Story by Zachary Foo/Red Sports. Photos by Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports
Wafiy Azim (#27) of Pioneer Secondary looks to pass the ball against St. Joseph’s Institution. (Photo 1 © Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports)
National Stadium, Tuesday, August 26, 2014 — Pioneer Secondary clinched the National C Division Rugby (Plate) Championship with a 12–5 victory over St. Joseph’s Institution (SJI).
Pioneer started the kickoff, but were able to force a turnover almost immediately. This put them in a prime position to score, although they were eventually stopped by SJI. Daryl Chia (SJI #28) had a good run down the left wing before being tackled for a line-out.
Pioneer kept the ball mostly in SJI territory, as SJI were unable to make proper clearance. SJI struggled in the first half, as their players were not assertive with the ball. There were a lot of errant passes and knock-ons, stifling their attack. Pioneer showed the drive to attack every time they had the ball, keeping SJI on the back foot. However, the half ended with both teams scoreless.
Pioneer drew first blood in the second half, when Nu’man Hadi (Pioneer #8) broke through the SJI defence to score easily. The try rejuvenated the Pioneer team and they started attacking in earnest. Wafiy Azim (Pioneer #27) made a lot of good runs to gain territory for his team. This allowed them to put themselves in prime position to score.
However, SJI were able to score against the run of play, when Mohamed Nurfitri (SJI #12) took advantage of a lull in the Pioneer defence to score. Unfortunately, Joshua Ng (SJI #27) missed the conversion. This put pressure on SJI as they needed to score again to take the lead.
Pioneer continued their aggression throughout the half, pounding the ball through the middle. Their tenacity was rewarded when Nu’man Hadi (Pioneer #8) went over the try line for the second time, giving his team a comfortable lead. Pioneer eventually held on to win 12–5.
Pioneer captain, Nu’man Hadi (#8), said, “It was an awesome feeling for us as we did well in the game today. The season has been a tough journey for us and we had a lot of ups and downs. We never gave up during the semi-final and this is our hard-earned reward.”
Scoring by Quarter
St. Joseph’s Institution vs Pioneer Secondary
1st Half: 0–0
2nd Half: 5–12 (5–12)
Try Scorers
Pioneer
Nu’man Hadi (#8) – 2 tries
SJI
Mohamed Nurfitri (#12) – 1 try
Pioneer Roster
Muhammad Syakir (#1), Mohammad Amsyar Khan (#2), Mohammad Nabil (#4), Goh Wei Bin (#5), Muhammad A’raaf (#6), Tristan Thomas Reuben (#7), Nu’man Hadi (#8), Ahmad Nur Rizal (#9), Mohammad Azim (#10), Isryaq Syafiq (#11), Putra Rifqi (#12), Muhamad Firas (#13), Muhammad Darwin Taqwim (#14), Muhammad Furqan (#16), MUhammad Irfan (#18), Muhammad Adil (#19), Durrani B Azman (#20), Muhammad Dary Izaz (#22), Muhamad Haziq (#23), Javier Tan (#24), Faiz Danial (#25), Samsulrudin (#26), Wafiy Azim (#27), Muhammad Ramdan (#28), Amirul Asyraf (#29), Irsyad Zhaffre (#30)
SJI Roster
K Naveen (#1), Jerome Ng (#2), Jonah Chang (#3), Matthias Silva (#4), Alonzo Gabriel Abrigo (#5), Amir Meerza (#6), Senthil Nathan (#7), Hityashan Chandran (#8), Hafiz B Naimat (#9), Joshua Eliathamby (#10), Mohamed Nurfitri (#12), Brendan Wong (#13), Haris B Dzulkifli (#14), Geraldo Nick K Kanayalal (#15), Lee Yhu Fei (#16), John Teo (#17), Ryan Woon (#18), Muhammad Iqbal (#20), Alan James Bean (#21), Syahmi (#22), Kieran Liow (#23), Loet Low (#24), Joshua Ng (#27), Daryl Chia (#28), Adam Dai (#29)
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