There were some envious Singaporean glances as the Sri Lanka hockey team gathered around the goal, whooping and cheering.

It was only the fourth day of the World League (WL) Round 1 tournament, but the Sri Lankan men’s team celebrated – and even posed for pictures – like they had already assured themselves of qualification into the next round as one of the top three sides here.

And, in all likelihood, they have.

The South Asians awoke from a 20-minute slumber to come from behind and beat the hosts 2-1 in a Pool B clash last night at the Sengkang Hockey Stadium, with the Republic’s hockey men leaving themselves a mountain to climb if they are to finish in the top three and qualify for the next round.

Only one spot separates Singapore (10th) and Sri Lanka (ninth) in the Asian Hockey rankings.

With China (sixth), the highest ranked team in the tournament, leading the Pool A, the win means Sri Lanka will likely avoid them in Saturday’s semi-finals.

It was evident to all in the Singapore camp that victory was presented to Sri Lanka.

“In the first 20 minutes, I was very happy with the performance, but after that they (Sri Lanka) managed to settle and figure out how to exploit us,” said Singapore captain Enrico Marican.

“For me, it’s really an issue of maturity and how to be smarter out on the field.”

Singapore’s Adam Aniq scored 10 minutes into the game, slapping in a rebound after a penalty corner routine went awry, and the hosts appeared to grow from strength to strength.

Sri Lankan defender Damith Mahara cleared off the line five minutes later, when Ahmad Faris’ deflection looked destined for the back of the net.

The home side looked comfortable in possession and comfortable in defence, but those did not last long.

Led by the irrepressible Damith, the individual skills of Sri Lanka came to the fore, with Singapore clearly relieved to get to the break with the lead intact.

But the visitors picked up where they left off at the restart, running rings around the Singapore side that started to concede possession cheaply.

Damith equalised within four minutes of the restart with a well-taken penalty corner, then took four Singapore defenders for a ride before laying off for teammate Abeetha Fernando to slide in what proved to be the winner in the 59th minute.

It was a second half that – save for the final few moments – was all Sri Lanka, and Singapore coach Solomon Casoojee was obviously unhappy.

NERVOUS ENERGY

“We were dominating the first stanza (of the game), then people out there started to change things. And, in the second half, we looked like we didn’t know how to play hockey.

“There was a lot of nervous energy and we looked like we didn’t trust ourselves,” he said.

“It wasn’t a game that they won, it was a game that we lost – there was poor discipline, poor organisation, poor structure. If we had followed the game plan, we might have won.”

Singapore have it all to do, with China already amassing a whopping 22 goals and conceding just one against Thailand and Vietnam.

“Now we have to beat China (in the semi-finals) to get through – assuming of course that we beat Myanmar. We’ve made it tough for ourselves, but we’ve now got to swallow that bitter pill,” added Casoojee.

Singapore have one more fixture left to play in the four-team pool, against Myanmar tomorrow, and it will not be easy.

Casoojee’s men were held 1-1 by Myanmar in a group fixture at the same venue in last year’s SEA Games and qualified for the semi-finals – en route to a silver medal – only by virtue of scoring one goal more.

But Enrico remained positive.

“We’re definitely not favourites against China, but nothing is impossible,” he said.

“I will tell the boys to take in this feeling of defeat, know where the mistakes are, learn from them, but also take some positives.”

This article was first published on April 13, 2016.
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Rugby Sevens is a high-octane, energy-sapping game.

So it may come as a surprise that one of the player’s most useful weapons is a quick snooze.

On the sidelines of a “Laksa-making challenge” at Lau Pa Sat hosted by long-time Australian rugby sponsors Qantas yesterday, Sevens international Frank Winterstein shed some light into how players rest and recuperate between matches.

At the HSBC Rugby World Singapore Sevens this weekend, teams will play three pool matches on Saturday, followed by knockout games the next day.

Said the 29-year-old Winterstein: “Between matches, there are ice baths, a lot of stretching, and a lot of downtime, too.

“You’re basically trying to get 10 or 20 minutes of sleep… All the lights are off, no phones are allowed.

BE SMART

“We’re basically just trying to resource any bit of energy we can.

“We know we have to be smart and make the most of our time, because before you know it you’re back out there on the field warming up for the next game.”

Winterstein’s Australian teammate Cameron Clark added that apart from catching forty winks, the players also chug down protein shakes and put on compression tights to aid in their refuelling and muscle recovery.

The biggest challenge in Sevens Series rugby, added the 23-year-old, was simply getting on your feet for the second day of competition.

“The next day, it’s hard work getting out of bed,” Clark said, with a laugh.

“Everyone wakes up quite sore. The games definitely take a lot out of you.

