Rugby titles as easy as ABC for motivated ACS(I)

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) C Division rugby captain Asher Pei knows the pressure of competing in a final all too well.

- Deepanraj Ganesan

In 2023, he and his teammates narrowly edged out St Andrew's Secondary School 36-34 in the National School Games (NSG) C Division final after their opponents missed a crucial conversion. Although thrilled with the victory, Asher was determined that the team would not be put in a tight spot again.

Before the start of the season, the Secondary Two student who plays as an inside centre - stressed the point to his teammates, and repeated it before the final on Aug 26.

His message was definitely well received, as ACS(I) notched a dominant 42-24 victory before a crowd of nearly 1,000 supporters at the Jurong West Stadium.

The C Division win completes the 2024 grand slam for the school, who picked up the A and B Division titles earlier in the season. It also marked their seventh consecutive C Division title since 2016 - there were no competitions in 2020 and 2021 owing to the pandemic and their 25th overall, having reached every C Division final since 1993.