More than a Medal: Touch Rugby Girls NSG 2026

Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Olivia Chia (27A01A) and Kate Suzuki Kokomi (27A01A)

All photos courtesy of Fang Rui Shan (26S06R) and Ayyaatharan Srinivasan (26S06D) from the Raffles Art and Photographic Society

23 April 2026

The original day of the match kicked off at Hwa Chong Institution to the flashing of orange lightning alert signals and a drizzle that soaked the parade square ground where we sat with the supporters. The fate of the match dangled in the fickle hands of the rain; the game had been suspended and, if the lightning alert didn’t stop flashing by 4:30pm, would be cancelled. Suddenly having a lot of time on our hands, we descended the stairs to find the RI Touch Rugby team surprisingly coolheaded, scattered across a few canteen tables snacking on gummy cola bottles.

The RI Touch Rugby team had been blazing an upward path over the last few years, continually achieving greater heights on the pitch and the podium. Despite the burden of defending that legacy now falling to the team, they weren’t so much stressed as they were excited.

To them, this was a chance to fight for a spot on the podium and correct certain misconceptions about their CCA. This being their final match as a team strengthened their resolve to give the game their all and leave the field with no regrets.

By the time 4:30pm rolled around, it was clear from the sky that the match wasn’t going to happen. We packed up and left with the supporters, biding our time till we could see the unfulfilled but undeterred team in action.

—

30 April 2026

Cut to the day of the rescheduled match.

We arrived at Anderson Serangoon Junior College (ASR) to two neat rows of student councillors waving their welcomes as RI supporters filed off the bus. The stands were already abuzz by the time we settled into our section, different-coloured T-shirts intermingling as supporters from other schools rushed over to greet their RI friends and vice versa. The councillors busied themselves distributing clappers as chatter overwhelmed the pre-game noise on the pitch, filling the air with a buzzing excitement.

This time, the skies were a promising shade of baby blue, the lightning alert bulbs mounted on the walls blessedly dull.

We stood on the track beside a smaller yet louder group of supporters waving decorated signboards, watching with rapt attention as the match quickly evolved into a power struggle for the ball. Team Raffles opened the game in possession of the ball, a small edge that was quickly snatched away by the opposing team. In the stands above, RI supporters erupted into “North South East West”, surging to the balcony to get a better view.

To the untrained eye, the teams seemed evenly matched in technique and fire. Team Raffles spread themselves out across the field, making use of the negative space to get the ball closer to the try line. The ASR defence fought back with equal fervor, aggressively pushing against the Rafflesian advance. Within the first four minutes, ASR had scored their first try. Frenzied screams heightened the atmosphere, soon joined by the cheers of the RI supporters as Team Raffles evened the score before three minutes had even passed. #22, Joelle Yap Hui Xuan (26S03N), clutched the ball to her side and made a straight dash across the field, her daring sprint cutting right through the try line.

Now that the teams were tied, the energy in the stands was back at its peak. Cheers had become a constant fixture, “LET’S GO RAFFLES LET’S GO” along with a cacophony of cheers from other schools and uproarious screams making for a rather hyped backing track to the tension on the pitch.

Team Raffles fought to mere inches from the try line and made multiple valiant attempts at scoring, only to be forced back by ASR at the last second. Not long after, ASR secured itself another try.

Fifteen minutes in, a horn cut through the air—it was halftime. The scores tallied 2-1. The Team Raffles players caught their breath and came together for a huddle, their gazes set with concentration as they recalibrated their approach with their coach. Exhaustion had begun to sink into the atmosphere; the first half of the match clearly hadn’t gone as expected. It was a narrow lead for ASR, but not a guarantee of victory. With another half of the game to go, a lot could happen to tip the scales, and Team Raffles was certainly going to try.

—

“North South East West, who’s the best? R-A-F-F-L-E-S!”

The RI supporters ushered in the second half of the game with a classic cheer, urging the team to press ahead.

It was clear that ASR had done some recalibrating during the break too; they quickly scored three more tries and brought the tally to 4-1. Tensions rose on the pitch as Team Raffles scrambled to regain their bearings. Another try for Team Raffles reignited the thunder of the crowd and brought the tally to 4-2, where it would stay for the remainder of the game.

—

The stands exploded into cheers and screams, resounding in our ears as we zeroed in on a quieter, more intimate moment happening on the pitch. The game had concluded in a loss for RI, and the team’s first instinct was to reach for one another. Players looped comforting arms around each other, their heads bowed in hushed conversation against the chaos of the aftermath. In a display of true sportsmanship, Team Raffles and Team ASR crossed the pitch to shake hands and draw the match to a proper close.

While Team ASR rushed into the centre of the field, warmly received by their friends and family, the Raffles Truggers moved off to a more private corner, settling in a circle on a patch of grass with their coaches. The specifics of their heart-to-heart are only for them to know, but one thing was undeniably clear, impossible to be drowned out by the chaos around them: this was a team that loved each other very much.

It was announced hours later, at a sudden turn of the weather, that the subsequent match to decide the third and fourth placings would be cancelled. Team Raffles automatically clinched third place, a first in the history of the CCA.

Post-match interview

From our interview with the captain, Celine Goh Zi Yi (26S03N), and vice-captain, Sarah Wong Si En (26A01C), of Touch Rugby, it was clear that the team had mixed feelings. There’s no easy way to process the disappointment of a loss, especially when it’s your last.

“The last match we played as a team was probably one of the hardest matches; emotionally, physically, everything. It was intense, it was tiring. We had so many disruptions because of the lightning alerts and knowing that people are in the stands, that gave us added pressure as well,” Sarah weighed in.

After a brief pause for the captains to collect their thoughts, she continued. “But in the final minute of the game, when things weren’t going great, when we knew it was pretty much difficult already and we were just trying to end off, I looked up at the people playing on the same line as me and I just thought, it’s been a good run, man.”

This match is the final one for Celine, Sarah and their team before they step down to focus on their A Levels. On where they saw themselves heading after Raffles Touch Rugby, both captains believed that for this group of girls, a loss does not mean defeat. The team is still hungry for more and will likely end up playing Tough Rugby in the future, perhaps even together.

Celine had this to say: “It’s never about the results but more about the friendships and the comfort we find in each other when things get tough.”

“I think it’s just a precious thing for all of us, in that we have a team unlike any other, that we really know each other better than, sometimes, even ourselves,” Sarah chimed in.

“We found family, and yeah, that’s gonna beat every other medal on this earth.”

Sarah Wong Si En (26A01C)

Sometimes, victory comes in trophies, medals and the undying, rapturous applause of eager supporters. For this team, it came in a more subtle, beautiful way.

At the end of the day, this very special team has made RI history. Despite the loss, they have furthered the legacy of Raffles Touch Rugby and set the precedent for greater things in the batches to come.

Congratulations on your historic feat, girls! We wish you green fields and clear skies for your future Touch Rugby pursuits.