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Suprised they have droped Van Der Smit to the bench, thought he was one of the best for the SCT last week.
Hard to promote this game when the AP Dragons team hasn't yet been announced.
Switching it up for return bout
April 26, 2019
Sunday’s clash between the Asia Pacific Dragons and South China Tigers will be anything but a carbon copy of their encounter just a week ago with both sides swinging the changes.
While the Dragons were on the wrong end of the result in Hong Kong last Sunday, they finished the game full of running and had their chances to pinch the result in an action packed final five minutes.
Playing for the first time on home soil in Singapore, Head Coach Ryan Martin hasn’t been afraid to mix things up with five fresh faces coming into the starting XV, while shuffling the deck in the back line with a number of key positional moves.
After starting at flyhalf in the opening two games Kali Hala will wear the 15 jersey which has been vacated by the move of Fijian international Asaeli Tikoirotuma into the centres. Rounding out the trio of moves is young Tongan star Latiume Fosita who’ll start at 10.
In other back line moves, Junior Lalofifi will have his chance to shine from the opening whistle after an appearance last week from the bench, as too will South African born scrumhalf Rowan Gouws.
The forwards have also been reshaped with front row pair, prop Haamea Ahio and hooker Sekonaia Pole, joining blindside flanker Michael McKee.
After torrential rain in Hong Kong turned Aberdeen Sports Ground into a heavy track last week, the South China Tigers have freshened up their squad too, bringing three new faces into the run-on side.
Hooker Dayne Jans, number 8 Josh Hrstich and wing Conor Hartley are the new names for the Tigers. None of them featured in the game last week and will be keen to make their presence felt. The Tigers thou have lost some firepower with star back Tom Varndell not making the trip to Singapore.
Where: Queenstown Sports Centre
Date: Sunday, 28 April 2019
Kick-off: 15:10 local
Asia Pacific Dragons
Starting XV: 1.Haamea AHIO, 2.Sekonaia POLE, 3.Ropate RINAKAMA, 4.Louis Johannes CONRADIE, 5.Joketani KOROI, 6.Michael MCKEE, 7.Fotu LOKOTUI, 8.Nili LATU, 9.Rowan GOUWS, 10.Latiume FOSITA, 11.Mitchell SCOTT, 12.Stacey ILI(c), 13.Asaeli TIKOIROTUMA, 14.Junior LALOIFI, 15.Kali HALA
Reserves: 16.Michael LEA, 17.Taniela KOROI, 18.Latu TALAKAI, 19.Naulia DAWAI, 20.Irwin FINAU, 21.Kurt HAMMER 22.Sireli BOBO, 23.Zac HARRISON JONES
South China Tigers
Starting XV: 1.Benjamin HIGGINS, 2.Dayne JANS, 3.Tau KOLOMATANGI, 4.Fin FIELD, 5.Craig LODGE, 6.James SAWYER, 7.Josh DOWSING, 8.Josh HRSTICH, 9.Liam SLATEM(c), 10.Glyn HUGHES, 11.Samisoni NASAGAVESI, 12.Matthew ROSSLEE, 13.Lewis WARNER, 14.Conor HARTLEY, 15.Nathan DE THIERRY
Reserves: 16.Alexander POST, 17.Adam FULLGRABE, 18.Faizal SOLOMONA PENESA, 19.Kyle SULLIVAN, 20.Luke VAN DER SMIT, 21.Bryn PHILLIPS, 22.Ben AXTEN-BURRETT, 23..Jack NEVILLE
Match officials
Referee: Richard KELLY, AR1: Matthew RODDEN, AR2: Charlie BROWN, TMO: Aaron LITTLEWOOD
https://www.rapidrugby.com/switching...r-return-bout/
Rugby: Singapore-based Asia Pacific Dragons to face South China Tigers in first Global Rapid Rugby match at home
SINGAPORE - The Asia Pacific Dragons are looking to exact revenge on the South China Tigers when the Singapore-based team play their first Global Rapid Rugby Showcase Series home game at Queenstown Stadium on Sunday (April 28).
In their first meeting last Sunday (April 21), the Dragons lost 29-19 at the Aberdeen Stadium in Hong Kong and will be looking for their first win since the series started last month.
They will play their final match of the series at home on May 5 against series leaders Western Force of Australia, to whom they lost 42-10 in their debut on April 12.
The Dragons' squad features players from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and a Singapore international, 26-year-old Declan Martens.
Global Rapid Rugby is the brainchild of Perth billionaire Andrew Forrest, an avid supporter of Western Force. The franchise, along with two weaker South African teams, were culled from Super Rugby after the 2017 season to streamline and balance the league.
The tournament features sides from Fiji, Samoa, Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore and is aiming to expand into markets like New Zealand and Japan next year with A$1 million (S$960,000) for the winners.
Global Rapid Rugby matches follow slightly different rules from traditional rugby, with shorter game time and rolling substitutions for a more fast-paced game.
Any try-scoring play that starts from a team's defensive 22m line - or a "power try" - is worth nine points.
In traditional rugby, a try is five points with a chance for a two-point conversion, for a total of seven points.
Penalty goals in Global Rapid Rugby will count for two points instead of three.
* Fans under age 14 can watch the match at Queenstown Stadium for free. Adult tickets cost $20 and are available at http://bit.ly/APDs2019Tix
https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/r...t-global-rapid
Looking forward to see some rugby. Not far off now ...
