Story by Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports. Photos by Louisa Goh and Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports.

Viviyan Philip (SA #13) scores a try against RI in the final. (Photo 1 © Louisa Goh/Red Sports)

Viviyan Philip (SA #13) scores a try against RI in the final. (Photo 1 © Louisa Goh/Red Sports)

Yio Chu Kang Sports Centre, Saturday, August 1, 2015 — Rugby powerhouses St. Andrew’s Secondary sent two teams to the Singapore Youth Olympic Festival Under-17 Rugby 7s competition, and both teams helped earn the school first and third-placed finishes in the category.

Team A, led by Viviyan Philip, demolished their opponents en route to the final, including a 36–0 victory over Peirce Secondary in the semi-final.

In the final where they went up against Raffles Institution (RI), they dominated play to earn a convincing 17–0 victory over their opponents.

“The atmosphere here was like any other rugby 7s competition – competitive on the field but fun and laughter off the field,” said Viviyan Philip.

He added, “Though, personally, my liking of the 7s format is debatable because some competitions have delays while some do not. Having too much rest time is definitely not preferred.”

Unlike their teammates in Team A, Team B, which was helmed by Sean Er, did not have it easy as their victories in the preliminaries were only decided by small margins.

After a disappointing 10–14 loss to RI in the semi-final, they made up for it in the third-place playoff game, overwhelming Peirce 27–0 for the victory.

The Singapore Youth Olympic Festival was first organised in 2011 for youth athletes aged 18 and below, and serves as a legacy of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games which was held in Singapore in 2010. In its fourth edition, the festival comprises nine sports held over two weekends from July 25 through August 2.

Sports and venues involved in SYOF
3×3 Basketball – Anglican High School
Badminton – Jurong East Sports Centre
Football 7s – Jurong East Sports Centre
Rugby 7s – Yio Chu Kang Sports Centre
Sailing – National Sailing Centre
Shooting – SAFRA Yishun
Table Tennis – Yio Chu Kang Sports Centre
Taekwondo – Woodlands Sports Centre
Volleyball – Jurong West Sports Centre

For more information on the festival, visit http://www.syof.sg.

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