Asian Games Player Profile: Amanda Teo

Photo by Kong Ping 

As with a pint of Guinness, Amanda Teo knows all about good things coming to those who wait. Determined to join a rugby club since her secondary school days, she filled the time it would take her folks to agree honing her speed and burning up the tracks.

Name: Amanda Teo
Age: 22
Occupation: Ninja ... Student (NTU)


Sport before rugby
Prior to rugby I was a gymnast and an athlete, representing the latter at state level for a couple of years.

How and Why Rugby?
I’ve always had the intention of joining a local rugby club but could only do so after I graduated from college because my parents were concerned about injuries. As of 2010, I have been playing for slightly more than three years.

How does rugby differ from your previous sport?
It’s definitely much more dynamic and physical. Like any other sport, there’s a psychological golden mean; or the zone, that one hopes to reach in order to compete at one‘s peak. Rugby, in particular, requires one to be in the zone when it is demanded of us, as an individual and more importantly as a team, which makes it one of the most challenging team sports I’ve ever played in.



So why did you make the change to rugby?
I like the fact that rugby requires a range of skills, not just size or speed alone. It challenges me to improve every component of my game so that I can play at my best.

Do you agree when people say that rugby is a men's game?
For me, gender is not a very salient issue or no longer as prominent as it were five, or ten years ago. The legacy left behind by the players before us has made today’s perception of women’s rugby in Singapore more open and respectable, giving us greater opportunities to compete regionally and internationally. Naturally, there are differences between men’s rugby and women’s rugby in terms of style of play and relative strengths, but the laws are the same and at the end of the day, it’s all about playing good rugby.

What did you find the hardest to adapt to, when you took on rugby?
It would be recovering after a contact situation regardless of being on attack or defence because the longer we take to get back on our feet, it gives the opponents more time to reorganize. That takes quite a bit of endurance and it does hurt sometimes. But that’s where we draw from the strength of our team mates to keep calm and carry on. I’ve had a fracture rib, a broken finger, partial tear in my right meniscus and in both ankles.


Can you describe your first experience with rugby?
Like an Oasis concert.

Describe the lowest moment of your rugby experience.
Whenever I miss a tackle.

Describe the proudest moment of your rugby career.
(Other than scoring tries) Stepping Sidney Kumar. Haha.

How much do you love rugby? If you had a choice to represent Singapore in another sport, what would it be?
It would still be rugby. This sport, and especially this team--- has so much heart.