Countdown
http://gen.sendtric.com/countdown/5e29h2y9oy
http://gen.sendtric.com/countdown/8ao9qcbur8
F5 to refresh timer
(Kick-off is 10 minutes into the telecast)
How to watch:
Australasia –
- * Free-to-air TV Live SBS Viceland
* Free stream Live SBS On Demand and sbs.com.au
* Live stream and on demand at Kayo Sports
* Live on Fox Sports 507
Asia –
- * Live on Fox Sports 3 Asia
Rest of the world –
- * Live stream here
Queenstown Sports Centre
https://i.imgur.com/HjDOgF4.jpg
Lineups head-to head
https://i.imgur.com/Rsja49j.jpg
As ad-hoc and up-in-the-air as it all feels at the moment, have to say how good it is to see these games on free-to-air. Would be nice to think it reflected some underlying interest, but enjoying it regardless.
Very small crowd 🙁
Quote:
Originally Posted by AndyS
Tru - reminiscent of NRC in some waysQuote:
Originally Posted by Jules
Overcast but clear ... yet still hot and humid. Home team scores through Gouws, Tigers reply immediately.
APDs 7-7 SC Tigers after 5 mins
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Hala scores and converts
14-7 @13 mins in
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Tigers defend in their 22 for about 10 phases, but Ili scores for APD, Hala from wide misses the kick
19-7 @ 21 mins done
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Different game this week. Big #5 Koroi scores another 5pts ... Hala misses a simple kick
24-7 @ 25 min
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Heheheh APD prop Rinakama gets a YC for collapsing a long 15m rumbling maul ... Penalty Try!
24-14 @ 28 mins
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Tigers coming with a 2nd wind towards the end of the half.
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#13 Tikorotuma with a big legal hit on #12 Rosslee ... but he gets up and continues
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SCT pick and go within metres of the line. They knock on attempting to score and it's HT.
24-14 at the break
2ND HALF:
APDs scrum through their oppo ... Referee awards a penalty try
https://i.imgur.com/9GpDBCJl.png
31-14 @ approx 42 mins
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Converted try to the tigers thru Solomona to hit back. Great kick from Hughes (?) RHS wide
31-21 @ 47 mins
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Tikoirotuma gets a YC for tacking Lewis Warner without the ball - not much in it but no arms
@ 52 mins
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APDs charge down a box kick from the tigers scrummie trying to get out of his quarter.
Attacking scrum 25m out. They run it an get a penalty. Fosita (? or Hammer ?) takes the shot and nails it.
34-21 now @ 62 mins
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Zac Harrison goes in for the APDS - converted by Fosita
41-21 @ 67 mins
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Consolation try to the tigers #23 after the clock is up
https://i.imgur.com/rn2wOool.png
APDs 41-26 SCT ... final score
Gritty Dragons secure first Rapid Rugby win
A bright start provided the foundation for Singapore-based rugby team Asia Pacific Dragons to claim their first win of the Global Rapid Rugby Asia Showcase Series as they notched a 41-26 win over the South China Tigers yesterday.
Scrumhalf Rowan Gouws needed just three minutes to score the first try for the Dragons at the Queenstown Stadium and, despite some disciplinary problems, the hosts showed plenty of spirit to hang on for a much-needed victory.
Dragons coach Ryan Martin said: "We were pretty calm and we wanted to put a performance on for Singapore. We trained really well this week, we're a bit sharper and there's heaps of energy and it came out in the way we played."
What he did not expect was a string of mistakes that almost threatened to ruin the day. The Dragons were up 24-7 in the first half and cruising when the Tigers scored a converted try and Dragons prop Ropate Rinakama collected a yellow card soon after to leave his team with 14 men and at a numerical disadvantage for 10 minutes.
After the interval, the Dragons were again a man short when outside centre Asaeli Tikoirotuma received a yellow card.
The home team's grit shone through as they managed to score a try and were awarded a penalty try and a penalty kick in the second half.Dragons captain Stacey Ili said: "This win gives us confidence. These two games are building ones for us. (Western) Force is a strong, tight group so we need to turn up next week and try to win."
Tigers coach Craig Hammond described the match as a "role reversal" as they had beaten the Dragons 29-19 in Hong Kong on April 21.
He said: "They were off to a good start so we had to play catch up. They really put it to us in the first 20 minutes and we didn't start as well as we wanted to so it was disappointing. There were plenty of opportunities in the last 20 minutes, but they scored another try in the end which took it away."
Global Rapid Rugby is the brainchild of Perth billionaire Andrew Forrest, a Western Force supporter. The Perth based team were cut from the Super Rugby along with two other weaker South African teams in 2017.
The tournament features sides from Fiji, Samoa, Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore and is aiming to expand into markets like New Zealand and Japan next year.
Sales executive Andy Watson, 52, and his daughter Jessie, 17, were part of the 1,672 mostly expatriate crowd at the Queenstown Stadium.
The Briton said: "We get the proximity to the pitch and the players and this for me is like the rugby I grew up with, it's high level and you're close to the pitch and the players. It's great for the community so I hope we build on this."
• Tickets for the Dragons' home game against Western Force on Sunday available at zoonga.com.au/globalrapidrugby.
https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/g...apid-rugby-win