The 2009 Police Cup rugby season is turning out to be a story of narrow defeats for theMontfort Rugby Lions.
In the Bowl Semi-Final played at CCAB on 7th April, our B Division Lions lost 5-7 to a well-drilled and disciplined Bukit Batok Sec team coached by local lad Muhd Zaki.
In this Police Cup this year, Montfort played eight matches. In the six matches that we lost, four of the matches slipped away from our grasp by a margin of five points or less. This means we lost two-thirds of our matches by either a try, penalty or a conversion.
The tightness of each match has some positives. It makes great viewing for the neutrals. But it is sure painful for the rugby teachers, coaches and players to know that just one try would have meant the difference between winning and losing.
Nonetheless we will take everything that happened this year as a learning point. Our team spirit is great. Everyone from the rugby co-ordinator Mr Singh right down to the Old Boy Coaches to the players faced many personal challenges this season. But we have all emerged tighter. What did not kill us, made us stronger.
As Mr Singh said: "The B Div 2009 squad is special to me. Ten years from now, I can bump into them and look them in the eye and said that we certainly gave it our best shot. I certainly gave a lot personally for these boys by paying for the transport and meal allowances of the old boys who come back and coach them. Our Old Boy Coaches are still teenagers who need to take bus from ITE to Montfort. The small amount that I pass them out of my own pocket is to help them for their transport and lunch. I will continue to guide the old boys to coach Montfort and groom the next generation of old boy coaches in the form of the current Sec 4s. Remember we are like the Crusaders. We will fight on!"
The loss to Bukit Batok was painful. But we will re-group for the Bowl 3rd/4th vs Unity.
Age Quod Agis.
