By Cherie Khoo (26S03B) and Tara Sim (26A01C)

Tensions ran high on the field and in the stands—the odds were against Raffles Institution’s (RI) Rugby team. The high-stakes match was the team’s tenth consecutive final against Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (ACSI), the defending champions. ACSI was looking to reclaim their title for the tenth year in a row but for RI, the “underdogs”, it would mean the world to achieve the elusive championship title.

Leading up to the finals, the pressure was on for the team. Despite the weight on their shoulders, the team rallied together. In the group stages, they had already played against and lost to ACSI 5-30, and the team knew emerging victorious would require no small amount of motivation and courage.

In the stands, spirits rose as our Student Councillors amped up the crowd, leading supporters in rousing cheers as the players gathered on the field. All too soon, a sharp whistle from the referee broke through the hubbub, proclaiming the start of the game.

Zero to Hero

ACSI and RI started the game with a kick off, and it soon became apparent that both teams were evenly matched in skill. For the first thirty minutes of the match, a total of zero points were scored by either side, and tensions between the players soared even higher. 

At exactly thirty seven minutes, however, ACS(I) pulled a move no one saw coming, and managed to wrangle the ball exceedingly close to the try line, beyond which was the scoring zone. If ACS(I) were to score a touchdown, it would prove to be a huge blow to the Rafflesian team’s morale. 

In a show of extraordinary determination and power, our team managed to hold back their opponents when locked in a scrum. Their coach’s (very) loud encouragement probably served as much motivation for this incredible feat. Afterwards, the team was once again in high spirits, having already proven to themselves the very extent of their abilities. 

In the second half of the game, RI fell short on a penalty kick, the ball passing less than a metre below the crossbar, in what would ultimately be a fatal mistake. However, the team showed great support and renewed vigour, determined to stick together and remain unaffected by the loss of a golden opportunity to pull ahead.

A mere ten minutes before the game’s supposed end-time, ACS(I) scored three points on a penalty kick, making the previously untouched score 3-0. Our Rafflesians did not lose hope, however, and played on with even more determination than before.

On the last kick by ACS(I), who knew by then that they had won yet again, the ball sailed high over the stands on RI’s side, causing spectators to duck their heads as all eyes tracked its trajectory. The ball landed on the roof with a grim thud right as the whistle blew—the game had come to a close.

RI fought valiantly, but ultimately fell short in the finals, ending the match with a score of 0 points. And yet, they were nothing short of heroic. From a 29-point deficit in the group stages to a narrow loss decided by a single penalty kick—though perhaps even more devastating in its closeness—this final showed the team’s remarkable improvement over a span of mere months. 

To quote Captain Liu Zhe Ming, “I think this really shows [how] we came a long way…still very disappointed but I think 10 years down the road, maybe when I look back on this day, I can say everyone on this team [would] be proud of the effort that we put in over in the past year, all the early morning trainings, all the late evenings we stayed in school.”

Ten years, Still Here.

For ten years, RI’s rugby team has walked into the finals knowing history was not on their side. Yet each year, they’ve stepped onto the field with their heads held high, in hopes that that year would be the one to break the pattern. With the weight of past defeats, each rugger still played to his best ability—stepping off the field donned in green, black and white, knowing they have made RI proud. 

“This team has made my time in RI the best ever,” said Captain Liu Zhe Ming, reflecting on the end of his six-year rugby journey in RI. Though his time on the pitch has come to an end, the memories forged with his teammates, he says, will stick with him forever. 

To him and his teammates, this was more than just representing RI to play rugby. It was about choosing to believe, year after year, even when the final score never gave them a reason to. A decade of disappointment and yet, RI’s rugby boys show up with unwavering spirit and the unshakeable belief that this will be the year it all changes. 

“Being a part of a group of individuals who are so focused on a shared goal is an amazing feeling I have felt from playing in this team,” added a Y5 player. It is clear that this same grit RI has held for a decade will not falter anytime soon. If anything, this “excruciatingly close loss” has shown the Y5 Ruggers that the gold is no longer a distant dream but a real, tangible goal—one worth fighting tooth and nail for. 

Guts over Glory 

After the match, the RI Rugby boys stood together—bruised, breathless, beaten down while singing the school song. A heavy air of quiet sorrow struck the field, felt by every Rafflesian there. Voices laden with the weight of what could’ve been, the rugby boys still held their heads high with their arms slung over one another. 

Their camaraderie echoed through every late practice and battle. Beyond any number on the scoreboard, this was what shone brighter than the stadium lights, and would linger long after the clock ran down.

The RI Rugby team will lose with dignity and win with humility. That’s what this rugby team has always done and will continue to do for every batch after this one–show up, play hard and give their all until the very end. If anything is to be remembered from this match, it’s that the dream held by a decade’s worth of RI Ruggers isn’t over, but instead has only grown to burn stronger.