Written By: Jonathan Go Edited By: Valerie Chua & Jolene Wong Photographs By: Eusoffworks
8:45am in the morning and the Eusoff Hall Trug girls were aching to go for their first match of the day. The morning gave some hope that the sun might not be as deadly and scorching as usual, but it turned out not to be so. The fiery ball shone with determination, but so too did the lethal EH Trug girls. The pack lead by veteran Trugger, Wan Ling, had a mix of old blood and fresh initiate, but all of them were equally raring to go to bring their IHG campaign to glory.
In their first match against our neighbours in white, Temasek Hall (TH) put up a real fight, early at 9 in the morning. Right from the get-go, they pushed up fast and pressured EH into staying sharp and maintaining their defensive line as good as they could. TH’s efforts eventually paid off for them, as they managed to break through and got the first try against EH. TH were not to be trifled with, as they quickly showed their strength once again on the next attack by scoring yet another try and doubling their lead to 2-0 against EH. EH however, was not set back or disappointed, rather they were emboldened and rallied even harder on their next attack as the reset began from the middle of the pitch. They gave TH a run for their money as they executed their own drives forward, encouraged by fervent shouts of support from the nearby Eusoffians who came down to support their fellow athletes on a Sunday morning. In that same attack, Joey Lamdingdong found a gap in the TH line and slipped through, touching the ball down for a try. Alas, the referee gave the call for a forward pass, and the try was nullified. Tough, tough. However, the EH girls did not let the score affect them and played their game well, attacking and defending as well as they could. Just before halftime, Jinwen found purchase and dove in between 2 stunned TH defenders to pull one back for EH and make it 2-1 going into the break. Time stopped for the break, but the girls’ burning passion did not. Coming into the second half, they truly let TH know that they were here to stay, and made end-to-end runs of the field without giving TH any time to break. A golden chance was then spotted by Jia Xin, who fooled the opposing defender with a clever fake pass, creating her own time and space to burst through and score her own try. It was all tied up now, and neither side was willing to give it up. Nearing the end, TH looked incredibly threatening and had managed to create a 2v1 situation; an opportunity that would have surely resulted in a try, but with some luck on EH’s side, they fumbled their pass and the final whistle was blown. EH’s first intense game with TH ended in a 2-2 tie.
Next up on the chopping block was Sheares Hall (SH). EH was resolved to gain a win following the draw against TH, and the girls were truly looking for blood. SH was completely stunned when right at the beginning, EH showcased their dominance with a quick dive from Elaine, securing a 1-0 lead. Not even a few attacks later, captain Wan Ling herself had a go with the dive to try, but was so narrowly denied by a barely-there touch from her opponent. EH were threatening at every angle and at all attacks, whilst maintaining an iron wall of defence every time SH attempted to gain a point back. Not even a halftime break could save SH from EH’s onslaught, as right after it Jinwen somehow managed to bamboozle 3 SH defenders (and some of her own teammates too I’m sure) by fake passing her way past 3 of them, creating enough space for herself to sprint a short 10m clear for the try. The score was 2-0 to EH now and the girls were soaring, which was evident when Jinwen (again!) managed to capitalise on a SH mistake, giving EH possession and subsequently, the try and the 3rd point. As if to emphasise that the game was running away from them, Brenda shot out of a gap in the SH line and lead them on a merry 20m chase to the try line. She was simply too fast for the SH players and burned them eaaaasily, sealing the 4-0 win for EH girls. EH was getting into their groove now, and it was a pure pleasure to watch for everyone (except opposition supporters).
Between the end of the match against SH and the start of the match against KE7, the girls had their lunch to recharge their legs and shelter themselves from the sun. Massive, massive shoutout to Keith, their TM who ordered ALL of the team’s food in one big Grabfood order (sick points gained tho). This man is truly a caring and attentive TM who is always there whenever anyone needs something from him and goes above and beyond the regular calling of a TM. 10/10 would hire to be TM in future.
Next to play EH was none other than the convenors themselves, KE7. EH began the game once again asserting dominance, with Joey stepping inwards to juke a defender, and quickly putting EH 1-0 up. Not to be outdone, however, KE7 managed to counter and drew level with EH in their following attack. The game was shaping up to be one entertaining to watch! Teamplay and patience was clear to see in the EH lineup, where the girls took their time to assess the situation and not force plays, but rather let them build up with momentum to strike. An almost effortless team move from one side to the other ended in Wan Ling and Jia Xin in a 2v1 situation, which they were not going to let slip. The latter passed to Wan Ling in the perfectly timed moment, and the captain scored her try to put EH up 2-1 against the hosts. Truly in the flow of things, EH moved forward like a tidal wave, fluid but deadly. Joey nearly got on the scoresheet with a dive but yet again, was robbed by the ref’s call of forward pass. Not to be put down, EH continued their trademark brand of relaxed play, looking for passes left and right and helping to open up options for one another by running into space. It proved too much for KE7 to handle, and Jia Xin yet again found herself as an assister, this time to Tanya, who neatly put a try away for a 3-1 scoreline. In just the next push forward, a decisive play from EH exposed a large gap in the KE7 line, which Brenda gladly took advantage of, running through clear of defenders for a straight 20m dash to glory. Her antics ended the game on a high, with a strong 4-1 scoreline.
RH was next to step up to the challenge of trying to bring down EH, but (spoiler alert!) like all others, did not manage to take EH down. It was yet another comfortable display of skill from EH, not long after the match began did Maxcy bullet through a gaping hole in the RH line, bypassing another defender in the process, and scoring an incredible solo run try. 1-0 to EH and game on. Attacks from RH were batted aside by EH, who saw the attacks through with patience and resilient defending. On the attack, they were vicious and quick. Crowd favourite Shu Yi found the ball in her hands and a Jia Xin in prime scoring position next to her. She did exactly what she was meant to do in that situation and layed the ball off to Jia Xin, who finally got on the scoresheet after helping to assist before. That was 2-0. Piling pressure on RH and constantly looking for any opening, Sheann found one and dove home with nearly no resistance in her way. That made it 3-0. It was almost magical the way EH were playing this match, so easy and comfortable were they that it did not even seem as if they were the least bit fatigued. Ever vigilant and waiting, Joey received a clean pass in from the centre in the middle of the pitch with no one ahead of her. She dashed the length of half the field, not a single RH player coming even close to touching her, giving EH the 4-0 lead. 5-0 came along in the hands of Jia Xin once again who spotted an opportunity to confuse RH with a fake pass, instead deceptively diving in and getting a good try. It could not get any more perfect than this.
EH girls’ final match was against highly anticipated opponents KR, who were reputed to have a strong, experienced squad which had beat all other teams. From the first whistle, it was plain to see the animosity and intensity between the 2 teams. Neither was willing to give but tried to take as much as they could from each other. On the attack, both were fierce, precise and quick. Defending, both EH and KR were stalwart and immovable. They moved from one end of the pitch to the other in a wave motion, taking turns to attack and defend, but neither allowing the other any chance at all to secure a much needed try. In the end, the energy fizzled and resulted in a 0-0 draw, ending EH’s trug carnival undefeated.
EH girls were a strong, unrelenting team bonded together and playing for and with each other. Their movements were coordinated and well communicated, and their camaraderie was inspiring to all present. They cheered each other on at all times, counted the touches with gusto and spread their spirit to all Eusoffians present at the match. In the end, our girls clinched first runners’ up in this year’s IHG Touch Rugby Carnival. None who witnessed the matches these girls played today can even dare to say that they did not give their all and left their hearts on the field. Well done EH Trug girls, we are all proud of you!
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