Written by: Rika Ogawa and Choa Zhao Xiang Edited by : Choa Zhao Xiang and Leung Lok Heng Photos by: EusoffWorks
It was the last day of IBG, and it was arguably the most intense and heavily contested day of IBG. With 3 events on Day 6, there were many points up for grabs, and all Blocks were eager to clinch crucial points to climb the rankings. As the sun set from its golden hour and the crowds streamed into Field 2, our first event Touch Rugby begun.
Touch Rugby
Most onlookers don’t realise how complex and tactical a game of Touch Rugby (Trug) actually is. When they step on the pitch, they would come to realise how counterintuitive and rule-laden the game actually is. To factor up the fun, IBG Trug’s rules were modified to accommodate a smaller team and smaller pitch. Each attack would now be increasingly crucial and defensive mistakes would be even more costly. It was truly an interesting and energetic way to kick off the last day of sporting events. Our first match on the first match put D and E on the grid. Right from the get-go, both teams were neck to neck. D Block immediately took charge of the game. Glen, Claudia and Amber, were their stand-out freshies. Glen, who constantly had his shirt lifted to expose his sculpted abdominals, was by far the most impressive on the pitch that game. His swift, nimble footwork and technique quickly made the fact that he was of a rugby background known. Claudia was remarkably impressive as well. Her passing, mostly coming from the wing was a force to be reckoned with. Together with Amber, who scored a couple of tries herself, quickly made themselves known as one of the favorites for Trug champions. Combined with the leadership of sensei Ikhsan and Swan, D Block’s team energy and experience proved to be deciding factor in their win against E Block, finishing the match 5-3.
Claudia perfectly receiving a pass. Her dashes down the flank were dank.
As D Block moved to the next grid, they would come up against A Block. With D Block already on high morale and crowd support, they were thinking they could make quick work of an unsuspecting A Block, especially when captain Sheann was busy refereeing and coaching from the sidelines. However, A Block’s players were not going to let themselves be pushed around. Matteus and Sonia, freshies who have already made their presence known throughout IBG, once again plated up a wonderful performance for the spectators. Despite them having minimal experience, they withstanded barrages of attacks from D Block, touching them at strategic points that hurt their attack. Together with former Takraw captain Irfan Dinne the Genie and Darren Mok, they managed to not only stop D Block from outscoring them, but they managed 3 tries themselves, tying the game 3-3 and setting themselves up nicely for the rest of the night.
Darren Mok in another match against B block. Inhuman muscles and speed.
However, at the other side of the field, we witnessed a genocide. E block, who have mostly gotten the better of B block throughout IBG, assumed they could do the same for Trug. However, they were very mistaken as B block was by far the best team for this event. Their freshie team itself was made up of 3 players with rugby experience. Shu Qing, who played middle for the most part, was the centrepiece of it all. Her thoughtful and careful passes instructed the B blockers attack. However, it was when Yuichiro and Zhen Wei played alongside her, B block’s attack moved with fluidity and complexity; overlapping each other in their runs, tracking back and scoring tries with absolute ease. Zhen Wei, who wore spectacles and seemingly looked quiet, unleashed the inner speed demon in him. On the other hand, the bulky, Matt Tjeong-like Yuichiro, evaded touches with unbelievable ease and was probably the top scorer for B block that night. On the bench, they still had Wesley Woo and Jin Wen waiting to be subbed on during a transition. They were pretty much miles ahead of E block, and they dispatched them 6-1.
Yuichiro the Hero. No being in the universe could stop him that night.
E block, hoping they could overcome their set back, proceeded to their next match against A block, who just came back from their impressive 3-3 draw with contenders D block, also vying for the win. E block’s team was mostly made up of experienced seniors like Melvin Vito, Keith and Shu Yi. It was no surprise that they then dominated the match. Together with freshies like Chu Yi and Benny, E block were decisive in their attacking plays. Even more impressive was their defensive efforts, withstanding attacks from players like Sheann and Darren Mok was undoubtedly impressive. Despite losing their first two matches, E block powered through A block, and finished the game 4-1.
