We've seen a weekend of upsets as a suspiciously forward pass missed by the referee sent the All Blacks packing.
On Sunday the SMU A team played a good tournament of skillful rugby to come up in the semi finals against NUS. It was a wonderful match-up that pitted old friends and ex-teammates against each other and comraderie on both sides was strong. Unfortunately a blatant refereeing error turned the tables on SMU when Justin "Project Superstar" Lum grounded the ball in the NUS try area just as he appeared to have stepped out of play. The referee however, neither gave SMU the try nor called for a 22-dropout(which should have been the right call HAD the ball indeed gone out of play in the NUS try area). Instead he called for play to continue and while half the world was confused about what in Leonidas' name was going on, NUS took the ball all the way upfield to score and take the lead. NUS went on to win the semi's and go up against eventual cup winners Jonty's Red Rebels in the Cup finals. Poor negligent refereeing aside, respect to NUS for putting up a good show both against SMU and against the Jonty's in the Cup finals.
SMU A on the other hand kept a cool and level head under the leadership of Captain Amos Siow and went on to play the SRC Old Farts in the Plate Finals. After a classy game of well executed rugby the A team effortlessly took the Plate champions title with their heads held high. Special mention was made of flair-prop Sherman Yeo whom SMU Coach Harry Mason felt had played an exceptional tournament.
Recognition must also be given to the SMU B team. Made up mostly of SMU's up and coming freshmen the B team played with courage, confidence and a whole lot of heart. They held the Jonty's to a respectable scoreline that was the lowest in the tournament, dominated against the SRC young guns, and put up a solid fight against NTU, losing by a narrow margin of only 2 points. SMU B's vice captain Mouth Chew scored a stunning 40m try in which he stepped, dummied and burned 4 of SRC's Young Guns to bring the ball confidently into the try area. SMU B was all heart with players like Zaini making hard hitting, solid tackles despite a fractured hand, Leonidas Lee playing with a slight groin injury(wonder how he got it), and Tafadzwa L Marasha who courageously played on despite being bruised and badly knocked and who scored a crucial try from a kickoff.
On the whole, the SMU RingEmail 7s was a huge success with every team having something to take away from the tournament be it a trophy, medal or a memorable experience and we all hope to see a repeat of this year's success in the years to follow. Photos, cais, and more updates to follow.
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