Singapore Polytechnic, Thursday, 8 January 2009 - IVP Touch Rugby defending champions Nanyang Technological University (NTU) beat hosts Singapore Polytechnic (SP) 6-2 in the semi-final.

NTU’s tries came from Sylvia Tan, Tan Xin Pei and Sari who scored a brace each, and Philicia Lim, while SP replied through Diane Lee and Joan Ong.

The champions seized the early initiative in the game when they raced to a 2-0 lead through Sylvia and Xin Pei.

Lee reduced the deficit for SP mid-way in the first half before Sari placed the ball over the line to restore her team’s two-point cushion.

Just as NTU were cruising towards the break, Ong had other ideas as she bulldozed her way past her markers and put SP back in contention.

A half-time pep talk from NTU coach Anne Goh made the difference as the visitors looked determined not to repeat the mistakes they committed earlier.

Shortly after the restart, there was no stopping NTU as Xin Pei marked her man-of-the-match performance by racing clear the chasing SP backline to score her second point of the game.

Sari extended NTU’s lead further to 5-2 when she overpowered the SP defence to sprint home for her second match try.

Lim put the result beyond doubt at the stroke of full time when she was at the receiving end of a well-worked cross-width passing movement to seal the final score for her team.

Goh revealed in the post-match interview that she had to do her part to restore her team’s confidence and self-belief after their first-half showing.

“We were very nervous in the first half and some of them felt rattled by their first half performance, so I told them to be more composed in the second half."

“I also corrected some of the mistakes the girls were making in the first half and, at the same time, told them to maintain the things we were doing correctly in the second half.”

SP captain Jazreel Tan lamented her team’s inability to sustain their performance levels as the stress of catching up got the better of them.

“3-2 at half-time, it was just so close!” she said. “We had fought so hard to reach the semi-finals and wanted to fight harder to show we were worthy semi-finalists."

“But NTU had much more experience and seemed to have read our play from the first half to shut our attacks down in the second half.

“At the same time, we also felt the pressure at the critical moments of the game and made a few turnovers as a result.

NTU coach Goh pointed out her team’s likely key to success in retaining their supremacy in touch rugby.

“The girls have to maintain their attacking discipline if we are to stand a chance of winning in the final, which was what I also mentioned to the team at half time.”

NTU will now face Republic Polytechnic (RP) in the final on Friday at SP, a repeat of their previous encounter at the pool stage after RP stunned National University of Singapore 4-3 in the tense semi-final encounter.