Contributed by reader Paul Kung

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Singapore, 21 June 2008, Yio Chu Kang Stadium - Blacks beat Singapore Cricket Club (SCC) 17-15 right at the final whistle to clinch the MasterCard Under-20 League championship title.

Befitting a month of high-action youth rugby, the final of the inaugural U-20 League ended with a mix of action and debate, with the crowd favourites Blacks besting a determined SCC side.

For the neutral rugby fan, it was a great chess game of rugby, with both sides playing very cautious and measured rugby in the first half. SCC looked the more nervous of the two sides, kicking the ball away at crucial times, and making basic handling mistakes which saw the ball being gifted to the more experienced Blacks side.

Blacks took the early lead with a first try by their number 8 Edwin who scored by off a quick tap free kick for a 5-0 lead. SCC replied with a long range penalty conversion by Blandon Tan to make it 3-5. Blacks, with a core group that won three National Schools Championship titles with St Andrew’s from 2004 to 2006, were slowly establishing their dominance in the game through hard uncompromising work up front by the forwards, led by Captain Victor Chew.

With both sides content to play out the half carefully, it was up to 16-year-old Kenny Chua from Anglo Chinese School (Independent) to lead the charge for SCC and he capped off a brilliant run which was sparked off by Blandon Tan. The conversion put SCC up 10-5 at half-time.

Blacks kicked off the second half with a quick try right off the kick off. Full back Azzeri, formerly of Bedok South, raced through a defensive gap in the line to level the game 10-10. Jimmy Bywater's missed conversion ensured that the game remained level, and the rest of the game was a see saw battle of mistakes and refereeing calls.

Blacks certainly looked to be the stronger side, but SCC's determined defense and hard running by Rico Ong, Don Koh and Kenny Chua saw the game head into the 28th minute with the score still at 10-10. Extra-time beckoned.

A dropped ball off a Blacks backline move saw Blandon Tan race to score from his own half under the posts to make it 15-10, giving SCC supporters some hope that the cup was theirs. A routine conversion by Blandon was crucially missed in front of the posts, and the score remained at 15-10 heading into the final moments.

It looked set to be SCC's day, but the Black's determination shone through and they continually camped in the SCC 5-meter area for the last minutes of the game. That determination came through when they rolled on to score in the corner through a driving maul led by Mhd Nabil. There was some debate as to whether the ball was knocked forward, and the referee's consultation with his linesman finally led to the hand being raised, and the try awarded.

Ryan Choo stepped up and converted his kick to signal the end of the game and a famous Blacks victory.

In the end, it was a great game to watch, and a testament to the potential Singapore youth rugby has at the grassroots level. With many of the players involved at various national age group championships this year, one can only hope that Singapore Rugby is on the rise once again.

Post-game interview via Facebook with Harresh Krishnan:

Harresh Krishnan of SCC had to come off to get 18 stitches for an injury. With 10 minutes left and the score still deadlocked, he returned to the field of play. Red Sports asked him about the game.

“It was really intense from the kickoff. Both teams were full of talent and anything could happen. I’m proud of the team though! we had players as young as 16 years old playing for us.”

Try scorers:
Blacks
No.8 Edwin
Fullback Ocho (2)

SCC
Winger Kenny Chua
Flyhalf Blandon Tan