Pre-Season Matches vs Pioneer Sec & Greenridge Sec

Our Montfort Rugby boys have been involved in a series of pre-season sparring matches against Pioneer Secondary and Greenridge. The matches were played on 5th December and 12th December respectively.
Our C Div and B Div played a series of four matches and came away with two wins against Pioneer.
Our C Div and B Div played a series of four matches against Greenridge and managed to come away with a respectable win.
The matches are meant to give our boys much needed game time in preparation for next year's B Div and C Div tournament.
Our panel of coaches - Euan Morrison, Pan Chao and Low Feng Hua - were able to see the strengths and weakness of our Emerging B Div and C Div Squads during this series of matches.
The pre-season continues with trainings throughout the Nov-Dec holidays (Tues, Thurs and Fri) from 9am-12noon.

Four Montfortians called up for National Rugby U15 Elite Training Camp

Four Montfort Rugby players - Ariel Salim, Ahmad Danial, Harish and Mohd Nabil - were called up by Singapore Rugby to take part in the National U15 Elite Training Camp at Pioneer Sec (See above picture) on 24th and 25th November

The ultimate objective of this camp is to prepare the best 25 rugby players in the rugby-playing neighbourhood schools so that they can take their place in next year's Combined Schools U16 Team and National U16 Team.

Well done Montfort Rugby Boys.

National Sec 1s Rugby 10s Tournament @ Saints Village

Our Sec 1s were among six schools invited to take part in the National Schools Sec 1 Tens Tournament at Saints Village on 15th November. This tournament serves as a platform for Sec 1s to have some match exposure

The top schools were invited for this tournament - ACSI, RI, SJI, SAS - were among the teams that took part in this tournament.

Our Montfort boys put up a creditable fight against the elite schools and although they lost four of the five matches, they managed to come back with a creditable draw against their fellow Catholic brother school - St Joseph's Institution (SJI).

The Sec 1s who took part in the tournament were - Alvin Yap (1A1); Kenny Lee (1AA); Matthew Ho Wei Jie (1AA); Mohd Shamir (1AB); Lewis Syn (1E1); Leon Tan (1E1); Zulhilman (1E2); Dominic Daniel Kumar (1E2); Kang Dong Wan (1E3); Ivan Irwan Lim (1E3); Eugene Sito (1E3); Randell Toh (1E3); Ryan Er (1E3); Kirish Deepan (1E4) and Koh Shun Quan.

These fifteeen players has the potential to better things next season in the C Div tournament.

SCC 7s Under-17 Schools Tournament Report

Our under-17 Montfort Rugby Boys took part in the SCC 7s Schools Tournament over the 8th and 9th November weekend at the Padang.
The 7s tournament served as development tool for our under-17 team that will be taking part in next year's B Div competition.
The two day saw our boys playing five matches against the established powerhouses like ACSI. Nonetheless we still came away with a draw against Bedok Town Sec (National Top 4). We lost our four other matches.
The tournament provided good match exposure that will be useful for next year's B Div tournament.

SCC 7s Rugby Tournament (8th and 9th Nov)

Note to Under-17 Rugby Players:
The Under-17 team will be involved in the SCC 7s Rugby Tournament at the Padang this Saturday (8th November) and Sunday (9th November). We have been grouped with ACS Barker and Pioneer in the Group Phase.
SCC 7s Team List:
Low Feng Hua
Ng Song Yu
Jason Hong
Firdaus
Ng Kian Hao
Nataniel
Gerald
Ben Matchap
Lyon Ee
Leon Chan
P Aravind
Stanley
Terence
Hisyam
You are expected to report to SCC Padang by 7am. We need to warm up for first match against Pioneer by 9am and our second match will be at 11am
The tournament on Saturday is expected to end at 1pm. On Sunday, depend on where we finish in our group, we will either be in the Bowl, Plate or Cup Semi-Finals.
Please ensure that you pack your match gear: Jersey, Shorts, Socks, Boots and Water Bottle as well some loose change for snacks for both days. Mr Singh will provide some energy bars.
Iced Water Refreshments and medical cover will be provided by Singapore Cricket Club during this tournament.
If there any queries, feel free to contact Mr Singh at 94505434 (HP).

M1-SRU Schools Rugby Series Under-14

Note to Under-14 Players:
The M1 Series U14 Round 3 (Final Round) will be played on 11th November at CCAB Field, 2pm - 5pm.
More details will be made known during Friday's training.

M1-SRU Schools Rugby Series Under-17

The M1 SCHOOLS RUGBY SERIES 2008 Under-17 had its final round in September and the standing are as follows:
Final Standing for Boys Under 17 boys
1. ACS(I) 68 points – 2008 Champions
2. Pioneer Sec 56 points – 2008 Runner up
3. Montfort Sec 52 points – 2008 2nd Runner up
Well Done Montfortian Giants. We are the now among the Top 3 teams in Singapore for 10-a-side and 7-a-side rugby. The Team was led by Captain Low Feng Hua.
For official confirmation from Singapore Rugby see the following link
http://www.singaporerugby.com/news/?aid=52287&sec=144&ssec=372&mth=10&yr=2008

Congratulations Rugby Warriors and Club Updates

The Boss would like to extend his heartiest congratulations to the following rugby players for attaining the highest level of individual schoolboy sports honours:
Low Feng Hua - National Colours Award for Rugby
Ng Kian Hao - Zone Colours Award for Rugby
Well done boys. Montfort Rugby is proud of you and may you don the full national rugby jersey in the coming years.

The Boss also would like to extend his congratulations to our senior boys for being the youngest participants to pass the International Rugby Board-Singapore Rugby iRB Level Coaching Level One Course held at Saint Andrew's Village a few weeks ago. Our senior boys who are now qualified coaches are Low Feng Hua (4A3), Ng Song Yu (4A3) and Pan Chao (5A2). We look forward to their expertise in the forwards and backline coaching next year.

The Boss also would like to inform all boys that we are now in the process of getting a new female teacher-in-charge for rugby to replace Mr Toh who will be leaving us at the end of the year. The new teacher's identity will be revealed at the first post-exam training session on 9th Oct.

CCA Stand-Down (Sept 8 - Oct 8)

Rugby in Montfort will take a break for a month with effect from Sept 8.

We will resume rugby training on Oct 9 at 2.30pm for all players (Sec 1 to Sec 3).