Coming it hot from their win, E block went up against C block. C block have lost their previous games narrowly; 4-6 to B block and an agonizing 3-4 to D block. However, this was not going to happen for this match. C block fielded LYLC Wei Shien, who has undeniably the source of C block’s competitive grit. Together with Fadi and freshie Alison, they moved together as a unit. Wei Shien orchestrated and finished most attacks. His experience and agility made him extremely hard to stop as he passed off at the right time and made perfectly timed runs. Alison herself was commendable. She was a stable source of safety for the C blockers, passing off to her when the play was getting rushed as she then reset and redistributed the play. Their combined efforts led them to storm the match comfortably, leaving E block in the dust 7-1.
The final standings for Trug is as follows:
B block
D block
C block
E block
A block
Track and Road Relay
After the players had battled in out for touch rugby, it was time to switch their cleats for spikes as we transitioned into our final sporting event of the night and IBG – Track and Road Relay! The track events consisted of the ladies 4 x 100m relay, the men’s 4 x 100m relay and the mixed 4 x 400m event. Sounds like just a bunch of numbers, but anyone who has run the events before knows that it is no easy task. The crowd was buzzing with excitement to see how their Blocks would do as they waited anxiously for the events to begin.
First up came the ladies 4 x 100m, consisting of these line-ups for the various Blocks:
A Block: Audrey, Nicole, Jia Yee, Pei Xuan
B Block: Hidayah, Hannah, Nadine, Albanie
C Block: Jodie, Ivffery, Chloe, Regine
D Block: Amber, Felice, Rachael, Emma
E Block: Audrey, Blythe, Gladys, Celine
After their warm-ups, it was evident that the runners were not the least bit nervous as they
struck some poses for our lovely EusoffWorks photographers at the starting line. Finally, after all the race marshals ensured that all sides were ready to begin the race, the starting whistle was blown. Hidayah from B Block blazed out of the Blocks to give her team the lead at the start. At the 100m mark, a smooth transition between Audrey from E Block to her teammate Blythe allowed them to overtake their competitors. Shortly after, Nicole from A Block sped up and sprinted like a rocket to overtake Blythe. Meanwhile, D Block and C Block fought hard to stay in the race and were doing a good job at it. In the third leg of the race, Chloe from C Block and Rachael from D Block overtook Jia Yee from A Block in a spectacular burst of energy. At the end, it all came down to the final runner and the tension was buzzing throughout the supporters to see who would take the cake. Eventually, it was Amber from D Block who overtook the other Blocks to cross the finish line in first place, followed by C Block, A Block, E Block and B Block respectively. What a fantastic start to our track events!
It was time for the guys to take to the track for their 4 x 100m relay, which fielded the following lineup:
A Block: Jovan, Ritz, Sean, Jia-Shen
B Block: Jia Wei, Lingzhen, Daniel, Cedric
C Block: Joel, Junhan, Jonathon Long, Jiajie
D Block: Louie, Aniq, Bang Yi, Joel
E Block: Jin Song, Yun Long, Benny, Chengtat
Having just ended the women’s relay, the crowd was eager for the male relay to commence! At the start of the race Jia Wei from B Block took the lead as he sprinted off. However, soon after E Block’s Jin Song caught up fast. Despite some of the runners having no track experience, all of them displayed outstanding technique as the first exchange was smooth between the first and second sprinters for all Blocks. However, after the change over, the second runner Lingzhen from B Block took the lead for the race and never lost it. Meanwhile, Ritz maintained a second position for A Block and the A Blockers remained second for most of the race. However, when the baton was passed from Benny to Chengtat from E Block, Chengtat sprinted off as if there were frinners at the finish line and managed to overtake both C and A Block, clinching E Block the second position. Mad clutch!. The final standing for this race was B Block which was leading the whole way, followed by E Block, C Block, A Block and D Block.
