SINGAPORE – Stepping onto the Padang Astaka field in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, on Jan 18 was a moment to savour for Singapore women’s 15s rugby captain Mery.
It was the team’s first competitive outing in over five years and while the majority of the squad have changed from 2019, when Mery – who goes by one name – last appeared in a Singapore jersey, she still felt a special connection with her teammates. They went on to beat Selangor 20-17.
The 33-year-old flanker said: “It means a lot that we got to play, but it’s more than that.
“Although it’s just against a neighbouring country, but throughout the whole process, I feel closer to the community because the players are not just from one club, it’s a selection from different clubs.
“It feels very different playing together because you realise there are amazing girls out there you may not have known about, so when you play together it makes you feel closer to the community.”
Like their female counterparts, the men’s 15s rugby team also only returned to action at the inaugural Union Cup in June 2024 after a five-year absence.
Both teams’ return to the international scene is part of the Singapore Rugby Union’s (SRU) efforts to rebuild the 15s programme after a long hiatus.
Like many sports, rugby was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. But when restrictions eased two to three years ago, it was the rugby sevens programme that kicked off first, with the men and women’s teams competing in international events such as the Asian Games in 2023.
Restarting the rugby sevens programme before the 15s was also a matter of dollars and cents.
As the sevens game is the format that features at major Games such as the SEA Games, Asian Games and Olympics, the bulk of its funding comes from national agency Sport Singapore, but the 15s programme is mainly self-funded by SRU.
SRU general manager Sidney Kumar, 39, explained: “Since Covid, a lot of our sponsors and partners took a different direction, that’s where the funding portion became a critical question – whether we could resume these programmes.
“In 2024, our men had their first 15s test match and campaign, so that’s why we sought to bring back the women’s 15s programme.
“Last year was two years post-Covid, our funding situation was a bit more stable, we were able to start bringing back some of these programmes.”
Despite the funding challenges, Kumar stressed that the SRU still values the 15s game and its tradition in the sport.
The former national player said: “The 15s game is what draws people to rugby – our schools and the kids grow up playing lots of 15s; 15s is big in the World Cup and the countries in Asia like Japan are prominent in the 15s game.
“It’s a melting pot for us in Singapore, different segments of the community get to come and play together, regardless of what school they’re from, local or expats.”
Although 15s rugby is not featured at events such as the SEA Games, there are plans for both the men’s and women’s teams to compete more in 2025.
The men’s team are slated to compete in the Union Cup, which will be hosted by Chinese Taipei, while the women’s side will play in either the Asia Rugby Championships or a series of test matches.
Mery is looking forward to more action on the field. While she competed in overseas tournaments in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Taiwan with her club Bedok Kings Skyllas over the last five years, she believes that playing international matches for Singapore will help to raise the visibility of the sport and encourage participation.
The shipbroker, who is also a rugby coach to girls in the Under-14 and U-15 categories, was heartened to see her players tuning in to the live stream of the match against Selangor.
While they are a new-look side, the veteran feels that it is a positive sign to see young players coming in.
She said: “Returning after Covid was like going back to the drawing board, we had to think of ways to restart these competitions. Once the restrictions were lifted, things got better but we didn’t just want to focus on playing locally, we have to find overseas competitions.
“Having people watching the game will inspire the girls and women out there to play, grow the pool and the community.”
Join ST’s Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source link
The post Singapore national women’s 15s rugby team return to competitive action after five years first appeared on Rugby 247.
—-
Author : rugby-247
Publish date : 2025-01-25 14:13:12
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.