On a blistering hot Singaporean morning, the MCM U18 sevens team arrived at UWC Dover for the annual Phoenix Sevens competition. Having finished 4th in the competition last year, playing above their age group, they were keen to improve on previous competition results.
The MCM team was placed in a strong group, consisting of Black RFC, UWC Dover B, and UWC East. The standard of sevens in both groups was high, showcasing some outstanding tries and rugby throughout the morning. MCM registered two convincing wins against Blacks RFC and UWC Dover B, but with an uncharacteristic slow start against UWC East, MCM found themselves finishing second in their pool.
After a welcome break for lunch and a chance to get out of the heat, our boys were scheduled to face the winner of Pool A, LFS, in the semi finals. LFS had some extremely talented players and were formidable opponents, but the Blues stuck to the game plan. Putting on an excellent display of rugby sevens and coming away with a 29-7 win. With the second semi-final underway between UWC East and Wanderers RFC, it was clear to see that the final would be a tough match.
Wanderers, made up of a number of Tanglin players, met MCM in the final, and the contest did not fail to entertain the onlooking crowd. Both teams were very evenly matched and the final could have gone either way if it wasn’t for three notable cover tackles from Jack Hobby and the Igwe brothers. We were formidable in our defence and patient in our attack and, after breaks from Stefan Tasoren, Adam Wright and Eberendhu Igwe, the match started to turn in our favour. When the final whistle sounded, MCM had secured the victory with a final score of 17-7, and the boys were ecstatic to lift the trophy. A special mention must go to Eberendhu Igwe, who was declared the Most Valuable Player by the opposition coaches and officials.
