I've found a friend who died for me

*Tribute to Warriors Of Hall 6, Ruggers*

Despite IH has been over for nearly one month, its a pleasing and heartwarming sight to still see that we, ruggers of hall6, coming for a casual game of touch. The turnout was encouraging to me as a manager of the rugby team.

While siting at the side of the field watching you guys played, it kinda hit me that we have come a long way together as a team. We were playing on the rugby pitch today, but our humble beginning actually started all the way from the other field, on the side nearest to the basketball courts.

Hall Matrix just ended, and I placed my name in the list to become a sport subcommer. I was still in road relay that time and zhihong approached me to be the manager for road relay. But deep down in my mind, i know that im was never a fast runners. Friends like jingyang, ahboon, zhihong, weizhe, were so much faster than me. Of course, the initial trainings with the road relay team made me too realised that i would never be the forerunner in the team.

One sport that excites me in the past is rugby. However, the chance to pick up rugby deludes me. The furthest I went was playing touch in Jc PE.. I thoroughly enjoyed myself during those sessions. That where I a resolution take join ruby when i enter hall in ntu despite knowing the risks of the game.

During the interview for the sport subcomm, I gave garerern and nat the preferred sport that I wanted to manage immediately when they asked me. Rugby.

When I came to the decision to take up rugby, I still haven got a chance to meet up with paul yet. All I knew was that he was the previous rugby captain and I had an rough idea that gerald and paul are going to be captain and vice captain for rugby 09/10 respectively. Paul just got back from his IA and during our 1st encounter, he told me a little about rugby and passed me a list of rugby player names: both seniors and freshies that signed up.

I was very excited, full of passion and drive when i looked at the number of names in the list. It was nearly the size sufficient enough to form 2 teams. Promising and capable names that I heard too placed their names down. I was ready to set me vision for team rugby 09/10: finals in IH.

However, things turned to be very different. People turned me down one by one after I approached them. Its understandable as everyone has their own reasons. Eventually, the number that Im able to confirm that were interested to stay in the team was probably 6? Our hall lucky number..

I can also recalled the times where i was running all over hall 6, terrorizing every single male residents that I know to know rugby. This "Join Rugby" campaign in hall was headed by me myself (: haha, it was so fun to see the faces of ahboon, zhihong, shawn, wenkai, ricky, yiling when i pestered them to join. Of course, I believed i frighten off many more than i could imagine! I also remembered the cranky join rugby post that i made in the ex hall forum!!!

soon, it was our very 1st training. I couldnt remember clearly, but if im not wrong, turnout was disappointing.. a small number of 4,5 or 6? but based on what Paul shared, rugby training strength had been like tat all along for past years, so its kinda expected.. This actually made me think seriously abt the plans and goals i envisioned for team rugby.

I approached more ppl, mostly freshies now. Sometimes, it really helps to be a guy who participated in FOC. It really helps to get the ball rolling. Turnouts for subsequent training become better: Me Paul Weeyong Garerern Pinglon Alvin Edwin Kenneth. I can never forget how we trained at the side of the field by the basketball courts. Lights were always off or the Ivps were using the main rugby pitch for training. We were confined in that small zone for training!!!

We began on the basics, passing, loop, switch, NO LOBBING FORWARD PASS.. We were all new to rugby, so i believe paul had a hard time guiding us. strength was also very unstable. it can vary from 4 to 8 at different training sessions. everyone is crucial to the attendance of the training. training time was short, because there is simply too few ppl to train. most of the time, we ended with paul teaching us the technical aspects of rugby.. Likewise, my spirit swayed btw high n low when the turnout varies too..

More joined. Pohshen jingyang arjun sky clarence ruirong jerome.. the number grew healthier.. sadly arjun and sky had to leave quickly due to injury and commitment respectively . touch becomes part of our usual trainings too due to better attendance. With gerald joining us regularly too to coach us, trainings seemed to be heading in a better direction. I can never forget those times where gerald keeps screwing jerome for all the mistakes he can commit: passing and handling errors, running the wrong route, join the wrong side of the group, and smiling all the time.. It was so enjoyable and fun. And I never fail to look forward to next training with excitement.

Next joined Jinhan raj gabriel darras jabir.. Personally, trainings are the most exciting when all 3, Gerald, Paul and Jabir were present together. The team will then just split up into 3 groups to be coached by the 3. Learning curve was steep, but so is everyone curiosity to know more and grasp the game.. Plays start to come in, forwards and backs, lineups, team plays.. the team is taking shape..

