As the curtain comes down on the career of one of Singapore rugby’s stalwarts, we speak to Ridzal Saat, Head of Rugby, former Singapore Lion, Team Manager to the current 7s and 15s Singapore Lions (and the list goes on), who will be leaving the Singapore Rugby Union after 15 years of faithful service to the Singapore rugby community and the game he loves.
We wish Ridzal all the best on his new journey, although we suspect you'll catch him not too far off the pitch...
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| Ridzal Gets Cheeky |
National Team: 1993 - 2001
Highlights:
- Scoring the winning try over Malaysia in the Asian Quandrangular in 1997 in Bangkok. Men's XVs first international win in over 10 years.
- Playing at the National Stadium in Kallang in 1997 and then 1998 - I followed my brother when I was kid when he played and captained the Singapore Football Team in the 80s and early 90s. A big highlight - playing in front of over 10,000 people in 1998
- In 7s, just playing in HK 7s, scoring a try against Tonga in 1996 in the RWC qualifiers, and winning the Fiji 7s Bowl in 1995
Managerial/Coaching Experience
Men's: 2007 to present
Women's: Women's 7s Coach in 2000
Portfolios at the Singapore Rugby Union
Development officer, PR/Marketing, General Manager, Team Manager, League Administrator. It has been a privilege to work within a sport that I grew up playing.
One managerial highlight was the hosting of the IRB Sevens from 2002 to 2006. In late 2005,early 2006 when we went through a rough stage with the financial stuff, a lot of people didn’t realise that we were down to 3 marketing/administration staff in the final stretch leading up to the hosting of the IRB 7s in April 2006. My hat off to those in the SRU then and the hundreds of volunteers who made the 7s a great spectacle and success then.
