Those were the days...
I was aimlessly surfing the internet when i came across the Blacks RFC
website. For those who don't know, Blacks Womens Rugby was established
years ago and was the first club which pioneered the women's rugby in
Singapore. Through all these years, they have been playing
competitively locally and internationally. I am proud to say that i was
involved in it for a good 2 years.
I was a little apprehensive about starting contact rugby but eventually submitted to peer pressure and of course the interest in the game. Fast forward a little and there we were rookies, playing on international turf at Hatyai, Thailand. It was an interesting experience for me as its the first time i'm playing oversees and considering that i just got the hang of contact for not too long. Anyway, we had to fork out money for the trip, accommodation, etc and as most of us were students, everything was totally budgeted. Hence, the team decided in order to save some $, we hired a coach instead of taking a flight to Bangkok then travel down to Hatyai by bus. The whole damn journey took about 14 hours and by the time we reached there, we were exhasted. Had probably a couple hours of rest at the hotel and headed straight to the stadium for our match. Being a rookie, i was nervous and really didn't know what to expect. I was in the second team, (i.e. the second best team). We didn't win but it was a great experience and i had fun. The first team on the other hand got 2nd place.
The following year, after months of intensive training, and i mean really intensive! We trained almost 3 to 4 times a week. By this time, i was already working and i had to fit in rugby, work and boyfriend. Training always drained my energy and i always dreaded the runs (10 times of 400m, 300, 200, 100, etc the circuits, etc. Not only do i have to maintain a certain level of fitness, i tried to watch what i ate, especially chilli during training days cause it'll totally burn ur insides man! Our coach also arranged friendly matches with other visiting clubs from overseas and local clubs as well. We even played friendly against guys who were seriously huge! But they were kind and didn't give us optimum treatment.
The big day finally arrived and this time, we headed to Bangkok for the Bangkok Paulaner 7s 2002 tour. Quote: "It was the tour that changed the way we played rugby" Unquote.
This time, i was in the first team which had all the "old birds". It was really pressurizing playing amongst experienced players because they have been playing with each other for years and most importantly i was so afraid that i was not able to perform to their standards. We played a against the Royal Thai Air Force (arch enemy), The Royal Australian Navy and a couple of thai teams.
The Royal Thai Air Force consisted of women who were really fast and agile. They were swift and were able to side-step like no ones business. However, they had soft tackles and would often avoid to tackle as much as they could. Blacks lost to them in Hatyai and were determined to win them this time. We beat them in the qualifying rounds and met them again at the semis. That was the most memorable game. The match started out well with both teams equally even on the scores but took a turn when the Thais took the game personal. See, they think we're out to kill them so they "aimed" certain players, particularly the experienced ones and tried to knock them outta the game. It was due to this that i had the opportunity to score a try. They aimed my team mate not realizing that she would swing out the ball to me (i was the winger). i got the ball and ran as fast as i could. The only thing that ran through my mind was what my coach taught me, to run towards the side line poles. i ran as fast as i could and i taught that they would defnitely get me coz they were freakin fast! I could hear screams and people running behind me and i felt a hand swept past my sleeves, i stepped in and ran towards the centre of the poles, and i scored. I was so happy! It was my first try for the team against the thais. The match ended with the score of 0-10. We got into the finals against the defending Champions, The Royal Australian Navy. They were huge and i was terrified of them intially. I was placed as a reserved for the first half and only got in, in the second half of the match. Personally, it was a disappointing match for me because i made a few dumbass mistakes that could cost the team. But we won 14-5. It was an unforgettable moment in my life.
I was a little apprehensive about starting contact rugby but eventually submitted to peer pressure and of course the interest in the game. Fast forward a little and there we were rookies, playing on international turf at Hatyai, Thailand. It was an interesting experience for me as its the first time i'm playing oversees and considering that i just got the hang of contact for not too long. Anyway, we had to fork out money for the trip, accommodation, etc and as most of us were students, everything was totally budgeted. Hence, the team decided in order to save some $, we hired a coach instead of taking a flight to Bangkok then travel down to Hatyai by bus. The whole damn journey took about 14 hours and by the time we reached there, we were exhasted. Had probably a couple hours of rest at the hotel and headed straight to the stadium for our match. Being a rookie, i was nervous and really didn't know what to expect. I was in the second team, (i.e. the second best team). We didn't win but it was a great experience and i had fun. The first team on the other hand got 2nd place.
The following year, after months of intensive training, and i mean really intensive! We trained almost 3 to 4 times a week. By this time, i was already working and i had to fit in rugby, work and boyfriend. Training always drained my energy and i always dreaded the runs (10 times of 400m, 300, 200, 100, etc the circuits, etc. Not only do i have to maintain a certain level of fitness, i tried to watch what i ate, especially chilli during training days cause it'll totally burn ur insides man! Our coach also arranged friendly matches with other visiting clubs from overseas and local clubs as well. We even played friendly against guys who were seriously huge! But they were kind and didn't give us optimum treatment.
The big day finally arrived and this time, we headed to Bangkok for the Bangkok Paulaner 7s 2002 tour. Quote: "It was the tour that changed the way we played rugby" Unquote.
This time, i was in the first team which had all the "old birds". It was really pressurizing playing amongst experienced players because they have been playing with each other for years and most importantly i was so afraid that i was not able to perform to their standards. We played a against the Royal Thai Air Force (arch enemy), The Royal Australian Navy and a couple of thai teams.
The Royal Thai Air Force consisted of women who were really fast and agile. They were swift and were able to side-step like no ones business. However, they had soft tackles and would often avoid to tackle as much as they could. Blacks lost to them in Hatyai and were determined to win them this time. We beat them in the qualifying rounds and met them again at the semis. That was the most memorable game. The match started out well with both teams equally even on the scores but took a turn when the Thais took the game personal. See, they think we're out to kill them so they "aimed" certain players, particularly the experienced ones and tried to knock them outta the game. It was due to this that i had the opportunity to score a try. They aimed my team mate not realizing that she would swing out the ball to me (i was the winger). i got the ball and ran as fast as i could. The only thing that ran through my mind was what my coach taught me, to run towards the side line poles. i ran as fast as i could and i taught that they would defnitely get me coz they were freakin fast! I could hear screams and people running behind me and i felt a hand swept past my sleeves, i stepped in and ran towards the centre of the poles, and i scored. I was so happy! It was my first try for the team against the thais. The match ended with the score of 0-10. We got into the finals against the defending Champions, The Royal Australian Navy. They were huge and i was terrified of them intially. I was placed as a reserved for the first half and only got in, in the second half of the match. Personally, it was a disappointing match for me because i made a few dumbass mistakes that could cost the team. But we won 14-5. It was an unforgettable moment in my life.