“So it definitely becomes a bit of a mental game as well. Mental strength plays a big part in the Sevens Series.”

After reaching the semi-finals of the Hong Kong leg of the World Sevens Series last weekend – they were thumped 34-5 by eventual winners Fiji in the last four – Australia are aiming to do better at the National Stadium this weekend.

But they have been given a tough draw, facing Wales, Argentina and Japan in Pool D.

In the big picture, Fiji have stretched out to a five-point lead at the top of the series standings with 128 points, ahead of New Zealand (123pts) and third-placed South Africa (122pts).

Australia are fourth on 105 points.

Said Winterstein: “The Australia Sevens team, every time we put on the jersey, we always want to win the gold, the big prize.

“The last four (HSBC Series legs) we’ve made the semi-finals so we’ve shown we’re a team to be reckoned with.

“We’re just a little bit disappointed with how we went about our business in Hong Kong, we left a lot of points out there. We didn’t make the most of our chances.

“This week, we’re definitely going for gold, but we have to get out of our pool first.

“We got a tough pool against teams that, on their day, can roll with anybody, so we know we have to be on our best to make the quarters and so on.”

This article was first published on April 13, 2016.
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Despite their undoubted pedigree, there is a gaping hole in Australian rugby when it comes to the sevens version.

The country can boast two Rugby World Cup triumphs and were losing finalists in last year’s 15-a-side union edition, yet they have never claimed the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series title.

The Thunderbolts are fourth in this season’s standings with 105 points, behind defending champions Fiji (128 points), New Zealand (123) and South Africa (122), and unlikely to challenge for the overall championship.

But recent results have offered hope that winning an Olympic medal in August, when rugby sevens makes its debut at the Summer Games, is a realistic target.

Centre Cameron Clark has been instrumental in that run – Australia were runners-up in the Sydney and Las Vegas legs in February, third in Vancouver last month and fourth in Hong Kong last week – and he believes that confidence within the side is gaining.

The 23-year-old, who recorded 32 tries last term to finish joint fourth in the try scoring list, said: “We’re starting to compete with the top sides in the world. With four Cup semis in a row now (the first time since 2004), there’s plenty of belief and we can be right up there in medal contention and hopefully in Rio we have gold medals around our necks.”

Forward Sam Myers, however, noted that rugby sevens still struggles to gain attention in his country, where Australian rules football is the most popular sport, and the union and league versions of rugby are more widely played.

That leads to a smaller talent pool to pick from, said Clark, who competed in a “laksa-making challenge” organised by team sponsor Qantas together with team-mates Myers, Frank Winterstein and Stephan van der Walt yesterday at Lau Pa Sat.

Meanwhile, the likes of reigning Sevens Series champions Fiji and the New Zealand All Blacks prioritise sevens and have enjoyed huge success in it, capturing 14 of the past 16 Seven Series seasons.

Each of the two countries has won three legs so far this 2015-16 campaign and are in a league of their own, admitted Clark.

He added: “Fiji don’t play like anyone else. They throw the ball around a lot, are very good offloaders of the ball and just keep the ball alive… When the Fijians click and their passes all stick, they’re pretty hard to stop.

“New Zealand are often a physical team… They’ve got some big guys who are very physical and dominant with the ball in hand.”

Australia are in Pool D alongside Wales, Argentina and Japan. It may look like a relatively straightforward group but Myers is taking nothing for granted when his team trots out onto the National Stadium pitch this weekend, when the series returns after 10 years.

“There are no easy games these days. Everyone’s improved his level,” said the 25-year-old, who was in the side who fell 7-22 to the United States in last week’s group stage.

While the Americans are regarded as a rising force in rugby sevens, it is the traditional giants Fiji, New Zealand and South Africa, who won the Cape Town leg, who are the biggest obstacles for Australian hopes.

Yet having overcome the South Africans twice this year, including in front of a partisan crowd in Sydney, Myers was unfazed.

He said: “Tell the Aussies here to come out and be loud. The louder you are, the more exciting we’ll play.”

This article was first published on April 13, 2016.
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They held match-point in the second set at 20-14, but allowed their opponents to claw back three points to increase the anxiety level among locals at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

But a service error by South Korea’s Eom Hye Won, who was partnering Choi Sol Gyu, presented Singaporeans Terry Hee and Tan Wei Han a 21-19, 21-17 a shock first-round win in the OUE Singapore Open mixed doubles competition yesterday.

The Singaporeans, ranked 53rd in the world, also beat the South Korean world No. 13 pair 27-25, 19-21, 21-14 at the Thailand Masters in February.

Tan, 22, said: “I am quite satisfied with our performance today; we’ve beaten them before, even though they are ranked higher than us, and that gave us a bit of confidence.

