Indian Rim Asian University Games 2009 - Update 2

Day 3 of IRAUG 2009 - Deo Silver Rugby 7s

SMU IRAUG 2009 - team handsign

Daniel Lee on a blowout

Sherman & Vick in training

Day 3 of the competition pitted SMU against 2 of the tournament's top sides - University of Papau New Guinea (UPNG) and Curtin University. The SMU side went into Day 3 of the competition brimming with confidence after good training sessions on Tuesday. Starting off the day with a 6am ice-bath, the team turned up at the UWA Sports Park looking fresh and ready to pull an upset over the tournament's bigger boys.

Results:

Game 4: SMU (7) vs University of Papau New Guinea (29)

Tries: Bryan Ng (1)
Conversions: Derek Chan (1)

Game 5: SMU (21) vs Curtin University (33)
Tries: Sherman Yeo (1), Derek Chan (2)
Conversions: Derek Chan (2), Bryan Ng (1)



Of Day 3, notable highlights include:

1. A relatively structured SMU side took on UPNG, which boasted 7 players of nothing but flair. After a few monster handoffs against the smaller Asian boys, the SMU side went down 4 tries to nothing before a kick downfield by flyhalf, Wang Enjian, was chased down by Bryan Ng - who duly scored SMU's only consolation try in that game.

2. SMU's prop Sherman Yeo got the game against Curtin University off to a quick start scoring early in the first half. With the ball stuck in the SMU ruck near the Curtin tryline, Sherman picked the ball up, before displaying some acrobatic skills, leaping over Daniel Lee and the entire ruck, scoring right between the sticks. The acrobatic manouveur, which apparently 'made the sunlight disappear' (Daniel Lee), put the Sherman onto the tournament score sheet for the very first time.

3. SMU scrumhalf, Derek Chan, scored twice in the game against Curtin University. The nifty sweeper made a linebreak in his own half before running the whole length of the pitch to score. The Curtin game looked set to earn SMU the title of 'Upset of the Tournament' after going up 14-0 early in the first half. However, it was not to be as Curtin staged a comeback, levelling the scores at 14-14 at halftime, and eventually marginally winning the game.

Next up, the team plays the first game on Friday morning against International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) - SMU's last match of the tournament's group stages.

Indian Rim Asian University Games 2009 - Update

Day 1 of IRAUG 2009 - Deo Silver Rugby 7s

SMU in IRAUG 2009

Results:

Game 1: SMU (24) vs NUS (12)
Tries: Bryan Ng (3), Derek Chan (1)
Conversions: Derek Chan (2)

Game 2: SMU (14) vs University of Notre Dame (17)
Tries: Bryan Ng (1), Vickneswaran Sellathurai (1)
Conversions: Derek Chan (2)

Game 3: SMU (0) vs University of Western Australia (47)

Arriving 3 days before the competition, the boys have been training hard under the watchful eye of newly-appointed Coach Hairul. After a disastrous performance at the Singapore University Games, the SMU side had much to prove especially given their talent pool. The side, which fielded a once-again-fit ex-national captain - Derek Chan (whose services were sorely missed at SUNIG 2009) and a team of all homegrown players, brought to the field a brand new structure - the result of being continuously drilled by Coach Hairul.

Of Day 1, the most notable events include:

1. SMU chalking its first win for the tournament over NUS. The SMU side got their early jitters out of the way, after going behind early in the game. A series of good runs and plays by the SMU side ensured that SMU scored 2 tries a piece in either half of the game.

2. SMU's marginal loss to the defending champions, University of Notre Dame, by a mere 3 points ranked as one of the disappointments from the SMU camp. The SMU side, left it all too late after going down 3 tries in the first half. In their fightback in the second half, a more structured and lethal SMU reared its face and from there, it was a battle against the clock and unfortunately, the SMU side came out second best.

The SMU side plays University of Papau New Guinea and Curtin University on Wednesday morning at the UWA Sports Park.