim (#440) of RGS rose above her competition to snatch the B Div girls’ 100m gold in 12.49s, just 0.04s ahead of silver medalist Teh Ying Shan (#528) of Chung Cheng High (Yishun). Chloe Chee (#309) of MGS took bronze in 12.78s. In a historic first, all eight finalists went sub-13s. (Photo 1 © Iman Hashim/Red Sports)

National Stadium, Friday, April 28, 2023 — With all eight finalists of the B Division girls’ 100 metres dipping under 13 seconds in the semis, and with six of them holding sub-12.9s personal bests ahead of the final, Clara Lim of Raffles Girls’ School (RGS) knew she had to execute her race to perfection to come out tops.

Yet, her main motivation was to cement a top four podium finish for her school in the overall divisional standings.

“Since this was my last race for the school, I just wanted to run for the team and make the school proud, so that we could get our fourth-place trophy. I was more focused on getting that for the team,” said the 16-year-old.

“I just wanted to run a good race in the Sports Hub, especially with this atmosphere.”

Not letting the pressure of the stiff competition get to her, Clara rose above to snatch the gold in 12.49s (-0.1m/s), slashing one hundredth of a second off her personal best and dipping just 0.04s ahead of nearest challenger Teh Ying Shan of Chung Cheng High (Yishun), who also lowered her PB from 12.58s to 12.53s.

Clara’s and Ying Shan’s timings rank them as the fifth and sixth fastest B Division girls over 100m all-time* at the National Schools, behind Nanyang Girls’ High alumnae Elizabeth-Ann Tan (12.25s, 2019) and Bernice Liew (12.37s, 2018), and Singapore Sports School alumnae Eugenia Tan (12.39s, 2012) and Shanti Pereira (12.43s, 2011).

Methodist Girls’ School (MGS) Secondary 3 athlete Chloe Chee, the B girls’ long jump champion (5.42m), finished with the 100m bronze this year in 12.78s, while Emily Anne Choi of CHIJ St. Theresa’s Convent (STC) was the surprise fourth-place finisher, upgrading her PB by 0.1s to 12.86s.

In a historic first for the girls’ 100m across all divisions, the top 8 all went under the 13s barrier again in the final. And as far as history goes, since 1970** at least, Clara turned out to be the first and only RGS girl to have ever won a B girls’ 100m gold.

Clara acknowledged the tense atmosphere prior to lining up her blocks in the final, but was quick to thank her competitors for the extra push.

“I could feel the pressure building up in the call room… but we still managed to do it together. If it weren’t for them, I probably wouldn’t have run such a good time, because they were pushing with me as well,” said Clara, who is under the tutelage of school coach Jacter Singh and external coach Fabian William.

Ying Shan, the only Chung Cheng High (Yishun) representative at the championships this year, is also the first ever athlete from her school to have earned a medal in this event, and Chloe’s bronze is MGS’s first B girls’ 100m medal since 1998. Emily’s fourth place, meanwhile, is the highest position attained by an STC girl in this event since 2003.

The finalists were no strangers to one another, with most having gone head-to-head numerous times in the past few months. Interestingly, Ying Shan came out tops last month at the Singapore Athletics National Championships U18 girls’ 100m final, clocking 12.69s as Chloe finished second in 12.79s. Due to a poor start, Clara settled for third back then in 12.96s.

Describing her competition with the rest of the girls as a “friendly rivalry”, Clara added: “Everyone is very nice to each other, we are all friends. I really wouldn’t have made it here if not for them, because they were there to push me.”

Clara and Ying Shan also finished with the gold and silver in the 200m final two days earlier, recording 25.52s and 25.92s respectively, while defending champ Jayme Ng of CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School clocked 26.52s for bronze.

Meanwhile, the top four finishers in the A Division girls’ 100m final retained their same positions from last year, with Hwa Chong Institution’s Eleana Goh (12.49s), Victoria Junior College’s Ashley Tan (13.06s), Raffles Institution’s Lyn Liau (13.06s) and Singapore Sports School’s Samantha Ortega (13.19s) arranging themselves in that order atop the podium.

Eleana, who also retained her 200m crown, was just 0.06s off her new 100m PB of 12.43s (-1.5m/s) clocked in the semi-finals.

Eleana’s sprint double helped HCI bag its fifth straight A girls’ divisional title.

In the C Division girls’ 100m final, CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ Charlotte Teh took gold in 13.53s, while Alexa Tan (13.57s) of MGS and Huang Tianai (13.64s) of Nanyang Girls’ High finished second and third respectively.

*Only includes electronically-timed (ET) performances
**Missing results for 1981 and 1982

64th National Schools Track and Field Championships 2023

C Div Girls’ 100m Final (W/G: +0.3 m/s)
1st Teh Xin Ni Charlotte (#159, CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’) — 13.53 seconds
2nd Alexa Tan Liyi (#259, Methodist Girls’ School) — 13.57
3rd Huang Tianai (#283, Nanyang Girls’ High School) — 13.64
4th Krishna Shashini d/o Jai Raj (#376, Singapore Sports School) — 13.84
5th Heather Tan Rae’Qi (#53, Cedar Girls’ Secondary) — 13.94
6th Kayley Seah Xin En (#59, Cedar Girls’ Secondary) — 14.07
7th Chong Kate Lynn, Lea (#276, Nanyang Girls’ High School) — 14.11
8th Tan Ying Tong, Shannon (#81, Cedar Girls’ Secondary) — 14.48

B Div Girls’ 100m Final (W/G: -0.1 m/s)
1st Lim Yee Chern Clara (#440, Raffles Girls’ School) — 12.49 seconds
2nd Teh Ying Shan (#528, Chung Cheng High School (Yishun)) — 12.53
3rd Chloe Chee En-Ya (#309, Methodist Girls’ School) — 12.78
4th Emily Anne Choi Yi Siu (#182, CHIJ St. Theresa’s Convent) — 12.86
5th Megan Anne Ying Ka Mun (#76, Cedar Girls’ Secondary) — 12.92
6th Koh Jing Xuan, Bernyce (#457, Singapore Sports School) — 12.95
7th Jayme Ng Sok Chee (#156, CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’) — 12.96
8th Soh Hwei En, Rachel (#358, Nanyang Girls’ High School) — 12.99

A Div Girls’ 100m Final
1st Goh En Ya, Eleana (#84, Hwa Chong Institution) — 12.49 seconds
2nd Tan Yi Han Ashley (#208, Victoria Junior College) — 13.06
3rd Liau Yi Ning Lyn (#151, Raffles Institution) — 13.06
4th Samantha Theresa Ortega (#171, Singapore Sports School) — 13.19
5th Sonia Wijaya (#176, St. Andrew’s Junior College) — 13.22
6th Lee Woon Yen Meredith (#88, Hwa Chong Institution) — 13.33
7th Lin Xiwen (#56, Dunman High School) — 13.41
8th Hu Xiran (#87, Hwa Chong Institution) — 13.69

More photos next page

RI’s Tate Tan (#238) claims victory in the A Div boys’ 100m final in 10.74s, becoming the third-fastest schoolboy in the event in NSG history. ACS(I)’s Xavier Tan (#51) clinches the silver in 11.18s, while VJC’s Ong Ying Tat (#304) takes bronze in 11.26s. (Photo 1 © Iman Hashim/Red Sports)

National Stadium, Friday, April 28, 2023 — As of six months ago, barely anyone in the local athletics fraternity might have heard of Raffles Institution (RI)’s Tate Tan. After all, at that point, he had only ever competed twice in an official 100-metre race, clocking a modest 12.58 seconds and 12.12s four years back as a 14-year-old.

