Written by: Jayna Wu
Edited by: Chen Kexin and Lydia Ong
Photos by: EusoffWorks
LINE 1
Wesley
Yui
Keng Han
Kai
LINE 2
Glenn
Matthew
Mitch
Jaypy
Overall Score: 11-1 to Eusoff!
With Singapore’s Saturday sun shining down on us for the first time in weeks, the 16th of January marked the first day in the Eusoff Touch Rugby boys’ journey to clinching that IHG gold! This year, Touch Rugby is no longer run in a carnival format, with each match being a knockout round instead. One may think that these raised stakes coupled with the tricky restrictions throughout the season would have fazed us, but today our boys proved to be anything but daunted as they whizzed past defenders and made swift plays that would make your jaw drop, concluding the match with an incredible lead of 11-1.
First Half: 7-1
The referee blows his whistle and the first line of boys take off, driving towards KE’s defensive line fearlessly. Immediately, Keng Han scores his first try faster than I can type it in the updating channel, proving himself to be a force to be reckoned with. Possession is given to KE, who fumbles it almost instantly and giving our boys another chance to score. Wesley drives towards their defensive wall with ease and set up for an effortless play as he scores on his defender’s outside. The boys cruise up to a score of 2-0 within the first minute of the game and leaving us all amazed at their efficiency. After being scored on twice, the KE boys drove hard to the seven, bent on seizing this opportunity to score a try on us. Their first effort was, however, denied by the athletic dive-and-touch move by our own Yui, sending them back to the seven. This pressure led to a fumbled long ball in KE’s second attempt to score, with Wesley scoring yet another try almost immediately after possession was returned to Eusoff. What a beast. At this point, the KE boys are clearly frustrated as they drive hard at our boys’ defense, but our boys keep their cool as they take touches on KE relentlessly. As KE’s remaining touches decrease, they mispass the ball and Keng Han scores on the next possession with a beautiful pass by Yui.
The boys coordinate with ease... though Yui is nowhere in sight.
Jk! Here's Yui walking.
By the time the second line is up, our boys had already established a comfortable lead of 4-0 against KE. Still, our seasoned seniors in line 2 showed no mercy against the KE boys as they blitzed past their opponents throughout their 5 minutes on the field. Our very own Jaypy almost scores a try in the first ten seconds, but is unfazed as his nifty fingers intercepts KE’s ball not long later. Both figuratively and literally quick on their feet, Mitchell and Glenn then quickly led their line to score their first try with an immaculate move that left the sidelines (aka me and Team Manager Vernice) in awe. Though KE manages to squeeze in one try after this, our boys were unwavered, driving fiercely at their opponents while on attack and charging forth at top speed on defense. After the boys storm the field on attack and make it all the way to their seven, Glenn makes an insane fake which throws his defender off guard, leaving a gaping hole for him to score his second try of the day. And our Touch Rugby captain’s arsenal of tricks and athleticism doesn’t stop there, as he breaks through KE’s defensive wall at lightning speed soon after that, leaving them chasing his shadow under the 12pm sun as he scores yet another try. The half concludes with Eusoff up 7-1.
Jaypy bears wounds on both knees but plays unrelentingly regardless.
Second Half: 4-0 This half starts with the boys of line 1 stepping on their gas pedal even harder, as their intense defense throughout the game costing KE touch after touch, possession after possession. After KE fumbles on their first time back on offense, Keng Han and Kai drive them back to their oh-so-familiar seven line, with Wesley and Yui dazzling the defense with a stupendous switch play and bagging Eusoff’s 8th try. On defense, Kai shuts KE out with his aggressive athleticism and the boys regain possession almost instantly. Just when I thought the boys’ bag of tricks ended here, they pull another one out from their sleeves, as Kai baits the KE defenders and passes a short pass to Keng Han who scores, concluding their set with an impressive score of 2-0.
You may think that by this time our boys are exhausted from the constant running up and down the width of the field, but their displays of athleticism and the atmosphere of adrenaline prove otherwise. The second line of boys return to the field like a formidable force, with Jaypy kicking the set off with swift strides that allow the boys to gain many yards against their opponents. The former BASH King’s plethora of skills seems endless as he and Mitch execute beautiful defense to stop KE from scoring time and time again. Glenn leads his line to bag two more tries as well, with his quick-witted analysis of space and his defenders allowing him to draw the boys in red away from those in yellow, setting up space for Matthew and Jaypy to zip straight to the try line and score!
Our Line 2 boys are equally outstanding - Captain Glenn brings his wrath upon an unsuspecting opponent, while Mitch stays close behind.
With that, our boys swept our opponents away with a final score of 11-1, starting off their fight for that champion title strong!
Bonus:
Kam, windswept and focused - his eyes tell the story of a triumphant victory that penetrates the camera lens.
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