In the mean-time please start to revise for your Final-Year Examinations which is expected to start in the final week of September.

Although there is no rugby training, players are welcome to keep their fitness levels by either playing some touch rugby or do weights at the school gym on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Remember, a healthy mind starts with a healthy body.

See you guys for training on Oct 9 at 2.30pm.

Montfort Rugby Boys and Singapore Rugby (South) Regional Team

Fourteen of our Montfort Rugby boys represented Singapore Rugby (South) in the just concluded Standard Chartered Youth Tournament at CCAB on Tuesday (2nd September) afternoon. They played matches against Singapore Rugby (North) and Singapore Rugby (West).
This tournament is in preparation for next year's Combined Schools U-15/U-16 and National U-15/U-16 rugby teams.
The Montfort Rugby boys who played Singapore Rugby (South) are:
1) Ariel Salim 2A1 (Full Back)
2) Justin Seow 2A3 (Hooker)
3) Leon Lim 2A3 (Flanker/2nd Row)
4) Calvin Lim 2AA (Scrum-Half)
5) Muhd Fardanshah 2AB (Prop)
6) Ahmad Danial 2E4 (Winger)
7) Tang Han Yang 2E4 (Prop)
8) Muhd Nabil 2A3 (Centre)
9) Harish Pandey 2AB (Flanker)
10) Mohd Shamir 1AB (Winger)
11) Kirish 1E4 (Utility Back/LooseForward)
12) Dom Daniel Kumar 1E2 (Scrum Half)
13) Alvin Yap 1A1 (Prop)
14) Lewis Syn 1E1 (Hooker)
On behalf of Montfort Rugby, the boys would like to thank Mr Ismail from Singapore Rugby for organizing this tournament. It really gave the Montfort boys valuable game time and the chance to interact with boys from other schools in a rugby setting.
Montfort Rugby would also like to thank Mr Jamal (Coach, Singapore Rugby South) for coaching the boys and always encouraging the boys to do their best during the game.
We look forward to more such tournaments as it helps to bring the rugby community closer.

M1 SRU Under-17 10-a-side Rugby Tournament

On a bright sunny day at Pioneer Secondary School on Saturday 30th Aug, our Montfort Under-17 team progressed into the Cup Semi-Final before bowing out in extra-time to a sudden death try.
The day started well for our team as we had walk-over after our first round group opponents Bedok Town was forced to withdraw because of a lack of numbers. So our next group opponents were Bedok South Secondary. We beat them easily 15-0 to set-up a Semi-Final showdown with hosts Pioneer Secondary School.
After a thrilling 12-12 draw at full-time, the game went into extra-time. It took a brilliant piece of magic from a Pioneer to break the deadlock and secure a 17-12 victory over Montfort.
Nonetheless, there were some positives:
We came out fourth out of the 12 teams that took part in this competition.
We have a core group of Sec 3s who, with proper coaching and managing, can rock next year's Under-17 National Rugby Championship.
Finally, the team is cohesive, united and determined to bring back glory to the school.
Said team manager and rugby TIC, Mr Jasbir Singh: "The team is beginning to gel well and rugby means a lot to them as well to the teachers. So we will continue to give our best for the glory of the school."

M1-SRU U-17 Rugby Tournament 30th Aug

The following rugby boys will be involved in the M1-SRU U-17 Rugby Tournament at Pioneer Secondary School:
1) Low Feng Hua 4A3 (Captain)
2) Ng Song Yu 4A3 (Vice-Captain)
3) Terence Liaw 3E1
4) Ng Wei Jun 5A1
5) Stanley Lim 3A1
6) Mohd Firdaus 3A1
7) Ben Matchap 3A1
8) Nathaniel Takahashi 3AA
9) Gerald Cheong 3AB
10) Raphael Loo 4E3
11) Lyon Ee 3A1
12) P Aravind 3A1
13) Hisyam 3AB
14) Jason Hong 4E5
15) Ng Kian Hao 3A3
Transport to Pioneer Sec will leave Montfort at 7am
Let's Bring Back Some Silverware!

Singapore Rugby (South) vs Singapore Rugby (West) @ CCAB 28th Aug

The following Rugby Boys on to report to CCAB on Thursday [28th Aug] at 1.30pm.
The Montfort Rugby boys who have been selected to represent Singapore (South) are:1) Ariel Salim 2A1 (Centre)2) Jonathan Lim 2A1 (Lock)3) Justin Seow 2A3 (Hooker)4) Leon Lim 2A3 (Flanker)5) Calvin Lim 2AA (Scrum-Half)6) Mohd Mukhlis 2AB (Full-Back)7) Muhd Fardanshah 2AB (Prop)8) Ahmad Danial 2E4 (Winger)9) Joel Lee 2E4 (No.8)10) Tang Han Yang 2E4 (Prop)11) Muhd Nabil 2A3 (Fly-Half/Centre)12) Harish Pandey 2AB (Flanker)13) Rexford Biondy Henka 1E2 (Prop)14) Mohd Shamir 1AB (Winger)15) Matthew Ho 1AA (Prop)16) Randall Toh 1E3 (Winger)
The following players have also been identified to assist as a shadow team during matches:1) Kenny Lee 1AA (Prop)2) Zulhilman 1E2 (Lock)3) Ivan Ong 1E3 (Utility Back)4) Kirish 1E4 (Utility Back/LooseForward)5) Dom Daniel Kumar 1E2 (Scrum Half)6) Alvin Yap 1A1 (Prop)7) Lewis Syn 1E1 (Hooker)

Singapore Rugby (South)