It was no surprise then that he made heads turn under National Stadium floodlights on Friday, clinching gold in the A Division boys’ 100m final in an eye-catching 10.74s (-0.2m/s).

The timing saw him become the third-fastest schoolboy in National School Games (NSG) history in the event, only behind Mark Lee’s 10.59s record set last year and Donovan Chan’s 10.70s in 2012. Tate would have also placed fifth, and second among local sprinters, in the Men’s Open 100m final that happened moments earlier at the concurrent 83rd Singapore Open Track and Field Championships.

“I wasn’t able to have the chance to compete for a very long time,” said the 18-year-old.

“This year was the first year that I managed to compete… and with my friends encouraging me and my coaches telling me that I could do it, I was able to come back and give my best for my final NSG.”

Tate’s meteoric rise in the past few months comes after a series of ill fortune over the years.

He broke his arm in Secondary 2 forcing him out of the NSG, while the annual meet was suspended in the following two years amid Covid-19. Last year, he sustained a toe fracture outside of training and quit the sport for around three to four months.

“I came back (to the sport) after a while, and it was all thanks to my friends,” he added.

His comeback began in November last year, when he raised a few eyebrows stopping the clock at 11.08s at the Club Zoom 9th Kindred Spirit Series.

He has since grown from strength to strength, recording 11.00s at the Singapore Athletics All-Comers Meet 2 this February, and going under the 11s barrier for the first time when he clocked 10.82s in the semi-finals of this NSG meet.

RI sprints coach Melvin Tan was pleased with his charge’s “exponential” improvement.

“No one had noticed him as he was kind of laid-back during the Covid period and did not compete.

“At the end of last year, he started training three times per week with each session lasting 2.5 hours. Coupled with his innate great talent, he was able to make progress at an exponential rate,” said Mr Tan, who also coaches six national athletes bound for next month’s Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Tate’s 100m gold was his second of the meet, adding to his victory in the 200m two days earlier where he crossed the line in a quick 21.93s. He is the only Singaporean who has gone sub-22s in the event this year aside from SEA Games-bound Reuben Rainer Lee (21.16s) and Mark Lee (21.69s).

Tate’s victory on Friday also capped off an RI clean sweep of the boys’ 100m golds, with Brayden Chan winning the B Division final in 11.12s and Wang Qiyue the C Division winner in 11.85s.

Brayden’s winning time was a steady improvement from his previous personal bests of 11.25s equalled in the heats and 11.13s clocked in the semi-finals, and he was quick to attribute it to the support of his coaches.

“I’m grateful for their help all these years, and I hope to maintain the standards moving forward,” said the 16-year-old.

Mr Tan acknowledged the challenges in getting the best out of his athletes.

“It was difficult initially as three of them had different physical make-up and running mechanics,” he said, referring to the three 100m champions. “In addition, Qiyue had a composure issue, Brayden needed to recover more quickly while Tate had really tight muscles.”

“But they were teachable, determined and motivated, so it made my job easier. I was glad that they had overcome their personal challenges and could sprint more efficiently,” added Mr Tan, who took up the RI job for a second time in July last year.

He previously coached at the school for around 10 years from August 2009 to May 2019.

Aided by the sprint titles, RI clinched its first A and B boys’ divisional titles since 2016 and 2018 respectively, while it was the school’s first time claiming both trophies at the same meet in 33 years, wrestling the honours back from perennial rivals Hwa Chong Institution.

64th National Schools Track and Field Championships 2023

C Div Boys’ 100m Final (W/G: -0.2 m/s)
1st Wang Qiyue (#390, Raffles Institution) — 11.85 seconds
2nd Keane Tan Jun (#58, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)) — 11.97
3rd Jonathan Philip Hoare (#255, Hwa Chong Institution) — 12.02
4th Oliver Ho Yijia (#470, St. Patrick’s School) — 12.04
5th Fu Zixuan (#253, Hwa Chong Institution) — 12.33
6th Choo Yee Wei (#19, Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary) — 12.47
7th Lee Xing Zhe Alvis (#60, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)) — 12.51
8th Aidan Yeo Li Herng (#43, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)) — 12.67

B Div Boys’ 100m Final (W/G: -0.1 m/s)
1st Brayden Chan Wei Jie (#472, Raffles Institution) — 11.12 seconds
2nd Song En Xu Reagan (#86, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)) — 11.35
3rd Emir Bin Muhammad Rashid (#532, Singapore Sports School) — 11.38
4th Low Wei Yi Dillon (#118, Bedok View Secondary) — 11.56
5th Tong Zong Wei (#351, Hwa Chong Institution) — 11.76
6th Tong Xian Yao (#89, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)) — 11.83
7th Joshua Lee Shyen (#73, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)) — 11.90
8th Mikail Emre Wijaya (#596, St. Patrick’s School) — 13.22

A Div Boys’ 100m Final (W/G: -0.2 m/s)
1st Tate Tan Fung (#238, Raffles Institution) — 10.74 seconds
2nd Xavier Tan Tze How (#51, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)) — 11.18
3rd Ong Ying Tat (#304, Victoria Junior College) — 11.26
4th Zachary Tan Shan Wei (#147, Hwa Chong Institution) — 11.36
5th Chia Keane Yearn Darius (#112, Hwa Chong Institution) — 11.43
6th Isaac Ling De Jun (#37, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)) — 11.47
7th Goh Jaeng Hee (#209, Raffles Institution) — 11.61
8th Luke Tan (#45, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)) — 11.63

More photos next page

Lucas Yeo (AC #12) reaches out to ground the ball and score a try. Yeo (AC #12) would go on to score a hattrick in the semi-final, as ACS(I) beat SJI 50-5 to advance to the final. (Photo 1 © Bryan Foo/Red Sports)

MOE (Evans) Stadium, Tuesday, 28 March 2023 — After a tightly contested first half, ACS(I) overcame SJI in the second half with an eventual full-time score of 50-5. With the win, Independent advance to the final of the rugby B Division National School Games (NSG).

Rugby has returned to form in the full 15s format this year, after being played in the 7s version at last year’s B Division NSG due to the prevailing public health measures at the time.

Outside centre Lucas Yeo (AC #12) kicked the match off with its opening try, breaking through the SJI defensive line to ground the ball before he could be stopped by covering SJI tacklers. The try was successfully converted by Harry Irfan Curran (AC #26) to put 7 points on the scoreboard for ACS(I).

Although it was Independent who drew first blood, SJI were the dominant side for the first quarter of the match.

SJI coach Jamal said: “We started well, we were well organised in the first half, we kept the score low with ACS(I).”

