Team Singapore competing at the 2019 SEA Games.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE RUGBY UNION
Have you ever watched rugby? If you have, you would have noticed that this popular international sport involves a lot of skill, wit, strength, agility, teamwork and experience. Here to Play spoke with key figures of Singapore rugby to find out more about the local scene.
“A hooligans’ sport played by gentlemen”
Singapore has a storied rugby culture and is home to many rugby clubs and organisations that many people don’t know about. In fact, Singapore has produced exceptional players who have played in major teams overseas. In Singapore, 15 rugby clubs are registered under the Singapore Rugby Union and there are many recreational rugby teams.
“I like the camaraderie of this team sport. I like playing hard and after the game, teammates and opponents will usually have a beer together,” divulges host and TV personality Paul Foster, who played rugby in school for United World College, made an appearance for a junior Bucks Rugby Football Club tournament team, then eventually for the Singapore Cricket Club, along with a stint for the SAFSA team during his NS days.
Paul divulges that he fell in love with rugby because of his father, who was an avid rugby player and fan. Today, many more young people in Singapore are being introduced to the sport by their parents.
Fun for the whole family
“Pre-Covid, there was a big family atmosphere, with kids and their parents, at junior clubs and academies,” shares Sidney Kumar, a former national player who currently plays for the Singapore Cricket Club and the Saints Rugby Football Club. The member of the Singapore Rugby Union’s Competition Commission discloses, “there have not been any rugby games since Covid, but we are hoping for something to resume.”
Seven-a-side’s rich local history
Scheduled for 9 and 10 April, the 2022 HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens is an exciting affair that all rugby enthusiasts look forward to. Paul points out that Singapore rugby’s rich history pre-dates the modern HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens.
“We originally had the HSBC format from 2002 to 2006 at the old National Stadium and the Singapore Cricket Club’s Rugby Sevens competition is one of the oldest sevens tournaments in the world—Singapore Cricket Club’s first Rugby Sevens tournament was played in 1948,” he remarks.
He adds that seven-a-side rugby is very fast-paced, as the game has more space and different dynamics, as compared to the traditional 15-a-side game.
“All seven players tend to be very fast, with very good ball handling skills and are very, very fit,” he adds
Paul Foster competing in the Singapore Legends rugby game in 2017.
PHOTO: SINGAPOREMAVEN
The future of local rugby
“I’m glad that we can watch the Rugby Sevens once again, but I hope people in Singapore will be able to play rugby sevens again soon too,” shares Douglas Danapal, the Head of Commercial, PR and Communications for the Singapore Rugby Union. “One way of reviving the local rugby scene is by holding more local rugby competitions. Currently, we can play sports in teams of up to five, but if we can play more games with larger teams of seven or 10 players, that will help excite people about rugby again.”
Paul hopes that Singapore can do well in the Asian Rugby Championship. He emphasises that Singapore has developed talented rugby players and can develop more. One such player, he cites, is Marcus Smith, a rugby fly-half of British-Filipina parentage. When he lived in Singapore, he played for the Centaurs Rugby Football Club as a junior. He now plays professionally for Premiership Rugby team Harlequins Football Club in the UK.
“As of last year, Marcus made his debut as the England national team’s number 10, proving that in the right support system, everything is possible!” Paul adds.
“Singapore is not short of gifted players,” echoes Douglas, who laments that over the past two years, many young and talented rugby players have graduated secondary school and junior college without being able to play rugby and further develop their talents.
“One solution is, we can assist talented players from local schools in joining junior rugby clubs, which have good support systems that will train and nurture these young people,” reckons Douglas.
“We already have junior and senior rugby clubs and instead of having academies like how we have basketball academies and netball academies, we should provide additional support to these clubs, which will allow young people to try this sport and they can find out if they have a passion for it. Such a club-academy structure can also help identify and funnel passionate players to senior rugby clubs, where they can further develop and grow.”
Catch top players in action
Don’t miss the 2022 HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens, which brings together the most talented rugby teams and players in the world! Find out more about the 2022 HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens on its official website.