The following Rugby Boys have to attend a training by Singapore Rugby on Wed 27th Aug.
Attendance at this training is vital as you make up more than 60% of the Singapore Rugby (South) competition squad and run-on team for the upcoming Standard Chartered Youth Tournament against Singapore Rugby (North); Singapore Rugby (West) and Singapore Rugby (East).
The Montfort Rugby boys who have been selected to represent Singapore (South) are:
1) Ariel Salim 2A1 (Centre)
2) Jonathan Lim 2A1 (Lock)
3) Justin Seow 2A3 (Hooker)
4) Leon Lim 2A3 (Flanker)
5) Calvin Lim 2AA (Scrum-Half)
6) Mohd Mukhlis 2AB (Full-Back)
7) Muhd Fardanshah 2AB (Prop)
8) Ahmad Danial 2E4 (Winger)
9) Joel Lee 2E4 (No.8)
10) Tang Han Yang 2E4 (Prop)
11) Muhd Nabil 2A3 (Fly-Half/Centre)
12) Harish Pandey 2AB (Flanker)
13) Rexford Biondy Henka 1E2 (Prop)
14) Mohd Shamir 1AB (Winger)
15) Matthew Ho 1AA (Prop)
16) Randall Toh 1E3 (Winger)
The following players have also been identified to assist as a shadow team during trainings:
1) Kenny Lee 1AA (Prop)
2) Zulhilman 1E2 (Lock)
3) Ivan Ong 1E3 (Utility Back)
4) Kirish 1E4 (Utility Back/LooseForward)
5) Dom Daniel Kumar 1E2 (Scrum Half)
6) Alvin Yap 1A1 (Prop)
7) Lewis Syn 1E1 (Hooker)
My deepest apologies for the late notice as Singapore Rugby was able to confirm pitch availiability late last evening.
On behalf of Singapore Rugby, many thanks for your kind understanding and support in the development of our home-grown rugby players.
Cheers,
Mr Jasbir Singh (HP: 94505434) Montfort Rugby Co-ordinator & Singapore Combined Schools Under-18 Team Manager

M1-SRU 10s Tournament @ YCK Stadium

Montfort Rugby Under-14 smashed its first three opponents on a rain-sodden pitch on Saturday (23rd August).

Our Under-14 team beat Greenridge 10-0, Northbrooks 15-0 and ACS International 5-0.

With those three teams, Montfort will meet ACS (Independent) in the Cup Semi-Final. The game was expected to take place on Saturday (23rd August) but had to postponed because of inclement weather.

The re-scheduled Semi-Final is expected to take place sometime next week. Nonetheless, it means that Montfort is now the Top 4 among the 10-a-side rugby teams.

Maybe we should concentrate on building a niche in 10s and 7s.

Cheers,
The Boss

Singapore Rugby Regional U15 Competition 2008

I am delighted to announce that the following U-14 rugby players will be required to attend the Singapore Rugby Regional Under 15s Competition selection trial:
Ariel, Jonathan Lim, Justin, Leon, Calvin, Mukhlis, Fardhan, Ahmad Danial, Joel, Han Yang, Nabil and Harish.
From the trial, there is an opportunity of representing their zone. Montfort have been placed in the South Zone. The four zones North, South, East and West, will play against one another in an SRU-organised Tournament starting on the 18th August.
This Under 15’s regional competition is played between neighbourhood schools, and is supported by the Standard Chartered Bank. This tournament allows the union to identify 30 talented players. These players will then train and play against a combined team from the main schools, who have also been selected by the union.
Standard Chartered Bank has always been a firm supporter of Rugby and Youth Development in the sport, and they have kindly continued their sponsorship of the National Under 16 and Under 20 Teams.
Please ensure that all of you who have been asked to go for the selection players attend the trials, as it enables you to improve not only your playing abilities, which will in turn enhance our school’s overall playing performance.
If you need any clarifications on dates and venues, please see Mr Singh (HP: 94505434)

M1-SRU Tournaments

To All Sec 1-4 players,

There will be an U-14 M1-SRU 10s tournament on 23rd Aug. Venue will be confirmed closer to the date.

On 30th Aug, there will be another U-17 M1-SRU tournament. Venue will be confirmed closer to the date.

Consent Forms will be issued out to all players soon. Please collect your consent forms personally from Mr Singh.

Cheers,
Mr Jasbir Singh [HP: 94505434]
"A Man who is lost in his passion is not as lost as a Man who has lost his passion!"

Congratulations to our National Rugby Players

Three Montfortian Rugby Players are now part of the National Under-16, National Under-17 and National Under 18 Rugby Team.

This is one-step up from the Combined Schools Rugby Team that had been assembled in June 2008.

Our three National Players are:

Low Feng Hua (National Under-18)
Ng Song Yu (National Under-17) and
Ng Kian Hao (National Under-16)

Well Done Boys for being NATIONAL players!

Mr Singh

C Division Rugby Season - An Overview

The 2008 C Division season for Montfort Rugby kicked off on 26th June 2008 with a convincing win over Jurong Secondary School. It was a good win for our Montfort C Div boys as well as debut win for new coach Chris Dyson.

The Jurong match saw the emergence of a bunch of Sec 2 rugby players who razzle-dazzled in the back-line (Nabil, Mukhlis, Ariel, Danial and Calvin). The forward pack was also well-led by Joel.

Then came the first real test for this emerging Montfortian team when they met the well-drilled St. Andrew's Secondary rugby juggernaut. It was a match to forget as the Saints smashed the Montfort team 80-0. But it was a performance that was not a disgrace as Saints are a well-oiled rugby machine with great players well-coached and well-led by passionate teachers-in-charge. Saints is the benchmark for all rugby playing schools in Singapore.

After the debacle at Saints, our Montfortian C Div team bounced back with a 67-8 win over Greendale Secondary at Greendale. It was a match that saw the total annihilation of Greendale.

The Greendale win was followed with another big win over Admiralty Secondary at CCAB on 11th July.

So at the end of the first round of the National Schools C Division tournament, Montfort was second in their group, thus qualifying for the 2nd Round.

At the 2nd Round draw held at Saints on 14th July, Mr Jasbir Singh and Mr Chris Dyson attended the meeting with bated breath. The 2nd Round Draw was not kind to Montfort. We were placed in the same group as ACS (Barker); Raffles Institution and up-coming rugby powerhouse Bedok Town.

We lost all our three matches in the 2nd Round - (0-19 vs ACS Barker); (7-37 vs Bedok Town) and (0-58). Somewhere along the way, the Montfort boys were overwhelmed by these rugby powerhouses. For example Bedok Town are coached by Mr Kelvin Lee, the ex-Montfort Rugby Coach. According to Mr Singh: "Coach Kelvin is a coach whom I tremendous respect for as he has always been able to bring the best out of any team that he coaches. The fact that his Bedok Town team qualified for the Cup Sem-Finals is a testimony to his coaching. The day he left Montfort was the saddest day in my life. I hope I can re-kindle my partnership in the near future. I have known him for six years and he has been a credit to rugby."