SJI found themselves 10 metres away from ACS(I)’s try line after consecutive pick-and-go phases and a few penalties awarded in SJI’s favour. Zachary Woo (SJI #12) received the ball to score on the try line. The try, unfortunately, remained unconverted as the kick by SJI captain Rahul Baskar (SJI #10) did not send the ball between the posts.

Independent responded with another try from Yeo (AC #12), which ACS(I) was unable to convert, bringing the first half to a close with the score at 12-5.

With SJI only trailing by a converted try, it was still anybody’s game.

“It was a very close affair because we were making uncharacteristic mistakes,” said ACS(I) coach Mr Adrian Chong. Chong added: “Thankfully, we actually held the lead going into half time.”

In the second half, ACS(I) were able to rally, with Yeo (AC #12) completing a hattrick with his third try of the match.

Additionally, Tobias Lim (AC #14) added two tries for Independent, while Darwish Bin Johari (AC #6) and Oscar McEwin (#13) scored a try apiece.

Curran (AC #26) himself put one try on the board for Independent and converted a further three tries in the second half. One successful conversion was also taken by kicker Jaryl Lee (AC #27).

“SJI was tiring [out] in the second half and we were able to exploit all the defensive lapses that were presented to us,” said coach Chong. “We were able to break the line much more easily, compared to the first half.”

With SJI unable to replicate their first-half vigour, the match drew to a close with a fulltime score of 50-5.

Nonetheless, coach Jamal was happy with how far his SJI team had come: “We have not qualified for [the semi-finals for] a very long time and taking the boys to qualify for the semi-finals is a good achievement for a start right now.”

Echoing his coach, SJI captain Rahul (SJI #10) is also thinking ahead to the 3rd/4th placing match: “I am quite looking forward to that, the National Stadium is a great venue and I can’t wait to play.”

As for ACS(I), qualifying for this B Division final holds special significance for this cohort of boys.

“This batch is the ‘Covid batch’,” said coach Chong. “They haven’t really even played an actual [15-a-side] final.”

ACS(I) captain Evan Tan (AC #8) said: “[Qualifying for the finals] is a really big blessing… especially being the one batch that came out of Covid, and the one batch that has been out for so long.”

“We are definitely looking forward to preparing for the finals,” added captain Tan (AC #8).

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) will play St. Andrew’s Secondary School in the final to be held at the Singapore National Stadium on Monday, 10 April 2023 at 4.30pm.

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) v St. Joseph’s Institution

Scoring by half
First Half: 12-5 (12-5)
Second Half: 38-0 (50-5)
Full-time: 50-5

Scorers

ACS(I)
Lucas Yeo Zhen Ye (#12) – 3 tries
Harry Irfan Curran (#26) – 1 try, 4 conversions
Tobias Lim Kel Mu (#14) – 2 tries
Hayyan Darwish Bin Johari (#6) – 1 try
Jaryl Lee Jianming (#27) – 1 conversion
Oscar Andrew James McEwin (#13) – 1 try

SJI
Zachary Woo Yong Zhi (#12) – 1 try

ACS(I) Roster
Leong Shon (#1), Ng Ray-Ven (#2), Jonathan Lok En Xu (#3), Lim Ke Jiun (#4), Evan Tan Yuren (#5), Lee Wen Hao, Judah (#28), Lucas Yeo Zhen Ye (#12), Oscar Andrew James McEwin (#13), Tobias Lim Kel Mu (#14), Loh Kuan Feng, Damian (#37), Evan Israel Tay Yi Hern (#10), Lee Jia-Yi, Samuel (#9), Reuben Sim Zhong Yi (#20), Ho Marcus (#16), Lee Weng Ern (#11), Hayyan Darwish Bin Johari (#6), Kayden Tok Zhi Yu (#19), Russell Hu Tsen Kai (#17), Russell Lim Yi (#7), Shane Wong Zheng Xian (#15), Evan Tan Kai Jin (#8), Ethan Lim (#22), Jansen Ling Qing Xian (#24), Harry Irfan Curran (#26), Jeremiah Lee Wei Han (#25), Kong Hoe Wah Isaac (#18), Ames Leung Man Hon (#60), Leon Loh Shu-Juin (#21), Low Ying Xiang, Joshua (#30), Jaryl Lee Jianming (#27)

SJI Roster
Yong Yew Wey Sean (#2), Ashton Nate Chan (#17), Jay Vivas Manoharan (#1), Ian Douglas Robb (#3), Calvin Ho (#5), Sng Min Hao, Nicholas (#18), Bryce Emmanuel Sim (#7), David Acosta Villanueva (#30), Kenneth Anthony Prakoso (#20), Alexander Lim Jinn Yao (#5), Alexander William Robb (#9), Andre Mitchell Tay Chen Xu (#13), Ethan Gabriel Yu (#23), Shuban U K (#16), Cillian Lim Jin Han (#11), Rahul Baskar (#10), Jasper Davis Slade Lim An (#22), Tharun Pugalanthi (#15), Lee Shi Yang Linus (#24), Cayden Thong (Tang Jie’en) (#28), Abdul Azeem Bin Shaik Amin (#25), Elliott Thomas Ho Anzhe (#8), Zachary Woo Yong Zhi (#12), Ritesh Menon (#14), Kieran Seow (Xiao Zhenxin) (#6), Murphy Rory John Elijah (#37), Twang Jia Yi, Ian (Zhuang Jia Yi) (#21), Tan Xi Wei, Gavin (#26), Almeida Elkan Gerard (#27)

*** NOTE: Names and jersey numbers are based on official team sheets.

More photos next page. Please let us know if you recognise any of the players in the photos by leaving a comment, so we can edit the captions to include their names.

Tan Kai Wen (SA #26) carries the ball as he outpaces the opposite Barker defender down the wing. The Saints beat Barker 22-8 to advance to B Division rugby final. (Photo 1 © Bryan Foo/Red Sports)

MOE (Evans) Stadium, Tuesday, 28 March 2023 — The Saints have qualified for their first B Division rugby final at the National School Games (NSG) since 2019, after beating ACS (Barker Road) 22-8 in a tense semi-final.

The NSG was brought to a two-year hiatus due to the Covid situation.

Last year, however, saw the return of NSG rugby, though the B Division was played in the 7s format rather than the usual 15-a-side due to the prevailing public health measures at the time.

“They did better than expected, they brought up the intensity for today,” said Saints coach Ashraf Nasser. “What we really needed was the first 20 minutes to blow the opposition off, and we did the job.”

The atmosphere was akin to a final, with both schools packing the stadium stands with supporters.

In a show of sportsmanship, both teams also prayed together prior to the match.

The boys from Barker Road were the first to put points on the board. Scrumhalf Elliot Chan (AC #9) took a successful penalty kick 15 metres away from the Saints’ posts, opening the match 0-3 in favour of ACS(BR).

“The boys gave 100% effort – the first half especially – I thought we defended well but it was just difficult to get [possession of] the ball,” said Barker coach Rex Wang.

The Saints had other plans as Ashton Tay (SA #13) would go on to score two tries for the boys in blue and white. Both tries were unconverted and the scoreboard stood at 10-3 for the first half.

