Contributed by reader Paul Kung

Singapore, June 16, 2008 – The MasterCard Under-20 league has reached the business end of the tournament, with the semi-final stages scheduled for Tuesday, June 17 2008, at Yio Chu Kang Stadium. It has been an intense couple of weeks with the young warriors of tomorrow battling it out for bragging rights as the best Under-20 side in the land.

There will be two semi-finals on Tuesday, kicking off at 7pm. In a highly-anticipated match up, the Blacks and Bucks will contest the first semi-final. This will be a great game, with the much-touted Blacks backline looking to run wide at every turn with speedsters Ryan Choo and Jimmy Bywater. They will be up against a Bucks side that has also shown considerable pace on the outside, especially when fullback Charlie Lambert comes into the line. This will be a very close game to call, as both sides have considerable team chemistry and forward power. Blacks will look to recent National team member Mhd Ashraf to lead from No 8. Bucks have a really heavy pack, and it will be interesting to see how they cope with the slightly more mobile Blacks pack.

In the second semi-final slated for an 8.20pm kick off, another tight contest is expected. Singapore Cricket Club (SCC) have only conceded one try in the first round, and will look to dominate the proceedings early against The Wanderers. SCC, led by national team representative Harresh Krishnan, will look to play it tight, and then release their deadly free-spirited backs, led by the likes of Blandon Tan and Roy Tong. The Wanderers are also looking very strong at the pack, and would most likely play a very tight game. Keep an eye out for the Wanderers nippy scrum half to make the breaks.

Both games will be hard to call as all semi-finals are. While some of the teams have spent considerable time in training, others have not had that luxury. In the end, their youthful passion and desire will be the turning point.

I would like to see a Blacks vs SCC final, a rematch of last years Under-23 National Division 1 Final. It would be interesting to see who then really has the strongest youth team.

Whatever your team colours, Tuesday will be a great night of rugby.