I used to have reservations about playing rugby. Would it hurt? Would I get crushed? It was only after playing touch for six years, that I decided to try rugby.
Half a year later, I'm still here, well and good. Yes it hurt sometimes, and I have sustained some bruises, but I'd never look back. I appreciate the teamwork involved and crave the adrenaline rush with each game. I remember playing a game once where I sustained an injury but continued to play without feeling any pain due to the constant adrenaline.
Playing rugby also trains me to push my limits and dig deep - qualities that are quite helpful in daily life as well. We prepare for the game through training and gym sessions as it is crucial to be fit. Imagine being unprepared for a battle! It goes the same for everything we do in life.
I have also gotten to know some inspiring players and seen their intense passion for the game. It is great to be able to play alongside, and forge strong friendships with them. I look forward to gaining even more memorable experiences as I continue to grow my passion for rugby.
Esther Phua, 22, Student
(National W15s Player) Playing Experience: 6 Months
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My time in the sport has been and is still a very meaningful and humbling experience. Besides getting opportunities to travel to places such as Australia and Qatar among others, playing rugby has enhanced and matured my personal growth and even taught me valuable life skills. Being part of a team builds character and imparts important qualities such as perseverance, determination, responsibility and teamwork.
Perhaps the most memorable aspect of being in a rugby team is the lifelong bonds of friendship which are forged in sweat, trust and spirit. On and off the pitch, the camaraderie built is enduring and it is also an excellent feeling to know that in both good and bad times, you have thirty close friends who you can depend on. Of course not forgetting the direct benefits of a healthy body and mind, rugby is indeed not merely a sport not just a game; rugby is a way of life.
(National W7s 2007 Team Captain) Playing experience: 11 years
"I first started playing rugby as an undergraduate and despite my family’s initial misgivings, they have come to understand that with proper instruction and coaching, rugby is a safe sport. As a testament to his support, my father, a dental surgeon, makes me a new mouthguard every season!
While rugby is still widely believed to be a rough and tumble sport, if you look beyond that, you will realise that it’s a game that trains many facets of your development as a person – keeping a clear mind to make decisions under pressure, learning the true strength of teamwork, staying calm and showing you what you are able to do when you put your heart into it. These are some of life’s greatest lessons and they have definitely helped me face challenges in all other aspects of my life. I am glad to have the opportunity to play and continue to grow from my experiences on the field."
(National W7s & W15s Player) Playing experience: 7 years
I started playing a modified form of rugby in Primary 4 and I joined a rugby club when I was 12 years old. Since then I have been participating in various overseas tournaments with the club and also made the cut for the National Teams.
I have definitely grown up faster than my peers and I've learnt things that cannot be found in text books. I can proudly say that my teenage years have been meaningful. I do think about what I would be doing now if I didn't play rugby. Maybe hanging around with my friends in orchard road every Sunday? I still do some typical teenage things, like watching movies, going to arcades, but not as often as my friends. Because I have commitments, training and such, I need to prioritise more.
(National W7s & W15s Player) Playing experience: 9 years
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My first taste of rugby came when I was in my final year of university in Australia. Unlike Singapore, contact rugby is a thriving part of the female sporting scene in Australia. Completely intrigued by the physical and mental demands of this sport, I stuck to it. I joined a local rugby club in Singapore and have been playing rugby ever since. The past 3 years playing rugby has been an incredible journey during which I have learnt a great deal about teamwork, discipline, and determination.
Xu Lin, Olivia, 28, Research Officer, A*Star Research Institute
Playing experience: 3 years
For me, what has changed from being a runner to a rugby player is not just the physical aspect of a contact sport, but also a psychological awakening as a sportsperson and an individual away from the pitch.
Whilst running also demands discipline and commitment (as with every other sport), but in a game where you don’t call your own time-outs and substitutions, you are forced to play above yourself, according to the clock, according to the referee’s call, with each heartbeat and breath of your teammates on the field.
This is when an individual grows, in loyalty, self-belief, determination, perseverance, and discipline. These traits aren’t acquired overnight or over one grueling session, but nurtured with successive training sessions as a team where we spur one another on to better our best, and with successive matches where we become bigger and stronger players than we could ever realize.
The best part about rugby is that it was never meant to be a solitary affair, defeat is not the burden of a sole player and glory is not attained by a single effort, I know I am never alone. This is where my greener pasture lies (especially in good weather.)
Amanda Teo, 22, Student, National University of Singapore
(National W7s player) Playing experience: 1 year
I’ve always wanted to try rugby since I saw it being played by my male classmates during my Temasek Junior College days. The opportunity came when I was taking my undergraduate degree at University of California Berkeley and I wasted no time in joining a rugby club when I returned to Singapore.
I think it’s fantastic that rugby is being introduced to girls in schools now because girls in my time did not have that chance. Rugby has become more than just a hobby for me. It is something that I look forward to outside the sphere of the working world. The friendships that I have made on the field will last me a lifetime. Most importantly, through the nature of the trainings and competitions, I’ve learnt that if you put your mind to something, nothing is impossible and this is a belief I have applied to every other aspect of my life.
Ailei Tandean, 32, Associate, JP Morgan
(National W15s Player) Playing experience: 5 years