Rain or shine, lighting or not, team rugby never fails to train.. i thank you all for coming down, despite the fact we will turn out like some brown monsters at the end of the training. we whined and bitched occasionally, but we still enjoyed ourselves.. Holiday began.. attendance still remained healthy and strong.. ruggers still travel and return to hall, even though some might not be in hall due to personal issues.. I had never felt so strong that we gonna win something for IH..

Came bernard and occasionally funhang and zhenyan.. even our mr president, xiaofeng, turned up for training once.. i too appreciate seniors, weiming and zach, for coming down for trainings to give us pointers and advices to improve..

there were times where tempers flared, all because everyone wanted to do well for IH.. and it became more frequent as IH approaches.. still the team stayed as one, looking forward to the day where the team will enter the rugby pitch under the banner of hall 6..

one memorable training was on the eve of the eve of CNY.. Paul told me that training turnout might be bad due to celebration. But i replied that the team will still come down, cause we are now all playing with our hearts and passion. And i was not disappointed.. We had a wonderful training session. N if i never remember wrongly, Paul was in a very good mood and talked to the team:

"I'm very glad that today training was so good. the turnout was good. and i tell u guys, rugby is the best thing that ever happened to me in hall."

something along the line.. I dunno how the rest felt abt this.. but what paul said hit me.. Rugby is indeed the sport that i truly enjoyed.. trainings never fail to excite me.. Yes paul, rugby is really one of the best thing that ever happened to me in hall..

IH came along with Marcus and weizhe joining the team.. 20th and 21st.. There was a huge uproar as quite a number of rugby players happened to be in hexis too.. there was this huge concern that we might not have sufficient players to play on the day itself.. nevertheless, the full team came down.. it was impressive.. 22 in total.. where was that miserable 4 to 6 that we saw at the initial stage of rugby? 22, this is hall 6 team rugby we are talking about..

of cause, we lost the 1st game to hall 4, den eventually come back against 16 and 1.. it was like a rollercoaster, where it felt we might just lose it anytime.. and me being out due to injury in the game against hall 16 made it worse for me. Im officially out of IH rugby.. but still, the team was there for one another. encouraging one another along the way. Even though i didnt manage to participate much for the rest, i could feel the energy of the team soaring high and it was contagious..on 20th, we are in quarter, on 21st, we are out of IH rugby..

though i was kinda shocked that we made it to quarter instead of semi as compared to the past,i got to watch the team grow from a grp of random players who know nuts abt rugby to warriors who are out to kill in the pitch.. I thank all players to contribute and sacrifice for the team.. jinhan: who gave up his opportunity to represent ntu dragonboat due to shoulder injury, Pohshen, our big friendly giant: rib hairline fracture and poor specs for being stepped by his own owner , darras: for his arm if i never remember wrongly, raj: for his eye and knee that never fail to give way, pinlon: for diving onto the ball on his belly,jerome: for both his shoulder and ankle, clarance: to join us despite after going through his foot surgery recently (and ur finger, for the awesome punch to the deserving banana), kenneth and ruirong: for frequent groin injuries, jingyang: for ur pinky that looks weird now, edwin: keena stepped on his head and many self-inflicted injuries today by slipping, fuhang: for taking the risk to play for the team even though IH soccer final was few days away, garerern: to miss IH badminton due to thigh injury during training, jabir: for constantly losing his eyebrown and cuts, weeyong: for tearing his shorts for countless time, alvin: for having his toes stepped by me numerous times, paul: for all the popping and locking u did, never fail to impress the team, same for ur ankle, gabriel: white shorts that u need to clean after training and many tries u contributed to the team, and your accessory too, bernard marcus and weizhe for coming down..

Team rugby 09/10 will never be the same without you guys.. every one of u shaped the team as it is now.. i know that there might be a high chance that not everyone can come back next yr, but i truly hope that u feel much for the team.. so if anyone of us cant make it back, i do hope that at least you will squat back to join the team.. the team needs every single one of u.. no one is dispensable..

as the sun sets while i sat by the side watching u guys playing touch, i got this sad feeling that the yr is coming to an end, along with my term as ur manager. but still, i know we will still meet up to have occasional trainings and games.. its my regret that we were not able to win a medal for our graduating seniors, but i believe the experience, the brotherhood we built and shared were far more valuable than a medal.. we may not win the best sport team, but in my heart, we are already winners..

so when ever if u happened to be in the vicinity of the basketball court, do take a look at the small patch of field by the side, and give a tribute to where the humble beginning of team rugby 09/10 begins...

zhaoqi
hall 6 ruggers
manager 09/10
rugby enthusiast