In recent years, the acknowledged powerhouses in Schoolboy Rugby in Singapore and arguably the teams to beat have been ACS (Independent) and Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC). Not just among Singapore schools but also among the expatriate schools (such as UWC). And not just in the 15-a-side game but also in the 7s and 10s. These ACS teams have been feared by all for their tactical and technical superiority, adaptability, raw talent, discipline and above all, mental strength. ACS (Barker Road) too, despite its relatively late start, is beginning to make its presence felt in the schools’ rugby scene. In primary schools mini-rugby, both ACS (Primary) and ACS (Junior) participate regularly and have met with a fair measure of success. So how did it all begin?

Genesis of ACS rugby

Not many ACSians today know that rugby was first introduced in ACS way back in 1940.  Although we had a great start by defeating St Andrew’s School in our very first game by 17 – 0, the game somehow did not catch on and subsequently disappeared from the school’s sports calendar the following year. Another attempt at the sport in 1959 also did not go far given the paucity of interest among the student population then, despite an encouraging start when we beat Outram Secondary School narrowly by 11-9 in our first game.

It was not until 1968 that the game was re-introduced to the school by the then principal Mr Lee Hah Ing and Mr Earnest Lau, with Mr Pancharatnam as ACS’s first rugby coach and Cyrus Medora (ACS class of 1967 – ‘O’ Levels) as the first rugby captain of ACS. Within 2 years of taking up the game, ACS won the Bukit Timah District title and in 1970, was placed 3^rd behind the then schools rugby kingpins, RI and St Andrews in the Schools Nationals.

ACS won its first National title (C Division) in 1977 followed by ACJC’s first ‘A’ Title in 1980. However, it was not until 1997 that we were able to string together seven consecutive titles through 2003 in both the B and C Divisions through ACS (Independent), and together with ACJC achieved the triple grand slam (our first) by winning all A, B and C Division titles between 2001 and 2003. This streak was however broken in 2004 when we lost the A and B titles but retained the C title for the 8^th consecutive year. As an indication of our rugby prowess, the C final in 2000 and the B final in 2002 were all-ACS affairs, with ACS (Independent) prevailing over ACS (Barker Road) on both occasions.

As far as achievements go, one highlight that stands out must surely be ACS (Independent) winning the World Mini Under 13 and Under 14 Rugby Championships held in Durban, South Africa in 2001, which shocked many of the participants from the major rugby playing nations. So to what can we attribute our success thus far?

Our  success “formula”

• Passionate and professional coaches who toil, sweat, rejoice and endure together with the boys on and off the field. Many of our coaches are old boys and former ACS rugby players who know what it means to wear the school crest proudly on their chest when they take to the field in an ACS jersey. This passion inevitably rubs off on their charges as well. Not to mention sound moral values.
  
  Kaveh Namazie - scrum half, current National player and former ACJC Rugby Captain and one of the distinctive few to have been Schools’ Champions in all his 6 rugby playing years in ACS (Independent) and ACJC from 1997 to 2002 - was one of the many boys who benefited from our dedicated coaches. Kaveh paid tribute to them, in particular Dr Irwin Seet, Adrian Chong and Lincoln Tan, “for imparting skills and values that went beyond the rugby field – such as being absolutely focused on the task ahead, clear goal setting and a disciplined approach which applies to life as much as it applies to the playing field”.

In a nutshell, as Adrian Chong, rugby coach of ACS (Independent), former National player and arguably the most consistently successful ACS rugby coach to date puts it: “We endeavour to groom our boys not only to be champions on the field but to be champions for life. That sums up the entire ACS Rugby experience!”

• The inimitable team spirit instilled and displayed by our boys. This is best described by Kaveh: “Winning is addictive. It makes you want to achieve even more. However, it is not so much just the winning but the feeling of being an integral part of the team that labour together, train together, toil together and rejoice together that makes the whole 6 year rugby journey in ACS (Independent) and ACJC so memorable. The camaraderie and team spirit of TEAM ACS linger long after the final whistle has been blown”.  Agreeing with Kaveh, Lionel Robinson, current National player who left ACS (Barker Road) in 1999, added: “The best time in my rugby playing experience thus far was in ACS. The team spirit was simply awesome and not easily replicated elsewhere”.