After finishing bottom of our 2nd Round Group, we were given a reprieve in the Plate Section of the Competition. We met Damai Secondary in the Plate Quarter-Finals on 1st August. Sadly we lost 17-0 to a well-drilled Damai side coached by Mr Adin Ng. Said Montfort teacher-in-charge Jasbir Singh: "It was a bitter blow to lose to Adin's team. But the better team won. We have to respect Adin's ability in moulding teams that are underdogs into champions. I had worked with Adin whilst I was Rugby Teacher-In-Charge at Junyuan Secondary when we were National B Division Novice Champions. Adin is a no-nonsense coach that is winner. Good luck Adin for your Plate Semi-Finals."

Overall, it has been a campaign that had some highs and lows for our Montfortian C Division. We were on a roll in the first round of the competition but lost our way in the latter stages of the competition.

Mr Jasbir Singh will be conducting a post-season review with the C Division team on Monday 4th August.

The road to victory for the 2009 season starts NOW!

Combined Schools Rugby Representatives

Montfort Rugby is proud to announce that the following players have been selected as Combined Schools players:

Under-16:
Ng Kian Hao & Mohd Firdaus

Under-17:
Ng Song Yu

Under-18:
Low Feng Hua

In addition, Mr Jasbir Singh has been appointed as Assistant Team Manager for the Combined Schools Under-18 Rugby Team. He will be assisting Mr Michael from Pioneer Junior College.

M1-SRU 10s

Our Montfortian C Div and B Div boys were in action on 28th and 29th May 2008 at CCAB (Evans Road) for the M1-SRU 10s.

Our C Div boys emerged as Plate Runners-Up in the competition. They started the competition with a narrow 0-5 loss to ACS (Barker Road) but our C boys picked up the pace with a 21-0 win against Northbrooks Secondary. The Northbrooks victory sealed our place in the Plate Semi-Finals where we met Damai Secondary. Our boys beat Damai 5-0 to secure a place in the Plate Finals against our fellow Catholic brother school SJI. In the final, SJI played a robust match and beat us 15-0. Despite losing the match, our C boys showed a lot of spirit and determination.

Our B Boys emerged as Cup Semi-Finalist in their competition. They started the competition with a 5-0 win over Northbrooks. The B Boys then held ACS (Barker) to 10-10 draw to secure their place in the Cup Semi-Final against Pioneer Sec. Despite losing 12-0 to Pioneer, our B Boys showed a lot of potential and the national age-grade coaches are impresssed with some of our boys.

Well Done Giants!

Rugby Training Resumes on Tues 20th May

Exams will be over soon.

That means rugby training will re-start on 20th May (Tuesday) at 3pm for Sec 1, 2, 3.

New coaches are coming down from the Singapore Rugby Union.

Fresh start for all!

Best Regards,
The BOSS

Well Done Montfort Rugby Giants

This is the first post for a long-time as Mr Singh has been knocked out with the dreaded chickenpox and the blog has been lying idle for a while. But the MAN is now back at Montfort!
Congratulatons to the B Divison for coming in 4th Place in the National Under-17 Rugby Plate Tournament.
This means our Montfortian Rugby Giants are now among the Top 8 in Singapore rugby-playing schools.
We wish to thank our coach, Mr Kelvin, for bringing us this far! Special mention also to our Player of the Season and Man of Steel, Low Feng Hua, who led the team very well.
Another update, our Coach has decided to leave Montfort to take up another appointment elsewhere. This means that we will be having a new coach by May 16. The new coach will be assisted by Mr Singh who has decided to lace-up his boots once again and train the under-13 and under-14 forwards for the up-coming C Division tournament in July 2008.
Good Luck for the upcoming Mid-Year Exams!

MSS 26 JSS 8

The match report from http://redsports.sg says it all:

"Montfort Secondary played a well-controlled game to beat Jurong Secondary 26-8 in the National Under-17 Rugby Plate Championship. The game looked like it would be a closely fought match with Jurong slotting home a drop goal in the early part of the match to go ahead 3-0. But immediately after the 3 points, Montfort struck back after poor tackling by Jurong gave them a chance to score a try down the wing to go ahead 5-3. A determined Jurong fought bravely back and camped in Montfort’s half for close to 15 minutes. Unfortunately, Jurong’s decision to play a kicking game denied them a chance to retain possession to gain points. Eventually, excellent defending by Montfort led to a turnover ball and a breakaway try by their huge out-center (#8) for a 12-3 lead. With confidence growing, Montfort quickly added a simple try and conversion just before the end of the half for a commanding 19-3 lead.When many would have wrote Jurong off at the end of the first half, the men in black proved that they still had something in the bag. Again they dominated possession and territory but kicking the ball out of hand did not help them convert their chances. A 5 meter scrum from the Montfort line was the closest the team had to score a try. Their persistence eventually paid off when they scored another elusive try through a well-rehearsed forward move to cut Montfort’s lead to 19-8. Nearing the end of the game, Montfort wanted to end on a high. The team piled on the pressure, causing Jurong to give away penalties in their 22. It was from one of these penalties that Montfort’s huge out-center managed to rumble over the line and score the last try of the game under the post. With a 26-8 lead, Montfort held on comfortably till the end of the game."

Great work Giants

MSS: 57 ADSS: 7

Montfort beat Admiralty 57-7 at SAJC on Monday (17th March) in the second round of the National Under-17 Plate Competition.

Our try scorers were Low Feng Hua, Nicholas Toh, Ng Kian Hao, Tan Ming Liang, Ng Song Yu and Mohd Firdaus.

The match played in blistering heat was memorable for the inspired play of Captain Low Feng Hua and speedy back Ng Kian Hao.

Well-done Giants.

Let's focus on the next two matches against Jurong and ACS (International) next Tuesday and next Friday respectively.

To God Be The Glory!

Police Cup - Plate 2nd Round Fixture List

Hi Gentlemen,
The 2nd Round Fixtures are out:
17/3/2008 [Mon]: MSS vs ADSS @ SAJC - 3pm
25/3/2008 [Tues]: MSS vs JSS @ SAJC - 4.30pm
28/3/2008 [Fri]: MSS vs ACS (International) @ CCAB Evans Road - 3pm

Good Luck Guys!

Singapore Cricket Club Rugby 7s

Our Montfort Rugby Under-14 Giants were invited by the Singapore Cricket Club to take part in the prestigious SCC 7s at the hallowed turf of the Padang on Saturday 8th March 2008. We were given only two days notice to prepare for this tournament and certainly did not disappoint.

