The Final Entry.

SRU report is out. edited out some errors and added bits of my memories

circa 26.05.04
RJC clinched the Police Cup U20 title today when it defeated ACJC in extra time by a score of 6-3. It was the tightest match of the season between two teams whose defenses had not been breached. It was no surprise then that both teams' defensive record remained intact as the final showdown was decided by penalty goals.

Both teams racked up an incredible number of points on the way to the finals with ACJC securing 474 points and RJC doing better with 489. It was the first game that both teams failed to score a try and it wasn't really a surprise as the cautious approach adopted by both teams meant that playing out of danger was the piority.

RJC was the more adventurous team as they continually tried to breach the defending champion's defense by running the ball through the backs. Flyhalf, Pravin Lingam, had a standout game as he fed his centres with well timed passes into space. There were many opportunities to break loose but the ACJC defense had an equally magnificent game.

RJC had it's closest try scoring opportunity when off a five meter scrum, halfback Justin Lum sniped down the blind side and launched himself to the try line. Only a scrambling defense by an outstanding ACJC backrow unit denied him the try as the ball was knocked off his hands. The ball was then picked up by winger Josiah Goh and he was held up when he dived over the try line for the glory. ACJC had the first shot at goal that came from a lineout infringement by RJC flanker Ian Choo.The first points on the board came from a penalty by ACJC fullback Daniel Chia that was gifted by an offside infringement by the RJC forward defence, leaving the score at 3-0 to ACJC at halftime.

The second half saw an enormous amount of kicking as both teams searched for territorial advantage. With such tight defenses and excellent use of the boot, it proved to be the best option in the game. RJC though, could have moved the ball through the backs a little more as they had the upper hand in that area and also because the tireless work by the forward pack had set up outstanding attacking platforms. RJC flyhalf, Pravin Lingam, equalized in the middle of the second half through a penalty close to the touchline. Surprising, considering the fact that substitute no. 6 Seow Tziyang was given a yellow card and sent to the sin bin just a few minutes after coming on, for throwing a punch at ACJC winger Yiwen, leaving the RJC forward pack down to 7 players. Towards the end, the ACJC forwards spearheaded by prop Darius Sit and no. 8 Josiah Peh applied relentless pressure on the RJC forward defence 10 meters out from their line but were denied by desperate tackling and an eventual turnover due to RJC's greater prescence at the rucks.

And so it was, in sudden death extra time, that the game was decided by the boot. An ACJC defence put on the backfoot by a superb chip by RJC scrumhalf Justin Lum gave away the penalty that would decide the game. From a penalty 20 meters out and fifteen meters from touch, outside centre, Mohd Raihan executed one of the most horrendous kicks seen in a grand final. But it was good enough as it wobbled over the crossbar to give RJC a deserved win and the championship.

Raffles Rugby Roll of Honour
Starting Team.
1. Sherman Yeo ( Vice Captain )
2. Daryl Cheong
16.Tan Jun Ren
4. Alvin Loke
5. Lee Zhonghan
6. Joel Leong
7. Ian Choo ( Captain )
8. Joel Louis Lim
9. Justin Lum
10. Pravin Lingam
11. Josiah Goh
12. Alvin Tan
13. Mohd Raihan
14. Firas Alsuwaigh
15. David Lee

Substituitions
lock. Zachary Ang for Alvin Loke
no.6 Seow Tziyang for Lee Zhonghan ( Joel leong moved to 4. )
standoff Adil for Pravin Lingam

Ready and Willing ( those who pray hard and probably cheered the loudest )
Terence Yeo ( winger )
Christopher Chia ( winger )
Fairuz ( winger/ fullback )
Jon Yap ( flyhalf )
Thung Yeemeng ( scrumhalf )
Dominic Chen ( flanker )
Kevin Lee ( flanker )
Dhinesh ( lock )
Joel Tan ( prop )
Khalrul Anwar ( prop )

Support Crew ( very much a part of our team )
Danny
Chakai
Arnan
Andrew

all the matches, trainings,gym sessions, team talks, lunches/dinners at ghim moh, hours at LAN, not to mention the thousands of jokes (jedimaster and khalrul related especially) and other memories that we share as team will be a part of me forever. This has been the most tremendous and momentous journey of my 17.5 years. For the J2s, coming together for the first time from our different secondary schools at the end of 2002/begining of 2003, we all remember Ray's killer trainings that stretched into the night and the resilient and awe inspiring J3s. Not to mention, victories at the M1 Touch and National 10's tournament last year. For the J1s, I hope we have been able to inspire and pass on the desire for excellence and the pride in Raffles Rugby that Ningyan, Leon and the J3s gave us. Some say the line was broken back when the 2000 C div didn't qualify for the semi-finals. Here in RJC,it has been bridged by that very batch. Great thanks to coach Marcus Blackburn too. Every single one of us mattered to this team, everyone bled, everyone sacrificed.

I'm very proud of all the forwards for possibly playing the best game of e season on 26.05.04 special note to the J1 forwards. unknowingly we lived and played by an unspoken code this year, similar to these lines from Rudyard Kipling's "The Law of the Jungle" Bear them in mind well and inculcate it in next year's pack.It will serve you well.

