By Kunchur Bharat (26A01B) and Tran My Linh (27A01B)

Photos courtesy of Raffles Arts and Photographic Society (RAPS)

28th April 2026 was a normal Tuesday for every RI student—except members of Raffles Rugby. The bus was scheduled to leave at 2 PM, and the match was to start at 3 PM, but for all the players, the battle had begun the very moment they woke up that day. For after 10 consecutive losses against Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (ACSI), this was yet another chance for Raffles Rugby to redeem itself. To snatch the trophy. To prove themselves worthy champions. Except that this time, they did it.

The stakes are high, the team’s morale is higher

To ACS(I), this year’s trophy would be the 11th addition to their 10-year-long collection. For RI, the tides of a storied rivalry would have finally turned in their favour — a chance to be champions after 16 long years.

NSG season preparation can be broken down into 2 key aspects: physical and mental. When asked to share how the team had been preparing themselves for the season, Vice-Captain Aden Chong Chow (26A01E) took a moment to shout out Coach Jei, who had recently joined the team and took them through the pre-season.

Under his guidance, the team increased their training load from their previous 3 sessions to 5 sessions a week. Among the 5, 2 would be dedicated to gym training, and the remaining 3 to the field. However, as they moved into the season, the team shifted their main focus from pushing its physical abilities to gaining clarity of mind. In the words of their other Vice-Captain:

Another highlight of the pre-season preparation was their Bangkok training trip in November 2025. Through the shared memories made between training sessions, dinner, and conversations, the overseas trip enabled the team to look beyond their seniority or their secondary school background, to come together as one team. The core experience motivated the team to put their best foot (and body) forward and give it their all for the season, regardless of what the outcome would be. 

With the insurmountable weight of expectations leading up to the finals, the team rallied together with a shared vision of enjoying the process, rather than fixating on the results. To end off our pre-game interview, Aden shared a word of encouragement to his team: 

“At the end of the day, it’s just another game of rugby, just another game we play together, just another fight we have to win. [The] Same work is being done, so we just have to relax and play to the best of our ability.” 

The Opening Try

The match opened with a drop kick by RI from the centre of the halfway line on the turf of Jurong West Stadium. Within the first 14 minutes, Jamus Cheng (27S05B) scored the opening try, gaining RI a head start. The addition of the conversion by Christian Hunter (27S06D) soon after that gave RI a thrilling early 7-0 lead. 

Soon, the match intensified. ACS(I) looked hungry, and they were going to force RI to defend the lead with their lives. Their opening kick after regaining possession was deep and good, and battling through successive mauls deep in RI’s territory, they forced their way through RI’s defence.

Just 5 minutes after RI’s try, ACS(I)’s Parone Avasadanond crossed the line, and ACS(I) managed the conversion. 

The score stood even at 7-7. It was looking to be a tough and equal matchup, but something that RI was ready for.

Searching for Opportunities

While the game had started blisteringly hot, conditions overhead began to change as cloud cover grew. Following two successive scrums and some back-and-forth play, the ball had returned to the halfway line, in RI’s possession. After a dropkick to resume the play, the ball barely escaped going out-of-bounds, and RI managed to hold their ground in ACS(I)’s half. Then, a high tackle from ACS(I) gave them the break they were looking for—RI was awarded their first penalty kick of the game. 

The crowd chanting “Raffles Dynamite” is silenced as Christian Hunter (27S06D) steps up for the kick. 

It’s good. And it gives RI its much-needed lead back. 

10-7.

Widening The Gap

As the two teams brawled for possession, ACS(I) was awarded a penalty kick for touch, and took the lineout just metres away from the try-line. They successfully gain possession during the inbound and the two teams go at it as RI’s defence attempts to stave off ACS(I). The clouds above get thicker and thicker; the spectators’ anxiety swells with them. 

Suddenly, ACS(I)’s kick towards the try-line is intercepted by Iain Chong Chow (26A01C), RI’s Vice-Captain. RI rips down the field, and a series of precise kicks lands them right in front of the try-line. ACS(I) attempts to subdue them, but it’s of no use. Exploiting every pocket of open space, RI simply overpowers ACS(I) in a mesmerising show of tact and aggression, grabbing their second try.

The kicks for RI, unfortunately, were not landing the way they were supposed to and the team did not manage to convert. Yet, the lead they had just widened was indicative of their unwavering hustle on the field, as they capitalised on every inch of ground gained. There was a hunger burning within them that ACS(I) could not extinguish. The score now was 15-7 to RI. 

Finally, it poured. Play was temporarily suspended, and supporters scrambled up the stands to escape the rain blown in by fierce winds. Both teams took this pause as an opportunity to refuel and regroup, especially ACS(I), from whom the game was quickly slipping away. 

Eventually, play resumed—and for RI Rugby, rain was business as usual. At the close of the first half, they had established a strong lead. But could they hold on to it? 

Sealing the Deal

As the rain started to clear up, their vision of victory seemed even sharper. Two more deft penalty kicks brought the score to a magnificent 21-7. Defensively, they were impregnable—even when ACS(I) managed to gain some ground, they were stalked like prey, in a stunning show of endurance. ACS(I), known for their physical dominance over RI, were now melting under the heat of RI’s offence, even with RI down 2 players on the field. Even in the final moments of the game, RI refused to waver until the whistle blew. 

Catharsis

They had done it. A 16-year-long drought had been put to an end. 

Sweaty, muddy, and bloody, they had fought their way to become champions. Interestingly enough, amidst all this jubilation, the team’s captain, Daniel Howard Park (26A01D), looked oddly calm. 

“I think it’s just shock,” he shared, “it’s not that [the win] was expected. But we said we would do it, and we did.” After 6 years in Rugby, and 4 years as Captain, Raffles Rugby’s triumph shows that hard work and obsession just pay off—putting your head down and doing the work pays off.

 They now carry on their shoulders the title of “history-makers”, and this victory—according to everyone we could speak to that day—will only be the first of many.