Montfort was placed in Pool A together with local powerhouse St. Andrew's Sec, Australian International School, Pioneer Sec, Greenridge Sec and Bedok Town.

Pool B consisted of ACS (Independent), ACS (Barker Road), Lycee Francais Singapour (French School), St. Joseph's Institution and United World College.

At the end of Pool round robin matches, the top in two of each Pool will advance to the Cup Section of the Competition and the 3rd and 4th in each Pool will advance to the Bowl Section of the Competition.

Montfort started their pool matches with a 0-22 loss to St. Andrew's. The run of bad luck continued with a 0-14 loss to Bedok Town. But our Montfortian Giants did not give up and turned around their campaign with two wins over the much bigger Australian International School (24-10) and the fired-up Greenridge Sec (12-7). We lost narrowly against local top-4 team Pioneer Sec in our final pool match. But because of results in the other Pool matches, our Montfortian Giants finished in the top four to qualify for the Bowl Semi-Finals.

In a hard-fought we lost by two tries to United World College. It was a gritty performance by our Giants and they left the pitch to a warm applause from the crowd who knew we had given the expat UWC a hard-fight. We also managed to keep the rampaging UWC shackled in the second-half.

Despite losing in the semi-finals, we are proud to say that we are now among the top eight of the local and expat under-14 teams in Singapore.

Our Under-14 Giants who played in this tough SCC 7s campaign were:
1) Calvin Lim - Captain
2) Mukhlis
3) Nabil
4) Ahmad Danial
5) Harish Pundey
6) Jonathan Lim
7) Leon Lim
8) Fardhan
9) Ariel Salim
10) Kirish
11) Mohd Shamir
12)Dominic Daniel

Well done Giants. The teachers-in-charge and coach who witnessed your performance on Saturday are proud of you. Here's to a successful National Under-14 Championship in July.

Police Cup Under-17: 2nd Round Groupings

The second round draw for the 2nd Round Competition was just made today.

In the Plate, Montfort has been placed in the same group as ACS-International, Jurong Secondary and Admiralty Secondary. First match will kick off Term 2 Week 1.

The other group in the Plate Group are Pierce Secondary, Bukit Batok Secondary, Damai Secondary and Junyuan Secondary.

The top two from the Plate will proceed to the Plate Quarter-Finals where they will meet the bottom two of the Cup 2nd Round Groups.

For the Cup competition, the groupings are SJI, RI, Unity Sec and ACS (Barker Road) in one group while the other group is made up of ACS (I), St. Andrew's, Greenridge Sec and Pioneer Sec.

This is going to be an interesting tournament. Good Luck To All Teams!

M1-SRU 10s: Montfort are Plate Semi-Finalists

Our C Div Rugby Giants took part in the M1-SRU 10-a-side Rugby Tournament at Yio Chu Kang Stadium on Saturday 1st March.

In our Pool C matches, we started off with a match against powerhouse St. Andrew's Secondary. We were narrowly beaten 0-5 by the well-coached Saints. In our subsequent Pool C match, we smashed Admiralty Secondary 15-0. Our next match against the well-drilled Pierce Secondary . We were held 0-0. But by this match, we had already qualified for the Plate Semi-Finals as we had finished runners-up in Pool C. Saints topped our pool - not surprisingly!

In the semi-finals, we drew 5-5 with Greenridge Secondary. There was a further deadlock after extra-time. Under competition rules, if there is a draw in the semi-finals match, the team that scored first in the match will go through to the Final. Greenridge had scored first in the Semi-Finals, so our Giants bowed out at the Semi-Finals undefeated on the field of play.

We will be back in the National Under-14 Rugby Championship!

A few points that the Rugby Teachers-in-charge had taken note during Saturday's tournament: Compared to other schools (except for the top three of ACS-I, SAS and RI) Montfort has the biggest depth in terms of numbers of under-14 players. This augurs well for the 2009, 2010 and 2011 rugby seasons. Secondly, we have noticed that there are several up-coming rugby coaches. They have impressed us with their cool and calm manner in getting the best of their players. They are excellent motivators. Good luck to them in their future endeavours.

Montfort Sec:41 Bedok Town Sec:34

It was a local derby between two teams that had many shared experiences.

Both teams were coached by the same coach, Mr Kelvin.

Both teams had conducted several training sessions together for the past few years and had even played together in friendly matches both here and overseas.

But it was a brutal match that was played at SAJC on Friday 29th Feb with our Montfortian Giants edging out Bedok Town 41-34.

It was a nerve-wrecking match that could have been won by either team right up the last kick of the match. But our Giants spirit stayed strong!

In the end, our Montfortian Giants prevailed and qualified for the next stage of the National Under-17 Rugby Competition coming in 3rd in Pool C. SJI qualified as Champions of Pool C with five wins out of five, followed by Greenridge (four out five wins), followed by Montfort (three wins out of five), followed by Bukit Batok (two wins out of five), followed by Evergreen (one win out of five) and finishing last in Pool C is Bedok Town who lost all five of their matches.

The teachers-in-charge congratulate our Giants for progressing to the next round of the competition.

Bring Back The Biff!

Montfort:14 SJI:19

Our Montfortian Giants played like brave warriors when they faced SJI at SJI on Tuesday afternoon. In fact our Warriors were leading 7-5 at half-time but SJI clawed their way back to lead 19-7 with five minutes to go.

Our Giants pushed SJI all the way to the final whistle but were narrowly beaten by SJI 19-14.

This narrow defeat at the hands of our fellow Catholic brother school had some positives.

The Montfortian Giants did not give up even when they trailing 19-7 with five minutes to spare. Captain Low Feng Hua narrowed the score to 19-14 with a converted try with four minutes remaining. This set up a frentic finish but SJI just hung on for their lives to snatch a narrow victory.

Montfort's tries were scored by our Captain Low Feng Hua and Ng Kian Hao. Feng Hua also converted one of the tries while Vice-Captain Ng Song Yu chipped in with a conversion.

Today's game also marked the debut of our school softballer Tan Ming Liang. Ming Liang played his heart out and has loads of potential to be a good rugby player. All players who wore the Montfort jersey today did the school proud. Gentlemen, you are all true warriors and Giants!

We may have lost to SJI today. But we will bounce back and give our best shot against Bedok Town on Friday at SAJC.

