Story contributed by reader Paul Kung. Pictures by Les Tan/Red Sports.
CCAB, Monday, May 5, 2008 – St Andrew’s Junior College came from behind three times to beat Anglo-Chinese Junior College 20-11 yesterday in the first semi-final of the National A Division Rugby Championship. After their 2007 failure to retain their 2006 title, St Andrew’s Junior College overcame their underdog tag to score an unexpected victory.
Many pundits were predicting an all Anglo-Chinese final, and at the start, it looked like they were going to be right. ACJC took the ball strongly from the opening kickoff, and after some great kicking and harassing from ACJC playmaker Mhd Asmi, ACJC led 5 -0 after just two minutes of play.
Many Saints supporters feared the worst, but the SAJC players showed their school’s fabled fighting spirit and came back 10 minutes later with some great forward drives off the line out. One such drive saw SAJC move some 40 meters from the halfway line into ACJC territory. Off this devastating drive, the Saints forwards pounded away, creating a path for a smooth backline score by winger Abel Teo, allowing Saints to pull level at 5-5.
A well-taken penalty kick from Asmi put ACJC in a slim lead going into half time at 8-5. The ACJC huddle at the half looked calm and collected, and there was a quiet confidence that this was their game. The Saints huddle had a strong sense of urgency, and a quiet resolve was slowly emerging.
The second half started badly for the Saints however, with winger Abel Teo launching a wobbly clearance which saw ACJC almost extend their lead. Desperate defending by the Saints held off the attack, but their back three were still not handling the pin-point kicking of ACJC’s Asmi and fly-half Mandeep Singh well. Asmi started to run off the rucks to try and create space, but was time and time again driven back by the determined Saints defense. The Saints forwards were clearly winning the battle up front, and ACJC’s loss of their Number 8 early in the first half was evident.
From the platform set up by their forward counterparts, the Saints backs launched another attack, which saw winger Roy Tong outpace 2 defenders for an unconverted try in the corner to make it 10-8 in favour of the Saints. This was sweet revenge for Roy, having been spurned by ACJC just a few years ago.
Again, ACJC came back at the Saints. Asmi once again put ACJC in front with another penalty conversion, nudging his team 11-10 in front. The Saints then won a penalty and up stepped Kenn Wong, who had missed his last 2 attempts in the game. This time, he slotted the ball through for a 13-11 Saints lead.
With time ticking away, SAJC desperately tried to hold on to the slim lead. Good defending at the rucks and mauls saw possession go their way very often. A key moment came when ACJC’s Jonah Wee was cited a yellow card for a repeated offence on SAJC winger Abel Teo, taking the player out after the kick.
With 3 minutes to go, SAJC were awarded a penalty after another forward drive at the ACJC 22m line. SAJC Captain Arthur Lim took the ball and instead of opting for the points, suffered what many call a ‘brain explosion’, launching a hopeful kick cross field for his winger. The ball was recovered by ACJC, but they failed to capitalize.
Time was ticking, and a scrum was awarded to ACJC on their own 5m line, providing one last chance to launch an attack. However, brilliant harassment off the base of the scrum by SAJC half back Chan Ming Qi saw Asmi deliver a poor pass to Mandeep who had flanker Darrell Low in his face. The ball went through his legs, and up came SAJC’s Mhd Farid to touch the ball down in the try zone with the tip of his fingers. There were some disputes over the legitimacy of the try, but the Saints got the favourable call and with Kenn Wong’s conversion, the final whistle went and SAJC celebrated a final place with a 20-11 victory.
“It’s just amazing, an indescribable feeling,” said Roy Tong, commenting on his try after the game. “Especially since I was playing against my ex-schoolmates in ACS(Barker). My first thought when I got the ball was ‘Go for the try!'”
It was a happy day for the Saints, especially after their semi-final exit at the recent B Division Championship. The Saints definitely need a lot of work if they are to contend with Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) in the final, but if the pool game encounter was any yardstick, it will be a great final. Captain Arthur Lim will be leading the Saints to hopefully regain their title lost in 2007. For him, it will be his second appearance in the final for SAJC, having won it in 2006 for the Saints.
So my prediction for the winner? Statistically you would have to favor ACS(I), but after their passionate display, you cannot count the Saints out. In the end, it was the tough and rugged Saints forward pack that was the difference, and the battle upfront will be the key.
Ed’s note: If you recognise the players, feel free to leave their names in the comments section with reference to the photo number. More pictures in the gallery.
sigh…lowly!
spurned by raffles!
suck up!
too bad, without reciprocation
HAHAHA, what a JOKE!
Old Boy, wish you eternal happiness. Lol
You seem to be barking up the wrong tree!
You might wana try the olive branch since its the wrong rafflesians tree.
really?…since when rivalry is friendly?
especially not from saints who many know to be sore losers.
sorry dude, no common interest.
If Saints lost to Raffles (never mind semi final or final), we lost happily.
Since my playing dated back 1974 to 1979 ( my year with Saints ) till today, we happily lost to Raffles than any other team.
Saints and Raffles – long time friendly rivalship.
Jonah’s the MAN!
[…] SAJC beat Anglo-Chinese Junior College in a close and exciting game for neutrals while ACS(I) saw off Raffles Junior College in a slugfest of a semi-final. […]
i’m sure neither us(acjc) nor saints would comment such things, we play hard rugby and we leave everything out on the pitch. In fact we do talk when we see each other off the pitch, some of us even play on the same teams in clubs during the off-season. In my opinion, we should just ignore all these negative comments, people who don’t even play the sport and try to stir up bad blood between us players.
great game saints! no doubt, you guys really earned my respect, we played hard but you guys played harder, and totally deserve the win. well for the yellow card i got for the late hit, i sincerely apologize and hope you guys not take it to heart, yeah it was definitely unnecessary,my bad abel! on a lighter note, we’re both on the same list of 15players on that rugby voting thingy hahaha. anyway good luck on monday, may the best team win!
hmm, it really surprises me. Players from both schools did not even complain about punches and unfair play. Surprisingly, it is people from outside who are commenting on these. (unless “rugby lover” is an acjc player who is trying to find blame on a saint. But i doubt this is true.)
Having played rugby for quite some time, i’ve seen all sorts of dirty plays in a game. what is soccer withour controversy? what’s rugby without a bit of dirty plays? suck it up and continue playing. cheers
haha nothing against any school. but boo to the guy (whatever his unimportant name) who landed a punch. loser.
sajc no 7. “unsaintly punch” pictue no 8. more like “insanely punch” . lol .
The Saints will have to bring their ‘A’ game if they want to win this game. They’ve got an awesome pack and a solid defence and they quietly believe in themselves.
ACS i is just a monster of a team. They’ve got awesome team strength and size. All in all, technical and a quiet desire VS brute force and ruthless aggression. See! an epic battle.
SAINTS you can do it. Let’s go Arthur!!!
Up And On!