The second half saw St. Andrew’s put in a further two tries.

The Saints scrumhalf (SA #9) sniped the ball off a ruck and stretched his arms out over the Barker tryline to score, while the Saints No. 8 (SA #8) grounded the ball in-touch from a pick-and-go.

One of the tries was converted by the Saints right winger (SA #14), taking the score to 22-3.

ACS(BR) would go down swinging with a late game try from Luis Garcia (AC #12) which remained unconverted.

As the game wound down, neither side ceded any ground, and the full-time whistle blew to a score of 22-8.

Despite the loss, Barker captain Chan (AC #9) is focused on their next game: “[The semi-final] definitely wasn’t our best performance… [the result was] slightly disappointing but we are looking forward to our 3^rd/4^th placing [match].”

As for the victorious Saints, captain Jareb Seow (SA #12) shared his anticipation to be advancing to the final: “It feels pretty exciting and good since we haven’t made the finals in a while.”

“We want to finish off on a high at the finals,” added coach Nasser.

St. Andrew’s Secondary School will face perennial rival school Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) in the final scheduled for Monday, 10 April 2023 4.30pm at the Singapore National Stadium.

St. Andrew’s Secondary School v Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road)

Scoring by half
First Half: 10-3 (10-3)
Second Half: 12-5 (22-8)
Full-time: 22-8

Scorers
SASS
Ashton Tay Liqian (#13) – 2 tries
SA #9 – 1 try
SA #14 – 1 conversion
SA #8 – 1 try

ACS(BR)
Chan Ee Xi Elliot (#9) – 1 penalty
Raki In Luis Gabriel Garcia (#12) – 1 try

SASS Roster
Muhammad Erhan Bin Mohan, Chew Wei Zhe Oliver, Darian Oh Kai Jie, Chen Sibin, Emmanuel Tong Ke Jun, Jedd Tng Jie, Timothy Tan Jia Yi, Yeo Jia Kai, Bryant, Ng Yan Ming, Timothy, Khow Jyun Zhen, Liu Brendan Brian, Goh Kai En Travis, Ong Yu-Jie Keegan, Tan Yong Qi Elwin, Jareb Seow Yu Zhen (#12), Ashton Tay Liqian (#13), Giorgio Ng Cai Xun, Tan Kai Wen, Caston Tan, Muammar Nidal Bin Jasmani, Grivas Tzimopoulos Konstantinos, Asfa Danish Bin Saiful, Owen Lee Rong, Noah Loh Leya, Jesse Tng, Isaiah Tan Rui Yang, Irfan Bin Mohamad Amrin, Jake Kong Zit Caie, Elijah Lee Zhi-En, Zachary Wee Jun Zhe

ACS(BR) Roster
Bradley Hang Zong Han (#16), Ethan Choo Zi Yi (#1), Hung Junlin (#3), Josiah Zhi Yang Williams (#2), Ong Yiu Kiat (#17), Andre Ian Lim Ji In (#20), Ryan Ng Yi Kai (Huang Yikai) (#8), Teo Rui Feng (#26), Arya Evan Zaccheus (#7), Ezra Lye Ci Yuen (Li Siyuan) (#5), Samuel Siang Yu (Shang Yu) (#22), Goh Yu Heng Joshua (#27), Elliot Cory Rantung (#21), Shammah Abishek S/O Robin (#30), Wan Ian Irfann Bin Wan Shamsury (#11), Nico Caviezel (#23), Yeong Zong Seng (#29), Ethan Koh Tze Kit (#6), Jedidiah Cheong Jie De (#18), Chan Ee Xi Elliot (#9), Su Shze Jie, Declan (#28), Nur Asyidiq Bin Sufian (#25), Raki In Luis Gabriel Garcia (#12), Jaedon Ong Jie En (#14), Javier Toh Jun Lin (#15), Jayden Toh Jun Yan (#10), Matthias Teng Carwyn (#4), Joseph Lee Min Yih (#13), Nonis Ryan Jayden (#24), Danish Naufal Bin Mohamed Zulkifly (#19)

*** NOTE: Names and jersey numbers are based on official team sheets. The SASS team sheet did not include jersey numbers.

More photos next page. Please let us know if you recognise any of the players in the photos by leaving a comment, so we can edit the captions to include their names.

The Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) boys embrace after the final whistle, having won the final 24-5 against St. Andrew’s Secondary School. (Photo 1 © Bryan Foo/Red Sports)

MOE (Evans) Stadium, Thursday, August 25, 2022 — Decisive early tries by Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) helped the boys from Dover Road secure a 24-5 victory in the C Division final over perennial rivals St. Andrew’s Secondary School. This was the first rugby 15s final to be played at the National School Games since 2019.

With the win, ACS(I) complete the grand slam for 2022, having won both the A and B Division titles earlier in the year. Independent also extend their winning streak in the C Division to five consecutive championships since 2016, with the tournament brought to a hiatus in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 situation.

Although ultimately coming away with the win, these past few months were not always smooth sailing for ACS(I).

Prior to the start of the C Division matches, starting back Tyler Law (AC #13) was ruled out for the season after sustaining an injury. “Tyler would have been a pivotal member of the team as he can play multiple positions,” said Adrian Chong, head coach of ACS(I).

“The whole team was devastated, we all really wanted to win it for him,” added fellow back Harry Curran (AC #15).

In response, many ACS(I) players could be seen with Tyler’s handwritten name emblazoned across their support taping. “It means a lot watching my teammates on the field with my name on their hands,” said Tyler.

Heading into the final, ACS(I) were the favourites. Independent had topped the table in the group stage games, and conceded only two tries across five matches played.

Just before kick-off, the Saints haka was notably heard for the first time since the last C Division final in 2019.

As the match begun, the Independent boys were quick to strike, scoring within the first minute after having won the ball back from their own kick-off.

As ACS(I) sucked the Saint’s defence in on the far left, the ball returned to the open side by the fourth phase and Iestyn John (AC #29) blazed from the 22 to mere metres away from the St. Andrew’s try line. A short flick from John to fullback Curran (AC #15) on the outside brought the first try home for ACS(I).

The conversion taken by Jaryl Lee (AC #10) sailed between the uprights, bringing the scores to 7-0 in favour of Independent.

ACS(I)’s use of an attacking structure comprising 3-men ‘pods’ was instrumental to their success in the final and throughout the season.

Captain Jeremiah Lee (AC #12) said: “We trusted our game plan, we trusted the process, no matter what happened we stuck to our plan.”

Opportunity came knocking for Saints when ACS(I) gave away a succession of penalties. Saints’ Tan Kai Wen (SA #7) took the two penalty kicks, but the ball unfortunately fell short of the posts both times.

“Unfortunately, (Saints) did not put in the two penalties that were given to them, I suppose that gave us the impetus to continue moving forward at every chance we had,” said Mr Chong.

ACS(I) replied with two tries in quick succession from their forwards.

In the eighth minute, second row Erick Tio (AC #19) side-stepped an overly eager St. Andrew’s tackler off a ruck, then slipped through the crack left in the defence line to score. While prop Ames Leung (AC #1) received the ball off a penalty tap to fight through no less than four Saints tacklers, eventually forcing himself over the line to ground the ball in the 13th minute.