To God Be The Glory!

Montfort:21 Evergreen:10

Our Montfortian Giants thrashed Evergreen Secondary 21-10 on Friday 22nd Feb at Evergreen Secondary.

In front of a boisterous home crowd, our Montfort Rugby warriors silenced the home team when Captain Low Feng Hua scored the first try of the match. The try was duly converted by Vice-Captain Ng Song Yu. Two more tries were scored and converted to seal a great victory.

Playing a high tempo pressing game, our Montfortian Giants blunted the much-vaunted Evergreen forward pack. The Evergreen pack boasted a national under-16 player who was a menace. But our Montfortian Giants were able to deal with the Evergreen threat with a series of hard-hitting tackles and no nonsense rucking.

Two more tries were scored by Montfort to seal the fate of Evergreen. Feng Hua scored his second try to add to Benjamin Matchap's first-half try.

This was a game that saw our Montfort Giants brave the hostile home crowd who had berated our school with chanting that is best left unwritten. But being true gentlemen, our boys swept aside such negativity and charged forward with great passion to do the school proud.

A point to note that our Giants played well because they played with their hearts, aims and hopes as ONE!

The pre-match talk led by Mr Vincent Toh and pre-match prayer led by Mr Vincent Yong certainly got our players focussed on the task at hand. Pacing the touchlines, Head Coach Mr Kelvin and teachers Mr Toh, Mr Yong and Mr Singh continued to keep our Montfortian spirits up. This four-man partnership are always there to support our Montfortian Giants - They are truly Men For Others.

Remember gentlemen - Our Hearts, Our Hopes and Our Aims Are One.

We dedicate our victory to God without whom we would not be able to overcome the hostile environment and a technically-gifted team like Evergreen.

Our next match will be against our fellow Catholic brothers SJI at SJI on Tuesday. SJI has a long and proud rugby tradition. We must respect them and they are well-led by teachers who very passionate about the game. Their head coach is also a respected veteran in the coaching scene. It promises to be a cracking match. Montfortian supporters are more than welcome to the match. The match kicks off at 4.30pm.

To God Be The Glory!

Montfort Sec:38 Bukit Batok Sec:17

Our Montfortian Rugby Giants did the school proud when they thrashed Bukit Batok Secondary 38-17 at SAJC on a scorching Tuesday afternoon.

Our Giants started the game well and scored the first try of the match after a fine breakthrough by the Team Captain Low Feng Hua. Captain Feng Hua added two more tries in the match. Our multi-tasking Ng Kian Hao also scored another two tries and our Sec 3 player Nicholas Toh added another try to send Bukit Batok Secondary School down 38-17. Our Team Vice-Captain Ng Song Yu converted four of the tries.

This was a game that our Montfortian Giants had to win because there were comments in some rugby blogs that Bukit Batok were the favourites in today's match especially after they had beaten Evergreen Secondary last week at Evergreen. One posting on a Bukit Batok Rugby Blog mentioned that Montfort will lose today's match by a big margin. But we showed them!

But our Montfortian Giants played their hearts out and made the Bukit Batok boys eat their words. As we had said, we will settle the matter on the field. It is no use bragging off the field.

Our Montfortian Giants were fired up by some old boys who came back to remind the players that the team was playing the game not for themselves or for the coach but for the school that we love so much. They were reminded by one old boy, Cheng Sen, that we will defend the Montfortian badge all the way and we will not disappoint the school. Thank You Old Boys!

Before the match, Mr Vincent Yong led the team in a prayer. With our minds focussed, we got down to business to scare the living daylights out of Bukit Batok. Thank You Mr Yong for focussing our boys and to remind them that God is with us in our battle for rugby honours.

The rugby players did not disappoint us today. They played like GIANTS. The Bukit Batok team were silenced. WE BEAT THEM.

Let's today's win be a lesson for all Montfortians. Never brag that you will beat your opponent before a game. It will provide ammunition to the other team. I like to remind all rugby players of a story that took place in mid-2001.

Australia was playing a British Lions team in the third and final match of a three-match series. The British Lions won the first match. The Australians won the second match. So the third match was the decider. A couple of days before the third match, the British Lions player Austin Healey described the Australian player Justin Harrison as a mere wooden plank in the local newspapers. This was utterly rude to Harrison, who was a relatively new member to the Australian team. Harrison, who plays in the second row, was so fired up that he won every lineout ball in that match and sealed victory for the Australians. The mistake the British Lions did was to underestimate the Australians and especially the newcomer Harrison. Harrison later went on the play in a Rugby World Cup Final and win the Super 12 with the Brumbies. The lesson is simple: NEVER UNDERESTIMATE YOUR OPPONENT.

So our Montfortian Giants now play Evergreen Secondary on Friday 22nd Feb at Evergreen Secondary at 4.30pm. As our Giants know, Evergreen beat Bedok Town on Tuesday evening. So Giants, you know what to do on Friday - Respect your opponent, but fear not. Because God is with you. With his strength, you will soar like eagles!

To God Be The Glory!

Preview of MSS vs BBSS (19th Feb) 3pm @ SAJC

We will be playing against Bukit Batok Sec on Tuesday at SAJC at 3pm. Bus will leave school at 1.30pm. Match will kick off at 3pm. We should be done by 5pm. There will not be training for the lower secondary players on Tuesday. Training will resume on Thursday at 3pm for lower secondary and 5pm for upper secondary. All the best to Montfortian Giants Under-17 who will need to be at their very best when the take on Bukit Batok, who have a formidable team and are well-led by the teacher-in-charge and coach. But anything is possible in rugby as long as you stay humble and hungry for success. Remember that BBSS has a strong forward pack and skillfull backline. So stay focussed and stay hungry!

Under-17 Group Stages Match Day 1

Area for improvement: Engagement during scrum by tight-five; No.8 needs to pick-up and go from the base of the scrum more often; Flankers need to "immobilize" opposing scrum-half early in the game to show who is the BOSS; Entire scrum needs to work on defending the line five metres out; Need to vary line-out jumper and have more jumper options at the line-out; Use the rolling maul if line-out ball is secured; Cleaning out at the ruck (three to clear, three to guard the fringe of the ruck); Ruck to be cleared with shoulders and not hands; Target-sight and strike your opponent at the ruck with maximum force into his chest and stomach area; Keep low and stay strong when taking the ball into contact; Off-loading techniques need to be worked on; Tackling needs more "BIG HITS" at the lower-chest/upper stomach area, smashing with the lead forearm, especially in the first five minutes - show who is the BOSS.

