Story by Les Tan/Red Sports. Photos by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports

B division rugby 2011

Jeremiah Png of ACS(BR) goes over for a try. (Photo 1 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

CCAB, Monday, March 14, 2011 — Greenridge Secondary went down 10-41 to Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) in their National B Division Rugby Championship match today but it was their 42-26 win over Raffles Institution last week that has made people sit up and notice.

ACS(BR) led 24-3 at half-time.

“Greenridge look like the surprise package this year,” said ACS (Independent) coach Adrian Chong. “They are one of those teams that will surprise you if you’re asleep.”

Lu Chuan Yi, the captain of the ACS(BR) team, was in agreement.

“Greenridge played a good game,” said Chuan Yi.

ACS(BR) gave Greenridge a hard time in the first half, scoring three unanswered tries. The most glaring Greenridge error came when their fullback fumbled a long ACS(BR) punt upfield to give Clement Chan (#14) an easy try.

However, Greenridge got going and Iskandar (#1), the most unlikely looking of penalty takers, showed he could kick the ball with both power and accuracy from distance to give Greenridge three points just before half-time.

Iskandar again had a chance to score another three points in the second half but his penalty attempt hit the left upright, much to the dismay of their bench. With the balance of play still in their favour, Greenridge almost scored a try when their big #8, easily the biggest player on the pitch, was stopped just short of the try line.

The Greenridge pressure finally paid off when their speedy captain Rauf Raihan (#15) broke through the ACS(BR) defensive line, riding tackle after tackle to score his team’s only try of the game. Iskandar duly converted and Greenridge trailed 10-24.

However, ACS(BR) were too good for them on the day, with Jeremiah Png scoring another two tries and Darryl Chua scoring a final one for a 41-10 victory.

“We stuck to the game plan,” said ACS(BR) coach Muhd Asrie. “We used our size and pace out side to take out their standoff. Our forwards played good and aggressively. I’m happy with their performance. However, when they were up, they were complacent.”

Despite the loss to ACS(BR), Rauf was proud of his Greenridge team.

“We made them suffer more in the second half,” said Rauf, who scored two tries in the upset win over RI last week.

For Anthony Tay, Greenridge head coach and old boy, both teams played well but ACS(BR) were the better team.

“What is good about our team is that they have passion, which is good, but they lose focus when under pressure. They are not experienced,” said Anthony.

Greenridge now lie sixth on the table and their next game against SJI is crucial. SJI are one position above with a 2-1-3 record but have played one game more. The win over RI has given Greenridge hope they can do the business against SJI next week.

“We were very proud of ourselves,” said Amir Nurhasan, the Greenridge #2, who scored a try in the win over RI. “Our target was to beat RI. RI is a good team but we were determined. We pressured them, made them give us penalties.”

“It’s a must-win game against SJI,” said Md Hairyl of Greenridge. “We can beat them if we play the way we did against RI. But we cannot be overconfident.”

“We can beat SJI,” said Rauf.

Greenridge will take on SJI on Monday, March 21st, 4.30pm, at Yio Chu Kang Stadium.

As for ACS(BR), they have two more games against Junyuan Secondary and St Andrew’s Secondary. They lie third with a 3-1-1 record and are in a good position to qualify for the semi-finals. Only the top four qualify for the cup semi-finals.

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