Both tries were successfully converted by Curran, taking the score to 21-0.

With three minutes to go in the first half, Independent were awarded a penalty 30 metres from the posts. Curran attempted a penalty kick for the three points. The ball, however, hit the cross bar on its way down and landed into the arms of the Saints.

As the clock wound down for the first half, St. Andrew’s were unable to capitalise on the possession.

The boys in white and blue had all to play for in the final, with their 52-10 group-stage loss to ACS(I) fresh on their minds.

“The match was tough, but I think everyone tried their best,” said St. Andrew’s captain Khow Jyun Zhen (SA #11). “In the first half we weren’t really confident in ourselves… but in the second half we got better, we grew more confident, and I think we played our best.”

Indeed, the second half was marked by a more dominant Saints offensive, coupled with greater possession. The Saints, in fact, outscored ACS(I) in the second half adding five points to Independent’s three.

“Good job to St. Andrew’s… (in the second half) our defence was really tested for a prolonged period of time,” said Lee (AC #12).

Despite this, ACS(I) were once again able to effectively capitalise on any scoring opportunities presented to them. With Curran redeeming his earlier miss with a successful penalty kick, the score rose to 24-0.

Curran had been a key player for Independent this season. With his lethal kicking accuracy and speed, by the close of the season Curran had scored a total of 11 tries and taken 27 successful conversions for his team.

“With me doing track and rugby… I am able to show my speed, that’s why I like to use my kicking game in rugby, because I know the players are not as fast,” said Curran, who won three gold medals at the National Schools Track and Field Championships earlier this year.

With 15 minutes remaining in the final, the Saints finally managed to put points onto the board. St. Andrew’s patience was rewarded with a try by Lloyd Ong (SA #30), following a flurry of successive ‘pick-and-go’ phases. The try would remain unconverted, and the full-time whistle was blown to a final score of 24-5.

“I think it was special that we managed to hold onto the grand slam that we last won in 2019, before the Covid situation,” said Mr Chong.

As for Tyler Law, he said although it did hurt to only be able to watch his teammates play in the final, the centre has his eye on his return to the sport, saying: “I didn’t get to play this year, but I (hope) to be back.”

Coach Chong is also looking ahead to the 2023 season. “I believe next year is going to be very challenging, with all the teams gearing up for it, and having enough time to prepare for the B, A, and C Divisions next year,” he said.

“I strongly believe it would not be easy… it is going to be (a contest between) a few schools really good enough to get the titles.”

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) v St. Andrew’s Secondary School
Scoring by Half
First Half: 21-0 (21-0)
Second Half: 3-5 (24-5)
Full-time: 24-5

Scorers
Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)
Harry Irfan Curran (#15) – 1 try, 2 conversions, 1 penalty
Jaryl Lee Jianming (#10) – 1 conversion
Erick Tio Ding Fan (#19) – 1 try
Ames Leung Man Hon (#1) – 1 try

St. Andrew’s Secondary School
Ong Li Heng, Lloyd (#30) – 1 try

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) Roster
Harris Teo Hong Yee (Zhang Hongyi) (#16), Ethan Lim (#2), Ames Leung Man Hon (#1), Tran Zhen Wei, Nathaniel (#3), Farid Bin Samad (#24), Quinn Adrian Young Xiang Hong (#18), Ngoei Yong En (#22), Parith Avasadanond (#4), Jonathan Jevielin Kristianto (#5), Callum Stuart Morrison (#6), Leon Loh Shu-Juin (#7), Kong Hoe Wah Isaac (#8), Jansen Ling Qing Xian (#9), Jaryl Lee Jianming (#10), Low Ying Xiang, Joshua (#11), Jeremiah Lee Wei Han (#12), Ethan James Kuah Qing (#14), Harry Irfan Curran (#15), Jamus Cheng Jinhui (#17), Erick Tio Ding Fan (#19), Thong Yu Xuan, Kaiden (#21), Raphael Min Htet Ng (#25), Ryoji Ryan Loh (#26), Iestyn David Gareth John (#29), Tyler Wong (#30), Ryan John Lee (#32), Dion Lee Jikai (#33), Hunter Christian John Kusmuljadi (#34), Zachary Chua Kai En (#35), Han Eil Kuang (#51)

St. Andrew’s Secondary School Roster
Ravichandran Rakesh (#25), Poh De Wei Daryl (#3), Jedd Tng Jie (#1), Nathan Adnan Yu Zhe Amin (#33), Loic Etienne Guizard (#28), Timothy Chai Hsien Rong (#32), Samuel Sou Kar Lok (#23), Andika Yap Trisulo (#29), Josh Lee Dong Jun (#27), Ong Li Heng, Lloyd (#30), Emmanuel Tong Ke Jun (#6), Jake Kong Zit Caie (#2), Gareth Koh (#16), Ryan Tay Chong Yi (#4), Timothy Tan Jia Y (#5), Khow Jyun Zhen (#11), Joshua Wong Wei-En (#15), Liu Brendan Brian (#8), Damien Alec Chvojka (#13), Paquingan Clarence Dave Diez (#26), Goh Kai En Travis (#10), Noah Loh Ley A (#17), Ashton Tay Liqian (#12), Tan Kai Wen (#7), Seng Jie Rong, Jerome (#14), Zac Chan Jun Yuang (#19), Ranulph Stirling Rui-Na Williams (#31), Fyffe William Maxwell (#22), Afiq bin Muhammad (#20), Eldric The Zhi Xian (#21)

*** NOTE: Names and jersey numbers are based on official team sheets.

More photos next page. Please let us know if you recognise any of the players in the photos by leaving a comment, so we can edit the captions to include their names.

SA standoff Tan Kai Wen (#7) looks to get around Iain Chong Chow (RI #12). (Photo 1 © Shenn Tan/Red Sports)

MOE (Evans) Stadium, Friday, August 19, 2022 — A free-flowing, back-and-forth affair between St. Andrew’s Secondary and Raffles Institution in the C Division rugby semi-finals saw the Saints run away with the game after half-time to win 36-12. Both schools sent down student contingents to support their schoolmates, and the cheers and beating of drums brought an atmosphere worthy of a final.

The Saints put the first points on the scoreboard through scrum-half Travis Goh (#10). Standoff Tan Kai Wen, wearing the #7 jersey on his back, failed to convert, and the score was 5-0. Raffles evened affairs with a five-pointer from Garrett Chua (#14). Starting in his own 22, the fullback swerved to the right, outpacing his opposing defenders, and then cut back towards the left corner to avoid the covering fullback and score from a spectacular 80-metre run.

Despite missing the difficult conversion, the fullback’s stunning run roused supporters and teammates alike. RI were able to hold out against the Saints, only conceding one more try in the first half through a smart quick tap from Travis. This time, Kai Wen was able to convert, and the score was 12-5.

Raffles did not fold, and hit back with a try from Iain Chong Chow (#12). Chaw Sheng (#15) stepped up to kick and succeeded in his conversion, making the score 12-12 going into half-time.