“We were also playing in front of a home crowd today, so we were hyped up and played better.”

Hee, 20, added: “We had a good start and were playing quite well.

“They were probably under more pressure because they are higher-ranked while we had nothing to lose.”

The Singapore pair will meet a Chinese pair – either Liu Yuchen and Tang Jinhua or Lu Kai and Huang Yaqiong – in the second round tomorrow.

Hee and Tan’s victory provided the Singapore team with some cheer on a day when local shuttlers battling to earn a ticket for the Rio Olympics crashed out of two events.

Men’s singles world No. 60 Derek Wong failed to make it to the main draw after he was stunned 21-14, 21-16 by Taiwan’s Lin Yu-hsien, ranked No. 116.

“My opponent played better. He took control of the match, especially the front of the court, and I could not counter his strengths today,” said the Singaporean, who had earlier beaten Malaysia’s Soo Teck Zhi 21-14, 21-14.

Mixed doubles world No. 28 Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Vanessa Neo also lost in the first round after a 21-12, 21-13 loss to Holland’s Jacco Arends and Selena Piek.

The Singaporeans had not lost to the Dutch tandem in two previous encounters but found the world No. 14 pair too strong this time.

SOLID

“They played very well today; they were fast, very solid and led all the way,” said Chrisnanta, who partnered Hendra Wijaya to a 21-13, 21-11 win over Indonesians Arya Maulana Adiartama and Afiat Yuris Wirawan in the qualifiers yesterday to make it to the main draw.

Chrisnanta and Neo are racing against time to climb the world rankings and earn an Olympic spot, having gained ground after their upset of reigning All-England champions and world No. 8 pair Praveen Jordan and Debby Susanto at the Malaysia Open last week.

Neo, 28, said: “Definitely disappointed; last week we caught up (in points), but this week we lost ground again.

“We are back to square one.”

This article was first published on April 13, 2016.
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In his last appearance here in 2011, China’s Lin Dan issued a series of apologies after he had conceded the Singapore Open men’s singles final to teammate Chen Jin, after apparently suffering from a stomach upset.

Five years on, the badminton star marked his return with an apology.

The world No. 3 (above, right) and his world No. 1 compatriot Chen Long (above, left) addressed the media yesterday, ahead of their opening round matches at the OUE Singapore Open, and the mood was distinctly lighter.

Lin apologised for the change in the timing of the media conference, which was held two hours later than scheduled, explaining they had to fit in a training session.

The five-time world champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist was at his charming best, delivering cheeky responses and smooth answers while evading questions about succession in the Chinese men’s team, and his latest training routine.

“I’ve always seen myself as a young player, so along with the likes of (younger teammate) Xue Song, I am working hard,” said the 32-year-old to much laughter.

Considered one of the game’s all-time greats, “Super Dan” took a break from badminton after winning his second Olympic gold in London 2012, but he could not walk away from the sport he loves for good.

“I still love the sport a lot, so even though the pressure is high, I chose not to leave on a high,” he said, in one of his more serious moments.

“I am willing to accept new challenges, and even self-doubt when I’m not performing well.

“The 2020 Olympics is too far away, but I want to take on one more Olympic campaign and keep on contributing to the sport as long as I am healthy.”

POWERHOUSE

While powerhouse China swept all five golds on offer at the 2012 Olympics, their shuttlers have looked vulnerable since, with the likes of Japan and South Korea emerging as strong challengers.

World No. 2 Kento Momota has been leading the charge and was a serious contender for men’s singles gold at the Rio Olympics in August before he and teammate Kenichi Tago became embroiled in an illegal betting scandal last week.

Both shuttlers have been banned by the Nippon Badminton Association and are seemingly out of the Rio Games, but both Lin and Chen insisted that the Chinese won’t be strolling to the top of the podium in Brazil.

“Other than Japan, countries like Denmark, Indonesia, South Korea and Germany are still strong,” said Chen, 27, who curiously neglected mentioning Malaysia’s world No. 4, Lee Chong Wei.

Perhaps the memory of last Sunday’s resounding defeat by Lee in the Malaysia Open final – the Chinese was blitzed 21-13, 21-8 – still hurt badly, but Chen added: “It’s not as if the title is ours because two players are not going to be around.

“We will maintain our focus and do our best, and we believe we will have the desired outcome.”

Lin added: “China have won the most number of men’s singles titles at the Olympics (three in six editions) and this is something that the team are very proud of.

“But now the bar has been raised, a player from any country can win and it’s everyone’s dream.

“We are not going to calculate the probability of us winning; we will just do our best and the outcome we want will come naturally.”

This article was first published on April 13, 2016.
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