History
Rugby was introduced to the British colony of Singapore in the late nineteenth century. It has had a steady presence since the beginning of the 20th century, when the Malay Cup between Singapore national rugby union team and Malaya was established, which is one of the oldest rugby competitions in the world.
However, unlike the other colonial city state of Asia, Hong Kong, rugby has not been quite so successful there. The tragic events of the Second World War, and the Japanese occupation of Singapore also disrupted its growth. Between 1945 and 1991, a regiment of New Zealanders was based there, and during those years, they dominated the game there, to the extent that when they left, the Singaporean rugby scene almost fell apart.
Like some other places, Singaporean rugby's colonial inheritance has proven a hindrance. It is still dominated by white ex-pats from Commonwealth countries, such as the UK, Australia and New Zealand - there are at least twenty such ex-pat clubs. There has been some take up amongst other groups, and there has been a long standing effort to involve the local Chinese population, mainly by Australians Peter Randall, and Andrew Blades.
In 1995, after a heavy defeat at the hands of Hong Kong, the SRU decided to appoint a full-time officer, four part-time development officers and instituted a schools programme. Between 1995 and 1998, over a hundred schools took up the sport.
Singapore has also taken part in an Asian "round robin" tournament between it and Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia.
Singapore is an active participant in the Commonwealth Sevens, and Hong Kong Sevens. The now defunct Singapore Sevens was set up as a stand by for the Hong Kong Sevens, should it have declined under Chinese rule.
Read more about this topic: Rugby Union In Singapore
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