On-field captain Aden Chong Chow was happy with his team’s performance, despite the loss. Compared to their previous match against the same opponents, in which they lost heavily, he explained that his team performed better this time round. He said: “I could sense that our fire and passion were certainly there and I’m extremely proud of what my team managed to achieve despite the outcome today.”

The Saints traditionally lean on a strong forward pack to gain forward momentum, and this C Div team is no different. Notable carries came from Lloyd Ong (#30), who combined his large frame with surprising acceleration to reliably make metres for the blue and white.

The Raffles defense compressed to handle him and his fellow forwards, but were then stretched by a Saints backline which was calmly and steadily spreading the ball out wide. As the second half carried on, tiring green and black jerseys began to be outrun and brushed off by Saints backs, who were enjoying more space on the outside.

Both sides made initial forays into each other’s halves, and later only Saints were able to turn their opportunities into points. Tries from Eldric The (#21), Afiq bin Muhammad (#20) and Gareth Koh (#16), as well as a conversion from Kai Wen, put them far ahead of their opponents, who had no reply.

The game ended with a Saints player once again finding space on the wing, making a 60-metre run downfield before being dragged down by a chasing Garrett. Unfortunately, the Raffles fullback pulled his opponent down by grabbing his shoulders, and it was judged to be a high tackle. Having been so close to the tryline, a penalty try was awarded, and the game ended 36-12.

Looking ahead to the final against Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), Saints captain Khow Jyun Zhen (#11) called on his team to play more confidently. “In the first game against ACS(I) we were pretty worried, we were pretty scared,” he admitted. “But I hope that the next time we play against them we will have more confidence in ourselves.”

Scorers
Saint Andrew’s Secondary School
Goh Kai En Travis (#10) – 2 tries
Eldric The Zhi Xian (#21) – 1 try
Afiq bin Muhammad (#20) – 1 try
Gareth Koh (#16) – 1 try
Tan Kai Wen (#7) – 2 conversions
1 penalty try

Raffles Institution
Chua Je-An, Garrett (#14) – 1 try
Iain Chong Chow (#12) – 1 try
Chaw Sheng (#15) – 1 conversion

St. Andrew’s Secondary School Roster
Ravichandran Rakesh (#25), Poh De Wei Daryl (#3), Jedd Tng Jie (#1), Nathan Adnan Yu Zhe Amin (#33), Loic Etienne Guizard (#28), Timothy Chai Hsien Rong (#32), Samuel Sou Kar Lok (#23), Andika Yap Trisulo (#29), Josh Lee Dong Jun (#27), Ong Li Heng, Lloyd (#30), Emmanuel Tong Ke Jun (#6), Gareth Koh (#16), Ryan Tay Chong Yi (#4), Timothy Tan Jia Y (#5), Khow Jyun Zhen (#11), Jake Kong Zit Caie (#2), Joshua Wong Wei-En (#15), Liu Brendan Brian (#8), Damien Alec Chvojka (#13), Paquingan Clarence Dave Diez (#26), Goh Kai En Travis (#10), Noah Loh Leya (#17), Ashton Tay Liqian (#12), Tan Kai Wen (#7), Seng Jie Rong, Jerome (#14), Zac Chan Jun Yuang (#19), Ranulph Stirling Rui-Na Williams (#31), Fyffe William Maxwell (#22), Afiq bin Muhammad (#20), Eldric The Zhi Xian (#21)

Raffles Institution Roster
Yeo Zhi Xian, Ethan (#1), Wu Hao Gen (#2), Huang Yihan (#21), Joseph Benjamin Poon (#33), Fang Keyi (#34), Ashton Yong Hao Ming (#4), Khoo Kai Ren Ascensius (#5), Muhammad Rayyan Anaqi (#7), Aden Chong Chow (#8), Bhaskar Mall (#13), Chan Eng Lwen, Kieran (#17), Mohammed Ezra Anaqi (#19), Lei Ko (#22) Kwa Rei Kai, Daryl (#32), Gregory Wee Shao Heng (#9), Iain Chong Chow (#12), Chua Je-An, Garrett (#14), Chaw Sheng (#15), Dang Yu Tien (#18), William Ng Xinjie (#23), Daniel Howard Park (#25), Joseph Paul Lee Wei Cheng (#26), Lim Tsin Chen, Aundreas (#29), Muhammad Akif (#30), Syed Izz Rayyan Aljoffri (#35)

*The team sheet did not display some players’ full names. If you know their full names, do leave a comment below.

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A full 16-man scrum at the National School Games as rugby 15s returns. ACS(I) beat ACS (Barker Road) 61-0 in the semi-final to book a spot in their 27th straight C Division rugby final. (Photo 1 © Bryan Foo/Red Sports)

MOE (Evans) Stadium, Thursday, August 18, 2022 — Effective kicking by fullback Harry Curran (ACS(I) #15) saw Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) through to their 27th straight C Division rugby final, after beating brother school Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) 61-0 in the semi-final.

The C Division season brought the return of 15s rugby to the National School Games (NSG) for the first time since the Covid-19 situation began. Earlier this year, the A and B Divisions competed in a 7-a-side format tournament, due to the prevailing regulations.

“It is a good change from the 7s that we watched our seniors play,” said Independent captain Jeremiah Lee (ACS(I) #12). The centre added: “There were a lot more things to cover compared to 7s, but I think the coaches did a very good job… they pushed us to our max.”

Independent flanker Leon Loh (ACS(I) #7) opened the match with its first try, taking the opposition by surprise after scoring from a loose ball. A successful conversion by Curran brought the score to 7-0.

From then on, Independent launched waves of attacks, often scoring only after a few phases. Clinical ‘chip-and-chase’ kicking in open play by Curran created many opportunities for his teammates to rack up the tries.

The Independent fullback also added to ACS(I)’s scoreboard through his conversions, successfully converting all seven of his attempts.

“Being 15s, there are so much more things to cover, and we are always just struggling to ‘finish the syllabus’ so to say – we are just happy that we have made it this far,” said Independent head coach Mr Adrian Chong.

The match was brought to a close even before the first half had concluded. A try from Iestyn John (ACS(I) #29) successfully converted by Christian Hunter (ACS(I) #34) took the score line to 61-0, triggering the 60-point differential mercy rule.

ACS(I) will be looking to complete their ‘Grand Slam’ for 2022, after having won both the A and B titles this year.

A win would also extend their streak at the C Division level, with Independent being the reigning champions from 2016 to 2019. The competition was last played in 2019, prior to the Covid-19 situation.

“We are happy with the progress, and I am very glad that we have made our 27th final in a row,” said Mr Chong. “I think it is just back to the drawing board, working hard, keeping the focus – I don’t think the job is done yet.”

ACS(I) will play St. Andrew’s Secondary School in the final scheduled for August 25 – a repeat of the 2019 C Division final.

