By Low Tiat Kai (22S06N), Captain, Nithila Ravindran (22S03B), Vice-Captain, Kuik Tze-Tinn (22S03E), Quarter Mistress, and Amanda Lai (22S03K), Treasurer
Do you know what “dumping” looks like in Touch Rugby? What about a “quickie”? Well, these are just some of the terms used to describe movements and skills related to the beautiful game of touch rugby. Dump, split, pass, dive and…score! If you love the adrenaline that comes with sprinting down the field, the synergy of working together as one team, the thrill of scoring a touchdown, then look no further, our CCA is the one for you!
A game of Touch Rugby involves 6 players per team, and the aim of the game is to bring the ball to the scoreline at the other end of the field and score a touchdown. Unlike other ball games like captain’s ball, attackers can only pass backwards, and defenders can make touches on attackers.
When a touch is made by the defender, the attacker with the ball has to “dump” the ball, where another player from the same attacking team picks up the ball and continues with the game. At the same time, defenders have to move 5 metres backwards. The game progresses forward by passing or running with the ball, until 6 touches are made, or until a team scores, after which there will be a changeover in the possession of the ball.
While fitness is important in a game of Touch, teamwork and communication are actually the most crucial parts of the sport. Bringing the ball to the scoreline requires effective communication among players—not only does each player play an important role in every strategic move, spontaneous play is also common when there is an unexpected touch made or a change of possession. Hence, each player has to learn how to adapt to situations and take advantage of certain opportunities to score a touchdown!
Our training sessions take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4.30pm to 6.30pm at the stadium field or the hockey pitch.
Before training begins, our team follows our training plan and takes out the necessary equipment, even coming down earlier to practise drills and skills taught to us the previous session.
We kickstart training with a standardized set of warm-ups across the field. This is followed by a mix of drills, fitness exercises and mini-games done within our groups (due to SMM guidelines) as instructed by our coach. Touch Rugby is not only a physically-demanding, but also mentally-challenging game and we often leave training sessions feeling “enlightened” by the new game strategies we picked up that day.
During heightened alert, training sessions had to be moved online. Advised by teachers and coaches, we did a mix of conditioning sessions and batch bonding activities. Conditioning focuses on bodyweight exercises to build our strength, with exercises to train specific skills like grip strength so that we can pick up the ball with one hand during a game. Batch bonding activities involved games like Gartic Phone or skribbl.io, or simply batch talks!
Before COVID, our seniors took part in friendly matches such as RI’s Gryphon Recall and tournaments such as the Pan Pacific All Schools Touch Championship. The most important match is the Inter-JC League held in April/May, which puts the team’s teamwork and skills to the test!
As Touch Rugby is a team-based sport, relying on each member’s effort to come prepared for training is the most important part of our CCA. We place a lot of emphasis on building our CCA dynamic and strengthening batch bondedness, allowing us to learn a lot about teamwork through our shared experiences.
As an integral part of your experience in Raffles Touch, you can look forward to challenging yet fulfilling training sessions, a safe space for everyone to learn and grow together, and our weekly CCA dinners (unless COVID restrictions do not allow for it). After gruelling training sessions, we often go for batch dinners together at Junction 8, S11, or simply order food in and camp out on the field under the night sky. Raffles Touch is a family that not only allows us to appreciate the beauty of our sport, but also teaches us intangible values that are important in all aspects of our lives.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and worried about the rigour of Touch Rugby, fret not! Our sport is a developmental sport and we welcome members from all backgrounds willing to give this sport a shot. As long as you are passionate about the sport, willing to learn and give your best even when times get hard, we want you! So if you think you fit this criteria, take a chance, we’d really love to see you at trials!
*Cover image taken in accordance with SMMs during the prior phase of Covid-19 measures
