Friday night saw the ladies from Bucks and
Blacks duke it out in the finals of the women’s league. What promised to be a
cracker of a game certainly delivered, and then some more.
From the get go, a highly physical Bucks
forward pack made the hard yards. While this was answered by a series of
massive tackles, they kept eating up territory via good, tight forward’s play.
A series of rolling mauls eventually brought them within the Blacks 22 early on.
However, after a change of possession, standoff Christabelle Lim immediately
defused the pressure on Blacks with her excellent boot.
Even so, there was no repelling the Bucks.
Multiple turnovers from loosies Constance Lambert and Tiffany Neo gave them the
possession they needed. With ball in hand, and leadership in the form of
Captain and prop Jackie Osborn, eventually they were able to capitalize on a 5m
lineout and grinded it out for first blood.
5-0 down, the Blacks started throwing everything but the sink at a resolute Bucks defense. Standout centre Clarissa Grace Lim sparked the attack with a surging run, creating a platform for the tight five to further pile on in the offensive. With a ruck right before the try line, again it was Clarissa that did well to score from a sleek hands move from the back line, to provide Blacks with the games sole converted try.
With half time looming, it was now the
Bucks fly half PeiQi Lee that ran the show. Her silky passing skills in open
play enabled centres Lena Brentmark and Arra Castro to combine superbly and
repeatedly to bring Bucks right to the opposition tryline. History repeated
itself as a rolling maul unlocked the Blacks defence, and it was definitely
game on at the half time break with Bucks leading 10-7.
The restart was a shaky affair, as handling
errors from both teams saw possession swing between both teams rapidly.
However, this was not a sign of things to come. Ten minutes into the second
half, and the Blacks took first claims to give the spectators a performance.
From this point forth, it was suddenly the Blacks dominating all around the
field. In particular, scrum half and captain Derelyn Chua was massive in effecting
counter-attacks. Showing that heart trumps size, her physicality in the
tackle-and-jackle seemed to turnover possession for the Blacks at will.
While the Bucks fly half and back three
tried to keep up with the pressure by clearance kicks, the forwards were
working double time in defense to put in many defensive hits. However, one got the
sense of the inevitable as the Black machine kept plundering forward. Again,
Christabelle Lim, who was spectacular from start to finish, showed off her
flashy steps and pinpoint kicking. Of her many dazzling plays, the one that
sealed the deal this side of the half was undoubtedly brilliant.
A chip from Christabelle unlocked a
desperate but determined Bucks defense. The Blacks midfield quickly regathered
the ball, and the entire forward pack did well to respond to this switch up of
play by quickly securing possession in the ruck. With the Bucks reeling, the
Blacks swung the ball wide and it eventually reached fleet-footed winger Chong
Hui Min, who turned her defender inside-and-out to finish well deservedly in
the corner.
With less than five minutes to go and just
two points down, the Bucks definitely did not look like a team that was about
to give up. Pounding the opposition line with a ferocity that mirrored the
start of the match, the Blacks had little option but to kick possession away
from their own 22. However, it was too little too late as an exhausted Bucks
team knocked it on at the death.
Cue the celebrations as the Blacks team
snatched victory with a scoreline of 12-10 from a Bucks outfit that had poured
their heart and soul into the championship match. Definitely a final that
showcased talent and grit from the Singapore Ladies, and one that bodes well
for Singapore Rugby.
Interview with Blacks captain Derelyn
Russell: Derelyn, congratulations on winning! What went right for the team today?
Derelyn: I think what went right was that
our forward pack was really strong. They were composed, no silly penalties, and
they brought the entire team through the game.
Russell: How does it feel to lead the team
to the championship?
Derelyn: It’s amazing; the team has worked
really hard. Both the backs and the forwards worked really hard on the field
today. But what people don’t see is the kind of hard work they put in during
trainings, and off the field in the gym and fitness.
Russell: Who is your Woman of the Match?
Derelyn: My Woman of the Tournament
personally, is Alvina Ow Young, our full back. But for tonight, my Women of the
Match goes to the loose forwards, Priscilla, Yu Hui and Chiew Hong.
Interview with Bucks Captain Jackie
Russell: Your girls played really hard
today, I’m sure you are proud of them. Unfortunately that was just short – what
would you look to improve next year for this team?
Jackie: I think that, we know we had our
opportunities, and we came into this game knowing that we could walk away (with
the championship) if we played the very best we could. Unfortunately we had our moments. The thing
we would take away for next year is that we need to stick to our offensive
patterns and systems for a hundred percent of the time. I think we only stuck
it for sixty percent of the time, and then for the other forty percent we
really struggled with silly mistakes. So I think… consistency.
Russell: Is there a message you would like
to leave for the girls?
Jackie: I told them after the game, next
year, if we make it back to the final, which is definitely the plan, it would
be the third year in a row that we make it to the finals. So there’s a saying
third time’s the charm, and that’s the message I left them with.