• Incredible support from:

• the school in terms of encouragement and facilities - from the Board of Governors down to the school administration staff.

• Parents. Logistics, medical, vocal encouragement and by their physical presence at matches and even training sessions.

• Old boys who passionately follow the games involving our schools, supporting both by their physical presence and by their financial support.

• Above all, the acknowledgement that God is the leader of the team and there is total reliance on Him in all that we seek to accomplish.

What looms on the horizon

As shown in 2004, other schools are rapidly closing the gap between them and us. While we have set the standard for the last 7 years, living off the groundwork first laid by Dr Irwin Seet and Adrian Chong from ACS (Independent), continuous success in rugby is by no means simply for us to appropriate. We need to step up one gear or risk losing momentum while others charge relentlessly forward.

Given our prominence in the past few years in schools rugby, it is no surprise that we have contributed our fair share of players to the Singapore National Team. At the 19^th Asian Rugby Football Tournament held in Hong Kong last year, Singapore won the 2^nd Division title, thereby ranking 5^th in Asia and 42^nd in the world. Eleven players in that team are old ACS boys (see photograph below), and furthermore, the Singapore team manager at the tournament was Lincoln Tan (ACS 1982) the current coach of ACJC!

From left to right: Steedon Jessup (ACS-I 2000, ACJC 2002) , a supporter, Rong Jing Xiang (ACS-I 1995, ACJC 1997), Andrew Yeo (ACS 1984, ACJC 1986), Rong Jing Xing (ACS 1993, ACJC 1995), Gary Tan (ACJC 1990), Desmond Wee (ACS-I 2000, ACJC 2002), Lionel Robinson (ACS-B 1999), Kaveh Namazie (ACS-I 2000, ACJC 2002) & Mark Lee (ACJC 1997) Not In Picture, Lincoln Tan - Team Manager (ACS 1982), Amos Siow (2002 ACS-I, 2004 ACJC), Ajun Pandey (2003 ACJC)

All the above old boys have done us proud by donning National colours. We look forward to more of our current players following in their footsteps in the years to come.

What’s next on the agenda?

To sustain our winning ways, more needs to be done to help our schools maintain the standards of excellence that all of us have come to expect. With the resources of our old boys, ex-ACS players, parents and other ACS rugby well-wishers, we have the opportunity to build on and enhance our rugby tradition and the heritage of our ACS schools. Towards this end, a group of old ACS rugby players have taken the initiative to band together to render an organized response and put in place a structure that allows the older players to still stay in touch with the school and the game and give something back for the benefit of the ACS family of schools. This support group has decided to call itself simply as ACS Old Boys Rugby  (ACS OBR) under the auspices of the ACS OBA.

To help ACS OBR achieve its aims, we are appealing to all those who share the above vision and who would like to stay connected with ACS Rugby (whether you are an ex-player, a parent, an old boy/old girl, or a well wisher) to contact any of the following persons:  Mark Sng (lifeoptions@pacific.net.sg), Cheo Chai Hong (ch_cheo@yahoo.com), Woon Kee Yang (wonky@singnet.com.sg), Dennis Yeo (Dennis.Yeo@colliers.com), Benny Teo (benny.teo@ap.averydennison.com), Hari Vaerhn (hvaerhn@searchworks.biz), Tang Kee Fei (kftang@ctl.creative.com), Adrian Chong (ycchong@acs.sch.edu.sg) or Lincoln Tan (lincolntan01@yahoo.co.uk).

Together, let’s work towards keeping ACS at the pinnacle of schools rugby in Singapore.

Article contributors: Mark Sng, Cheo Chai Hong, Wong Chee Kiam, Adrian Chong, Lincoln Tan & Alan Lim

Photographs courtesy of Wee Ban Bee & Lincoln Tan