NOW this is the Law of the Jungle—as old and as true as the sky;
And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk the Law runneth forward and back—
For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.

this is the end. i close this chapter of my life that has tasted bitter defeats and sweeter victories. this blog will be left floating as it is. Thank You RJC Rugby 2003/04.it has been a life changing experience.












posted by Down the rabbit hole we go. at Friday, May 28, 2004

i only have a few more words to say before i totally close this chapter of my life. tomorrow shall be the day for i have not slept in 2 days.

posted by Down the rabbit hole we go. at Thursday, May 27, 2004

so it ended today. after hoisting the Police Cup trophy for Raffles after a long wait of 3 years,i'm officially retired from rugby. i played it for my brothers in arms and for all my friends out there supporting me. i give today's game to God's grace, his works and miracles are plentiful. Emerson gave me another nice quote and i think it was really applicable today. Psalms 60:12. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies. once again i give thanks to the almighty and to those who fought with me, shared the pain of hits, agony of going down 3-0 at halftime and our eventual victory. Immortality and glory is ours. for the J2s who really just came together last year from a whole hotch-potch of secondary schools that never really won anything, guess we've done what we came to RJ to do. to the other front-rowers sherman and daryl as well as the whole mighty forward pack think i'm going to miss playing with you guys. today was just amazing, we weren't individuals, we were a pack. thanks a lot to the oldies, Tur-bo-ge ( tziyang ) n Ming-ge ( Justin ) too. and to Raihan and pravin, thank you very much for winning us the game. well not forgetting those who came down to support. too many to name but "thank you for coming i really appreciate it" all the same. dad thanks.

btw i never wanted to wear no.3, i wear no.16 for its symbolism, in honour of the previous player that wore it. my mentor, my old man, my friend, my brother - tziyang. after 7 years, you finally tasted glory. i hope i didn't let you down today in the hour of peril.

the rain fell upon the land, preparing it for the impending battle. the warriors clashed. steel against flesh, flesh against steel. blood was spilt. men fell. But this was no Thermopylae, they would not be buried where they fell. the battle turned on its head countless times before fate and God chose the worthy victor. as the heavens closed and the evening rays shone through, we fell to our knees to give thanks to thee.

as for the "me" in e tag board, darius has my respect cause he's really a gd player who does his talking on e field unlike *ahem* you. he almost rearranged my teeth, thankfully i don't have to see a dentist. bet he'll be laughing if he reads this. ah well gd job. no hard feelings man =P oh and i don't score much tries cause i'm really much more of a defensive minded player who likes to tackle and ruck but i guess that never really occured to a glory hunter like you. maybe you should stop smoking crack, place your trust and faith in God and train hard like darius before you come and shit people.

posted by Down the rabbit hole we go. at Wednesday, May 26, 2004

for the past week, i seemed to be hurtling to appointments with destiny that will make my life for the past 2 years actually worth it. today, i stopped and took account of those who have been there for me. classmates weiyang ( happy 18th birthday too! i've got u a present!), weiming, tim, lynette n cheechong. first table friends such as e hockey n soccer guys with special mention for e bukit panjang ppl like nikhil, manvin, chethan n jieming n others like siva n gn who're always there no matter if its the sports season or the mugging season. old friend gillian whose always there to hear me whine about the failure of my non-existant love life etc. all e ruggers, esp. e forward pack and my old man aka tur-bo ge.playin together with you guys as Rafflesians in so many tournaments n the tough trainings we've endured is really a dream. i know at the end of this rainbow we'll find our pot of gold.n of course all e snrs that i know who have been such an enormous influence on me as a person.n you, the angel of my dreams who absorbs the breath of my life? what i do will be for all of you, it can never be for me alone.for i am not me, without every single one of you.

posted by Down the rabbit hole we go. at Friday, May 21, 2004

i close my eyes and place it in your hands, seeking your deliverance.cloth us in armour, sharpen our weapons, bless us with courage and thy grace. destiny awaits the Myrmidons on the plain of battle.in the father i trust, he who will grant me glory or death.

Psalms 46:10-11
Be still, and know that i am God
i will be exalted among the nations
i will be exalted in the earth
the lord almighty is with us
the god of jacob is our fortress

courtesy of my friend emerson.

posted by Down the rabbit hole we go. at Sunday, May 16, 2004

saints forever: whatever man. let the rugby do the talking.


posted by Down the rabbit hole we go. at Saturday, April 24, 2004

dance nite was wonderful. the dancers were all mesmerizing, fantastic to say the least. tim, ter, ming, ben it was a great effort for you guys! pat that was a real cool dance you choreographed! after dance nite it was just this huge social gathering with people crowding around the stars of the night, taking photos, talking & sometimes plain screaming. met the hc polo guys zhengnan, chub n bee who i haven't seen in ages. oh n hc council prez mikail heh went azhar to chill out with em n donald after that. ate n just sat there talking cock for like 2 hrs. missed em lots. talked bout e good ole days, n e nowadays in HC n RJ...manz... chub asked me what it was like to go for the change durin e transition to JC. all i can say is i don't regret anything i've done..the people around me in chinese high n rj made me who i am and i'm glad for all the friends i've made along the way. now i wear the green,black n white with pride and the crest on my heart. with e bitter memories of defeat etched in my consciousness, i put every drop of sweat and blood into our search for glory. but once in a while its glad to know that there those who stand apart but continue backing you up while you chase your dreams.

Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.

posted by Down the rabbit hole we go. at Saturday, April 24, 2004

Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.
ps: sometimes obessessed is also replaced by words like crazy, siao etc.

just came home from the gym and a 2.4 km run. -yawn- its good to know that all the 3 sports that share the first table are doing well. apart from our thrashing of YJC, soccer went through to the 2nd round with a 0-0 draw against JJC, n hockey beat SAJC 1-0. read shengrong's blog bout the SAJC vs RJC hockey match, sounded too close for comfort but at least they won. our turn is in a little less than 2 weeks time. marcus took me out halfway through the 2nd half -shrug- maybe i was as tziyang would put it, "chilling out" too much, just like good ole kees. can't remember but hopefully i wasn't - e thought of it is just plain grotesque. all i can say is that i'm focused. its what happens on the field that matters.

posted by Down the rabbit hole we go. at Friday, April 23, 2004