The last track event of the day was the mixed 4 x 400m relay! This race was going to be a tough one which really relied on the mental strength of the competitors. Some of the competitors interviewed beforehand mentioned that they haven’t run since JC and wasn’t sure if they could do this. Nevertheless, the race proceeded with the following lineup:
A Block :Sonia, Matteus, Nicole, Brian
B Block: Whitney, Simon, Shu Qing, Zhen Wei
C Block: Vanessa, Shawn, Alison, Jerry
D Block: Delia, Sean, Claudia, Dylan
E Block: Chuyi, Alun, Zoey, Nigel
The girls started off the race and C Block was particularly enthusiastic in their cheering, constantly chanting “ GO VANESSA” at the start of the race, Whitney from B Block had a strong start as she quickly took the lead at the 100m mark. However, Sonia from A Block soon overtook her in the middle of the 400m led the way for the first leg of the race, followed closely by B Block. After taking the baton from Sonia, Matteus immediately took off to further A Block’s lead. Meanwhile Sean from D Block sprinted with all his might and overtook Shawn from C Block to give his block the advantage. Simon from B Block kept close to Sean throughout the second leg. In the final leg of the race, Brian from A Block made use of his long strides to further extended his lead, sealing the race A Block by a huge margin. However, the race for 2nd place was still not over. Dylan from D Block had a sudden burst of energy within the last 100m and overtook Zhen Wei from B Block. Not giving up though was the C Block and E Block who showed admirable determination and still completed the race in record time! The final standings were: A Block, D Block, B Block, C Block and E Block.
Alun passing off to Zoey. Although E block were 5th place for majority of the race, they still displayed endurance and persistence. Stronger Together Eusoff!
The last event of the night and perhaps the one that struck the most fear in Eusoffians was the (in)famous Road Relay. The event was only a snippet of the actual IHG Road Relay, where only the fittest of the fit could survive. Nonetheless, the following runners were brave enough to take up the challenge:
A Block: Violet, Matteus, Briana, Darren Mok
B Block: Isabelle,Huan Zhang, Rena, Jonathan
C Block: Christianne ,Gevin, Hui Xin, Wei Shien,
D Block: Denise ,Dylan, Alicia, Laychun
E Block: Ning Xuan, Benny, Isabelle, Zachary
Before the start of the race, the crowd was cheering on their teammates with all their might as they knew how tough this race would be for their teammates. The race would consist of two parts, the track part and the off-track route where the runners would have to navigate up and down slopes. After the whistle was blown, Isabelle from B Block was off to a strong start and even though all 5 runners stayed close together throughout the run on the track, Isabelle was the first one to leave the track onto the road. This was followed by Christianne from C Block, Violet from A Block, Ning Xuan from E Block and Denise from D Block.
However, on the road, Christianne from C Block soon overtook Isabelle from B Block. Subsequently, Violet and Ningxuan took the 2nd and 3rd position in the 1st leg to give their Blocks an advantage. For the second leg, Gevin ensured that his Block stayed in top position. Meanwhile, Huan Zhang from B Block and Benny from E Block were head to head in an intense race for 2nd . In the third leg of the race, Hui Xin the legend and Guardswoman took over the baton and never looked back. With her years of Road Relay experience, she extended the lead further for C Block. Not to be outdone, our very own SMC Head Rena from B Block showed everyone what she was made of and ensured that her Block broke away from E Block to take 2nd position in the 3rd leg. Isabelle from E Block did well and maintained the 3rd position with Briana from A Block and Alicia from D Block taking the 3rd and 4th position respectively.
President Hui Xin gave C block an unbeatable lead.
The final leg of the race came and Wei Shien, the reigning Eusoff Male sportsman of the year, further extended the lead for C Block and came back in record time, even overlapping one of the Blocks. Jonathan from B Block came in 2nd and was welcomed by the loud cheers of his fellow B Blockers who all ran to the finish line to spur him on! Isabelle from E Block came up next followed by Darren and finally Laychun, who did not give out throughout the race and made his Block proud of him. Final standings for the road relay was: C Block, B Block, E Block, A Block and D Block.
Overall, the Track and Road Relay events were thoroughly enjoyed by the crowd and there were many jaw-dropping and inspiring moments throughout the races! This reporter is sure that everyone were proud of their teammates so good job guys!
The standings of the track and road relay combined was
C Block
A and B Block
D Block
E Block
As we conclude the sporting events for IBG, we are thankful for the endless support that has been shown throughout the events. However, the champion block has yet to be determined as there are still points to be won during the IBG Cooldown, happening at the FH on Wednesday @ 8pm! See all of you there!
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