So you can see we still have lots to work at. But to all under-17 players are just at the beginning of their rugby lives.

To all the B Div players who played Greenridge on Tuesday, the teachers-in-charge applaud your effort and spirit. You will only get better! Never give up! And always remember, the first ten minutes of the game, you will need to show the other team who is THE BOSS!

Good luck for the next game against Bukit Batok.

Remember to awaken the Montfortian Giant in you!

From Mr Singh (Rugby Teacher-In-Charge)

Training Schedule (Mon 11/2 to Fri 15/2)

Rugby training schedule for this coming week (11/2 to 15/2):
Mon - Weights - Sec 2 to 4
Tues - Under-17 Match against Greenridge Sec @ Evergreen Sec. Bus Leaves at 1.30pm
Wed - Weights - Sec 2 to 4
Thurs - Field Training - Sec 1 & 2 [3to5pm] Sec 3 & 4 [5to7pm]
Friday - Field Training - Sec 2 to Sec 4 [3pm to 5pm]

Let The Battle Begin!

Our B Division Giants will be kicking off their National Under-17 Rugby Police Cup campaign on Tuesday (Feb 12) against Greenridge Secondary. The match will kick off at 3pm at the Evergreen Secondary School rugby field.

Montfort Sec has been pitted in Group C against SJI, Bukit Batok Sec, Evergreen Sec, Greenridge Sec and Bedok Town Sec. The top two will proceed to the Cup stage, the next two into the Plate stage and the bottom two into the Bowl stage.

All the best to our B Division Rugby Giants in their quest to be crowned as National Under-17 Rugby Champions.

To God To Be The Glory!

Our role models - Auckland Grammar School

Dear gentlemen of rugby,
For the past few months we have been trying to build up a culture of rugby excellence in Montfort.
Many of you have asked me [Mr Singh] on why we need to train five times a week for the Sec 2 to Sec 4s. The reason is pure and simple - We want to be the best that we can be in Singapore.
I have seen many great rugby-playing schools and all of them have reached the top through the following:
1) The players train consistently five times a week - Two days in the gym and Three days in the field. They train five times a week the whole year around.
2) The players are serious and disciplined.
3) The senior players coach the junior players.
4) The teachers-in-charge are serious about winning and are not interested in excuses.
5) There is a collective vision to always honour the school name when the players play against other schools.

Auckland Grammar School represents what we at Montfort Secondary School aspire to be.

Auckland Grammar rugby has produced more All-Blacks than any other school in New Zealand. Montfort Rugby hopes to produce more Singapore national players than any other school in Singapore with effect from 2008.

Auckland Grammar rugby is the acknowledged powerhouse of New Zealand Schools Rugby.
Montfort Rugby wants to be the best rugby playing school in Singapore by 2011.

If you believe it, you will achieve it gentlemen!

Check out the Auckland Grammar School Rugby http://www.ags.school.nz/sport/rugby.html
and you will understand why I [Mr Singh] has tremendous respect for them. In fact a lot of our rugby procedures and code of conduct in Montfort is going to be based on what has been going on in Auckland Grammar for decades. As they say, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery!

I wish Auckland Grammar all the best in their rugby endeavours and I hope Montfort Rugby can be like the great Auckland Grammar rugby teams of the past 100 years!

Sec 1 Players Allocated to Rugby

Welcome to the following Sec 1 Rugby Giants who have been allocated Rugby as the first CCA:

WEE MENG HAO LEWIS 1A1
YAP CHIU PENG ALVIN 1A1
ASHWIN ELANGOVAN 1A1
ROYDEN QUEK 1A2
ARJUNAM S/O MURALLI 1AA
TOH JASMOND 1AA
MUHAMMAD MUZAIYIN B ZAINODIN 1AA
KINGSFIELD TAN LEE KOON 1AA
MUHAMMAD DANIAL B YUSOFF 1AA
MOHAMMAD TAUFIK 1AA
MOHAMED SYAKHIR B MOHAMED S 1AA
MATTHEW HO WEIJIE 1AA
ZERI ADLI B SAIFUL RIJAL 1AA
MUHAMMAD SAMZARI B SELAMAT 1AB
MOHAMMAD SHAMIR B MOHAMED R 1AB
LOH WAN LOONG 1AB
SHONIT NANDAKUMAR 1E1
CLEON LEE CHONG ZHI 1E1
R ZULHILMAN B MOHAMAD ZAHER 1E2
REXFORD BIONDY HENKA 1E2
DOMINIC DANIEL KUMAR 1E2
BARATHAN S/O MAGANTHIRAN 1E2
CHIA JUNYING ZACHARY 1E2
ZAINULARIFFIN B MUHAMMAD S 1E3
LIM ZHI WEI IVAN IRWAN 1E3
EUGENE SITO YOU CHENG 1E3
TAN YAN JIE 1E4
KIRISH DEEPAN JAGADEESAN 1E4
YEO ZHI HONG REUBEN 1E5

Other Sec 1 gentlemen who wish to join rugby but whose name are not reflected in the above-mentioned namelist, feel free to see Mr Vincent Toh or Mr Jasbir Singh and we can arrange for you to be part of the Montfort Rugby family.

See you for training on Tuesday at 3pm at the school field.

Training (Mon 28th Jan to Sat 2nd Feb)

Mon - Weights - 2.3opm to 5pm (Sec 2 to Sec 4)
Tues - Field Training - 3pm to 5pm (Sec 1 & 2) 5pm to 7pm (Sec 3 & 4)
Wed - Weights - 2.30pm to 5pm (Sec 2 to Sec 4)
Thurs - Field Training - 3pm to 5pm (Sec 1 & Sec 2) 5pm to 7pm (Sec 3 & 4)
Fri - Off
Sat - Friendly Match at St. Andrew's School. Meet in school foyer at 7.30am. Transport to St. Andrew's School leaves at 7.35am

Rugby Training & Friendly Matches (21/1 to 25/1)

Rugby training schedule for this coming week (21/1 to 25/1):
Mon - Weights (Sec 2 to 4) - Optional
Tues - Field Training (Sec 1 to 4) - Sec 1 & 2 [3to5pm] Sec 3 & 4 [5to7pm]
Wed - Weights (Sec 2 to 4) - Optional
Thurs - Field Training (Sec 1 to 4) - Sec 1 & 2 [3to5pm] Sec 3 & 4 [5to7pm]
Friday - Friendly matches against ACS (I) @ Dover Road. Transport Provided at 2pm from MSS
Any questions, pls see Mr Toh, Mr Yong or Mr Singh

For those who want to watch rugby.....

