Story by Carissa Tan/Red Sports. Photos by Lee Jian Wei/Red Sports.

REDSPORTS_B_Rugby_SASS_SJI

Bernard Teh (#8) is tackled by a St. Joseph’s Institution player. (Photo 1 © Lee Jian Wei/Red Sports)

Physical Education and Sports Education Branch, Monday, April 13, 2015 — Defending champions St. Andrew’s Secondary dominated throughout the match for a comfortable 70–3 win over St. Joseph’s Institution (SJI) in the semi-final of the National B Division Rugby Championship.

The Saints established their dominance from the start and SJI were only able to get onto the scoreboard with a penalty.

Early into the game, Bryan Chan (#9) broke through the left flank to score the opening try. Saints captain, Viviyan Philip (#13), stepped up to take the first of six successful conversions for his team.

The Saints displayed superior teamwork as they attacked in numbers. Viviyan Philip (#13) showcased deft footwork as he brought the ball down to the 22-yard line multiple times. Additionally, the Saints were able to switch play across the width very fluidly, utilising their backline to attack when necessary. Such play gave them a huge edge as SJI struggled to keep up.

However, in the second half, SJI put up a much stronger defence, resulting in many quick turnovers from the Saints.

Yet, the Saints continued to dominate with quick players who were able to navigate through multiple SJI players for tries. Defensively, they held their ground, stopping SJI attempts before they posed a threat.

Despite the best efforts of SJI, they were unable to narrow the score deficit and the match ended in a 70–3 victory for the Saints.

“The game was ok but we still have room for improvement. Hopefully, before the final, we can improve on what we have to and play the final. We’ll rectify the mistakes and show what we got. The opponents definitely wanted to give us a tough fight and they gave everything they have,” said Saints captain, Viviyan Philip (#13).

About the Saints’ undefeated streak, he added, “I feel that being undefeated doesn’t really mean anything. The result in the final will mean everything.”

This is the Saint’s second win over SJI. In the first round of the championship, they beat SJI 55–5. With this win, they remain undefeated and proceed into the final to face Anglo-Chinese School (Independent). The final will be played at Home Team Academy on April 23, 4.15 p.m.

SJI will next face Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) on April 20, 4.30 p.m. at PESEB to playoff for third place.

Score by Half
St. Andrew’s vs SJI
First half: 29—3
Second half: 41—0 (70–3)

St. Andrew’s Roster
Chem Shean Han, Gareth (#1), Isaac Magnus @ Imran Magnus (#2), Mirza Ukail Aiman B Mohamed S (#3), Ghalib Samir B Samari (#4), Wong Zhi An Nicholas (#5), Muhammad Qushyrie B Mahmud (#6), Ng Bao Yuan (#7), Teh Wei Hao, Bernard (#8), Bryan Chan Wei Quan (#9), Jared Kowen Lim Jean Long (#10), Syed Abdilla Husaini B Hussien (#11), Mohamed Ramadan Misti (#12), Viviyan Philip (#13), Savas Sornchaitanasuk (#14), Chen Baole Emanuel (#15), Chan Chue Chun (#16), Deren Pal Singh Bessi (#17), Jelinek Dylan Kirk (#18), Bryan Liau Guo Dong (#19), Jerome Loh Kai Jun (#20), Tan Guo Chuan Benjamin (#21), Timothy Pan Yuanquan (#22), Sean Er Zhong Xuan (#23), Azreel Dini B Mohammad N M (#24), Sim Yong Zheng (#25), Ahmad Zafran B Mohamad Zainal (#26), Lee Tat Shing, Samuel (#27), Muhammad Zahran B Mohamad Z (#28)

St. Joseph’s Institution Roster
We asked for but did not receive the roster for St. Joseph’s Institution. If you know any of the players, kindly leave a comment and we’ll update the post.

National B Division Rugby Championship — fixtures and results

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