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) v Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road)

Scoring by half
Half-time: 61-0
Full-time: 61-0

Scorers

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)
Leon Loh Shu-Juin (#7) – 1 try
Harry Irfan Curran (#15) – 1 try, 7 conversions
Parith Avasadanond (#4) – 1 try
Ethan Lim (#2) – 1 try
Ethan James Kuah Qing (#14) – 1 try
Jonathan Jevielin Kristianto (#5) – 1 try
Kong Hoe Wah Isaac (#8) – 1 try
Jeremiah Lee Wei Han (#12) – 1 try
Iestyn David Gareth John (#29) – 1 try
Hunter Christian John Kusmuljadi (#34) – 1 conversion

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) Roster
Harris Teo Hong Yee (Zhang Hongyi) (#16), Ethan Lim (#2), Ames Leung Man Hon (#1), Tran Zhen Wei, Nathaniel (#3), Farid Bin Samad (#24), Quinn Adrian Young Xiang Hong (#18), Ngoei Yong En (#22), Parith Avasadanond (#4), Jonathan Jevielin Kristianto (#5), Callum Stuart Morrison (#6), Leon Loh Shu-Juin (#7), Kong Hoe Wah Isaac (#8), Jansen Ling Qing Xian (#9), Jaryl Lee Jianming (#10), Low Ying Xiang, Joshua (#11), Jeremiah Lee Wei Han (#12), Ethan James Kuah Qing (#14), Harry Irfan Curran (#15), Jamus Cheng Jinhui (#17), Erick Tio Ding Fan (#19), Thong Yu Xuan, Kaiden (#21), Raphael Min Htet Ng (#25), Ryoji Ryan Loh (#26), Iestyn David Gareth John (#29), Tyler Wong (#30), Ryan John Lee (#32), Dion Lee Jikai (#33), Hunter Christian John Kusmuljadi (#34), Zachary Chua Kai En (#35), Han Eil Kuang (#51)

Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) Roster
Daniel Kwok (Guo Xueyi) (#12), Gianluca Primo Speciale (#30), Edrik Chen Jiehong (#17), Jamie Thomas Andersen (#6), Hafiz Arwyn Jones (#19), Ralph Gan (#14), Wong De Li Derrick (#15), Kyle Ng Zhi Kai (#22), Nacova Ding Kai (Chen Kai) (#18), Evan John Rustrick (#10), Kaelan Wong Yan Siang (#26), Chua Hao Wei Nick (#29), Lee Jaeyoon (#16), Ethan Ng (#23), Ian Jeriah Stephen (#25), Arya Evan Zaccheus (#4), Luke Ian Butcher (#20), Teo Rui Feng (#9), Ezra Lye Ci Yuen (Li Siyuan) (#5), Keefe Loh Jun Oi (#21), Samuel Siang Yu (Shang Yu) (#8), Wong De Rui Jonathan (#24), Goh Yu Heng Joshua (#11), Haris Muhsein Bin Mohammad Effendi (#28), Josiah Zhi Yang Williams (#1), Nico Caviezel (#7), Ryan Ng Yi Kai (Huang Yikai) (#2), Muhammad Danial Bharizun Bin Noordin (#27), Wan Ian Irfann Bin Wan Shamsury (#13), Ong Yiu Kiat (#3)

*** NOTE: Names and jersey numbers are based on official team sheets.

More photos next page. Please let us know if you recognise any of the players in the photos by leaving a comment, so we can edit the captions to include their names.

Ernest Yap (RI #6) trudges through the mud, on his way to score a try for Raffles. (© Bryan Foo/Red Sports)

MOE (Evans) Stadium, Thursday, April 21, 2022 — Although headlined by the cup final derby between brother schools Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road), the wet and muddy afternoon also saw six other teams battle it out to decide the podium for the Bowl division, as well as the second runners-up in the B Division National School Games (NSG) Rugby Cup.

In the end, Greenridge Secondary School (GSS) claimed the title of Bowl champions after beating Evergreen Secondary School (EVG) with an aggregate score of 29-20 in the final.

St. Andrew’s Secondary School (SASS) rounded up the Cup category as third-place finishers, having dispatched Raffles Institution (RI) 55-22 on aggregate in the Cup third/fourth placing match.

Although the season was fraught with challenges brought about by the Covid-19 situation, the players remained in high spirits as they were once again able to compete in the NSG.

Saints vice-captain Oliver Chew said: “It is a huge privilege to be able to play after this Covid hiatus, everyone is riled up and excited to get back onto the field again.”

This sentiment was also echoed by St. Andrew’s teacher-in-charge Mr Benedict Tan. “After two years of no play, coming back to sports is something that is very much required in our schools… I think this is a very welcomed move for everybody.”

The return of contact rugby to the NSG was not without its challenges. Although the relaxation of Covid measures at the time was a reprieve to the sport, modifications had to be made to protect the health and safety of the students.

For the B Division NSG 2022 season, rugby was played in the 7s format instead of the familiar 15-a-side game, in line with the prevailing measures. Each school fielded two teams of 12 registered players each.

The first team competed in a match of 7-minute halves against the first team of the opposing school, while two fresh team of players played against each other in the second match. The winning school team was the one with the higher aggregate points total.

Chen Xiang Bin (Greenridge Secondary School #12) makes a line break. (© Bryan Foo/Red Sports)

Greenridge took the lead in their first match against Evergreen with a 17-0 scoreline. Evergreen looked to close the 17-point deficit in the second match, putting in an admirable 20 points on their scoreboard. However, Greenridge did not relent – adding a further 12 points to their scoresheet to secure their title with an aggregate 29-20 final score.

Saints player scores a try. (© Bryan Foo/Red Sports)

In the Cup category, the Saints marched into their first match, scoring a commanding 41 points against Raffles. Raffles were only able to score a consolatory unconverted try, bringing the full-time score for the first match to 41-5.

The scoreline of the second Saints-Raffles matchup was much tighter, with RI eventually pipping the boys in blue and white 17-14. However, Raffles were not able close the gap brought on by the Saints’ dominant first match. St. Andrew’s thus finished third in the Cup with a final score of 55-22.

Jevon Khong (Junyuan Secondary School #6) makes a line break which leads to an assist for Brandon Khoo (Junyuan Secondary School #10) to score a try. (© Bryan Foo/Red Sports)

In the Bowl third/fourth placing match, Junyuan Secondary School (JYSS) finished in third place after confidently beating Bukit Batok Secondary School (BBSS) 41-0 on aggregate (24-0, 17-0).

“I think 7s is a warm-up, but I would prefer the 15s, because 15s [rugby] will involve more of the forwards and the overall team… but I think it is a good start,” said Mr Tan, hopeful for the return of 15s rugby to the NSG.