Rugby is shown on either Channel 23 or Channel 24 on Starhub Cable. These two channels cover the Guinness Premiership. The Guinness Premiership features teams from England. Channel 23 and 24 also screen rugby from the EDF Cup which is a cross-border competition involving English and Welsh teams.

Besides these two channels, Channel 96 (Australian Channel) on Starhub Cable will be screening from February onwards the Super 14 rugby tournament. The Super 14 is a competition that sees teams from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand fight out for southern hemisphere supremacy. Fourteen teams take part in this competition: Sharks, Bulls, Lions, Cheetahs and Stormers are from South Africa; Western Force, Queensland Reds, NSW Waratahs and ACT Brumbies from Australia; and Blues, Chiefs, Hurricanes, Crusaders and Highlanders from New Zealand. These 14 teams play some cool and fast rugby.

Watch as many games as you can. Rugby is a thinking man's game.

From Mr Singh

Some observations about the Sec 1 Selection Process

More than 20 Sec 1s have turned up for selection trials these past week. Our Head Coach, Mr Kelvin, is impressed with all of the boys who turned up for the selection try-out. In fact each and everyone of the players who came down for training on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday displayed good ball handling skills and general rugby aptitude. In consultation with the teachers, we encourage all the boys to come back for training next Tuesday (22nd Jan) and Thursday (24th Jan).

By now, you guys will know that rugby is a game that can be played anyone as long as the player has courage. Courage can overcome all weakness. If you have the courage to be a Montfort Rugby player join us for training on Tuesday.

A word of thanks to Head Coach Kelvin for keeping our Sec 1s engaged during the training session.

A message to the Sec 1 players who came down for training last week, continue to come down and encourage your classmates to play rugby.

Rugby is a game that will bring you places.....

Since Mr Singh first started being a teacher-in-charge for school rugby teams many years ago, he has brought rugby players to Malaysia, Thailand and New Zealand for either training matches or tournaments....So Montfortians if you think you want to see the world, join rugby!

Rugby Training (14th Jan to 18th Jan)

Dear gentlemen,

Rugby training schedule for this coming week (14/1 to 18/1):

Mon - Weights (Sec 2 to 4) - Optional
Tues - Field Training (Sec 1 to 4) - Sec 1 & 2 [3to5pm] Sec 3 & 4 [5to7pm]
Wed - Weights (Sec 2 to 4) - Optional
Thurs - Field Training (Sec 1 to 4) - Sec 1 & 2 [3to5pm] Sec 3 & 4 [5to7pm]
Friday - To be confirmed

Any questions, pls see Mr Toh, Mr Yong or Mr Singh

Weights Training @ School Gym

Dear gentlemen of rugby,

A quick update - the gym training, although not compulsory, has seen at least 15 B and C Div players coming down. Well done, mates!

For those of you who are still unsure, the school gym is open for rugby players use on Mon and Wed from 3pm to 5pm.

If you are training weights please follow the following training routine recommended by Coach Kelvin.

Any problems please see Mr Singh (HP: 94505434).

Remember that if you do not train with weights, you will never be a Rugby Giant!

Weight Training @ the School Gym

Dear Gentlemen of Rugby,

We are vey fortunate to secure the right to use the school gym so that we can beef up and become bigger and stronger for the upcoming B Division and C Division Tournament. We had our first extra weights training session last week and everyone felt good after their workout. So let's build on this feel-good feeling! As the teachers have said, weight training is purely voluntary, but if you are serious about rugby, you must be serious about lifting some heavy weights!

Just a couple of reminders:

Mr Singh will open up the gym at 3.30pm sharp for the rugby players to use on Mondays and Wednesdays. Players can come in anytime from 3.30pm onwards. Gym closes at 6pm. This staggered timing is to prevent over-crowding at the gym.

All players wishing to use the gym must be properly attired: Players must be in T-Shirt, Shorts and Shoes. No Bare-Bodied Training in the gym, unless you are Arnold Schwarnegger or Ronnie Coleman or the All-Blacks or the South Africans Springboks. No Training in School Uniform. School rules as in the Praise & Grace handbook applies to all gym users.

Players, before the start of training, are to sign-in at the "Rugby Players Weight Training Attendance" file. This is to help the teachers to monitor which players are interested in becoming GIANTS on the rugby field.

Do the following weights routine: Machine Chest Press (5 Sets), Lat Pulldown (5 Sets), Leg Press (5 Sets), Leg Extension (5 Sets), Squats (5 Sets), Bench Row (5 Sets), Bicep Curls (5 Sets)

Players, once you are done with your weights training, you are to sign out at the "Rugby Players Weight Training Attendance" file.

Any problems, call Mr Singh (94505434).....or just shout across the weights room as he will be there as he will be joining you guys for weights training as well.

Training Schedule (7th Jan to 11th Jan)

Dear Gentlemen of Rugby,

Below is the confirmed training schedule for Term 1 Week 2 (7th Jan to 11th Jan):

• Mon (7th Jan): Weights Training @ School Gym. Gym Opens at 3.30pm.
• Tues (8th Jan): Rugby Training @ Field. Training starts at 3.30pm
• Wed (9th Jan): Weights Training @ School Gym. Gym Opens at 3.30pm.
• Thursday (10th Jan) Rugby Training @ Field. Training starts at 3.30pm.
• Friday (11th Jan) CCA Orientation. Recruitment for Sec 1 starts at 2pm. Get as many Sec 1s to join as possible
  
  From Teachers-in-charge

Welcome Back Giants - Training Resumes on 3rd Jan

Dear gentlemen,

Rugby training resumes on Thursday (3rd Jan) from 4pm to 6pm at the weights room.

Training is compulsory for the Sec 2s, Sec 3s and Sec 4s who are not involved in the Sec 1 Orientation.

If you are unsure of anything, please see Mr Toh, Mr Yong or Mr Singh (HP: 94505434)

From Rugby Teachers-In-Charge