Singapore men’s rugby team rout Thailand 30-8 in Unions Cup
SINGAPORE – After a five-year absence from international competition, the Singapore men’s rugby 15s team returned to action on June 29 with a convincing 30-8 victory over Thailand at the inaugural Unions Cup.
The annual 15-a-side tournament from June 29 to July 5 also features Chinese Taipei.
The Republic’s men’s 15s team last competed at the 2019 Asia Rugby Division 1 Tournament in Chinese Taipei, where they were beaten 29-21 by the Philippines in the final.
Buoyed by a crowd of about 700 supporters in the Jurong West Stadium, the Singaporeans were just happy to be back on the pitch with the 15s side.
Captain Russell Wong, 31, told The Sunday Times: “Elated is the word man, I’m really happy. Definitely, we were very excited to play and it’s even better to get the win in front of the home crowd. It’s pretty amazing and an honour to wear the shirt.”
While 15s rugby has a proud tradition here, the sport worldwide has also transitioned to the faster-paced and more dynamic seven-a-side format, which features in the SEA Games and Olympics.
But Wong believes the essence of the 15s format should be preserved.
He added: “In sevens, you typically have a lot of fitter and slimmer guys but in 15s you have a lot of scrums. So you will get taller and bigger guys playing. It’s a game for all shapes and sizes, that’s what’s so special about 15s.”
Wong was among a handful of players picked from the national team’s sevens programme. He hopes to use his experience to nurture a new batch of younger players with more than half the national squad aged 25 or under.
Head coach Suhaimi Amran, who took over in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, said: “We are willing to sacrifice experience for youth development. This tournament provided us the opportunity for a reset.
“It’s tough because we’re starting from ground zero, but we hope to inspire young kids who aspire to be part of the 15s national team.”
For now, the Unions Cup is the only international tournament for the national 15s team, but Suhaimi noted that a regular “causeway challenge” event with neighbours Malaysia could be on the cards.
Ahead of their clash with South-east Asian rivals Thailand, Wong set the tempo by giving an impassioned team talk before the players stepped onto the field.
Singapore captain Russell Wong scoring a try against Thailand during the inaugural Unions Cup held at the Jurong West Stadium on June 29. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Singapore came out flying as Sean Andriesz opened the scoring with a try in the 18th minute before Wong added one of his own with the last play of the first half for a 12-0 lead.
Although Thailand came roaring back with a penalty kick and try early in the second half, the Singaporeans responded with two more tries – by Andreisz and Sean Er – and two penalty kicks.
Full-time national serviceman Andreisz, 20, said: “It was just adrenaline and a great honour scoring in my home country. We all just wanted to give our all.”
Next up on July 5 is Chinese Taipei – who play Thailand on July 2 – who are ranked 11 rungs below the world No. 55 hosts.
Andreisz added: “Chinese Taipei is going to be a physical game. One thing we have to work on is our rucks. We’ve got to be better organised and have better rucking speed and strength.”