B Division Rugby Cup 2022 Placing
1^st – Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)
2^nd – Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road)
3^rd – St. Andrew’s Secondary School
4^th – Raffles Institution

B Division Rugby Bowl 2022 Placing
1^st – Greenridge Secondary School
2^nd – Evergreen Secondary School
3^rd – Junyuan Secondary School
4^th – Bukit Batok Secondary School

B Division Rugby Cup 3^rd/4^th Placing Match
St. Andrew’s Secondary School vs Raffles Institution
Match 1: 41-5
Match 2: 14-17
Aggregate: 55-22

St. Andrew’s Secondary School Roster
Sub Team 1
Cephas Kee (#27), Alyf Tiftazani (#25), Jesse Tng (#12), Hanin Ahmad (#9), Labarrere Hugo (#10), Gerald Yeo (#13), Mohd Hazzq Zafri (#26), Aden Lucas Tan (#6), Khidir Miqail (#2), Owen Lee (#20), Giorgio Ng (#15), Darrian Shaedon (#3)

Sub Team 2
Jesse Wu (#10), Darian Oh (#30), Tarang Sharma (#19), Emre Tan (#9), Keegan Ong (#13), Kayden Noble (#23), Elwin Tan (#5), Harrold Wong (#1), Muammar Nidal (#12), Elijah Lee (#15), Grivas Konstantinos (#14)

Raffles Institution Roster
Sub Team 1
Lu Yuanxi (#20), Lim Xin Hong Isaac (#32), Huang Jiawen Peter (#34), Harry Goh Xin Rui (#2), Dylan Ong Kang Jun (#31), Xerxes Goh Zhexi (#35), Ishan Khurana (#5), Ng Kang Rui Ritz (#4), Yeo Shan Yuan Keane (#25), Leong Jun Loong Benjamin (#40), Hui Anjie, Elliott (#28), Gao Huajun (#16)

Sub Team 2
Prawin Kuhanesan (#18), Ernest Matthias Yap Tse Meng (#6), Rafael Low Ren Xiang (#8), Jayden Tan Junjie (#3), Vishnu Swaroop (#7), Luke Chai Rong Yan (#9), Lim Zong Shen (Titus) (#13), Jordan Lee Zhao Feng (#10), Ong Rei Hong (#24), Wu Yaochen (#12), Liu Zheming (#14), Isaac Tay Kai Jie (#33)

B Division Rugby Bowl Final
Greenridge Secondary School vs Evergreen Secondary School
Match 1: 17-0
Match 2: 12-20
Aggregate: 29-20

Greenridge Secondary School Roster
Sub Team 1
Landas Dante Alejandro (#10), Lim Zhen Yu (#19), Macatangay John Jared Bando (#6), Surayn Shrinivas Chantharan (#14), Chen Xiang Bin (#12), Lau Guo Hao Zander (#27), Muhammad Zulariff Bin Zulkeplie (#43), Koh Cun Yi Joel (#2), Khor Wenshu, Matthew (#3), Muhammad Shahiq Afiq Bin Mohammad Sofyan (#45), Muhammad Arsh Barikan (#67), Kishaan s/o Vicknesh (#22)

Sub Team 2
Loo Leng Cher (#26), Lin Khant Aung (#5), Saravanan Manoj Kumar (#41), Zen Teo (#28), Rafael Bokhari Bin Zainal (#13), Chua Jia Jun (#9), Muhamad Amran Bin Mazli (#8), Syawal Naufal Bin Iskandar Hassan (#4), Pangyarihan Kean Angelo De Guzman (#25), Nikhil Anand s/o Vijay Anand (#1), Muhammad Amirul Bin Masni (#11), Muhammad Hafizan Bin Hasnol (#5)

Evergreen Secondary School Roster
Sub Team 1
Ilhan Imani Bin Izwan (#17), Akmal Naufal Bin Roslan (#54), Mohamed Haziq Bin Nasir (#41), Muhammad Adam Almunawwar (#41), Muhammad Haziq Naufal Bin Mohamad Noras (#60), Shafiulla Bin Azman (#02), Emilio Anaqi Bin Yusri (#53), Muhammad Aaqil Bin Azali (#44), Randy Irwansyah Bin Suadi (#16), Panganiban Jose Leandro V Reyes (#10), Fairul Afdlin Zainurul (#01), Samuel Siddiq Sianturi Bin Salim (#05)

Sub Team 2
Nur Muhammad Bin Adam (#08), Airell Putra Bin Azlan (#40), Izzat Zafran Bin Sofyean (#39), Daniel Putra Bin Abdullah (#50), Adrae Adrian Bin Mohamed Saiful Bahri (#11), Mohammad Faris Bin Abdulmutalib (#43), Muhammad Asyari Ulhaq Bin Abdullah (#52), Shabbeer Ali Bin Mohamed Abdullah (#38), Dani Illya Bin Amir Mulyani (#06), Raiyan Rifqy Bin Saiful Rijal (#04), Muhammad Hazziq Bin Mohamad Rezal (#58), Batin Anthony Frances Balusdan (#12)

B Division Rugby Bowl 3^rd/4^th Placing Match
Junyuan Secondary School vs Bukit Batok Secondary School
Match 1: 24-0
Match 2: 17-0
Aggregate: 41-0

Junyuan Secondary School Roster
Sub Team 1
Khoo Lu Hong Brandon (#10), Muhammad Fitri Qusyairee Bin Abdullah (#18), Khong Chun Hung, Jevon (#6), Andres Fandiyan Bin Mohamad Hidayat (#8), Muhammad Adam Bin Daud (#29), Mohamed Raiyan Bin Mohamed Noor (#17), Amr Danial Zuhaer Bin Muhammad (#22), Muhammad Ilhan Aniq Bin Mohammad Amin (#15), Muhammad Dani Haziq Bin Basri (#7), Muhammad Aqif Bin Muhamad Yazid (#11), Ammanuil Arik Bin Khairil Anuar (#23), Merano James Alfonzo Valencia (#15)

Sub Team 2
Low Guo Bin (#18), Tan Yee Hong Evan (#7), Shazri Putra Bin Mohammed Noorshah (#4), Muhammad Dayyan Haiqal Bin Iqbal Syafri (Jeresy no. unavailable), Muhammad Arif Amsyar Bin Mohmad Azahar (#28), Muhammad Maziz Putra Yusni (#34), Muhammad Syafiq Danial Bin Muhammad Hasrun (#12), Rayyan Irfan Bin Muhammad Nizar (#1), Mohamad Nuh Aniq Bin Mohamad Aidil (Jeresy no. unavailable), Raiyan Danish Bin Mohamad Fardly (#10), Muhammad Emre Hakim Bin Masroni (#3), Lee Yu Xuan (#2)

Bukit Batok Secondary School Roster
Sub Team 1
Ng Zhi Hong, James (#6), Randale Than (#7), Jayden Na (#8), Andre Joaquin Javina Abril (#9), Muhammad Nur Irfan Bin Iswady (#11), Alif Adlan Bin Zulkarnaen (#12), Babu Servessh (#1), Sufi Amsyar Bin Juanda Ariffin (#10), Sum Jia Hui (#14), Yap T-Sean (#21), Edmund Soh (#24), Wong Loong Mun, Maximus (#23)

Sub Team 2
Brandon Lee Yong Hui (#5), Adriyan Bin Muhammad Azlan (#16), Khilfi Zikri Bin Zaidi (#2), Aryan Ranjan Singh (#15), Cornelius Yeo Guan Si (#18), Gareth Seah Ren Xiang (#20), Tan Guan Cong (#4), Zikry Ilham Bin Mohammad Faizal (#17), Wong Tai Zhao, Kendrick (#19), Xing Xiangheng (#22), Ee Wei Tong (#21), Cody Lam Zhun Heng (#25)

More photos next page. Please let us know if you recognise any of the players in the photos by leaving a comment, so we can edit the captions to include their names.