About Tanglin Rugby Club

Three children on a grassy field, smiling and posing for the camera, with trees in the background.

Tanglin Rugby Club (TRC) has come a long way from its’ beginnings in the corner of a muddy field in 2005. The handful of kids has turned into approximately 600, 3 to 18 years old playing touch and contact rugby each week. TRC exists due to the hard work of its member volunteers who run a non-profit, professional and ever developing rugby club in Singapore.

TRC’s mission is to provide kids the best possible start in ‘Rugby for Life’ encompassing TRC rugby values and sportsmanship. TRC alumni can be found in schools, clubs and representative sides across all parts of the world, all who are still members of the TRC family.

We are a registered society in Singapore and are also an affiliated member of the Singapore Rugby Union (SRU).

With the closure of Turf City at the end of 2023 we have moved our U5-U17 Rugby section to the Australian International School and our U12-U18 Girls Contact and U10-U19 Touch sections to Tanglin Trust School.

  • Every Head Coach and age group Coach is World Rugby (IRB) Level 1 / Level 2 qualified. All coach training is free and TRC has established coach-the-coach initiatives and continued learning opportunities. Equally applied is to referee training where courses are at club cost, and TRC practice matches scheduled to allow new referees to fine-tune their craft in a more relaxed environment. Any parent or youth player who has an interest in coaching or refereeing will have the support of the club.

  • TRC leads the growth of girls contact rugby in Singapore.  A few years ago on the back pitch at TRC, we had ten girls training and learning to play contact rugby. Today, through the hard work and enthusiasm of our club members, support from the SRU and other Singapore clubs there are over 100 girls playing contact rugby across five age groups. Since 2017, girl’s rugby has grown so fast teams have played in the TRC Cup, Centaurs, SCC and Titans tournaments, and teams have been on rugby tours to Hong Kong, Bali, and Cambodia. TRC also host the Girls Rugby TRC Cup and have done so annually since 2017 (Covid breaks in 2020 and 2021).

  • TRC has played a key role in the growth of Touch Rugby in Singapore,  supporting the Touch Association of Singapore (TAS), the formation of a new governing body Touch Singapore (TSG) and helping other clubs become established. TRC hosts the annual TRC Touch Trophy, which in 2023 had c.60 teams from across Asia and Australia participate.

  • TRC holds 4 major tournaments a year all through the efforts of our volunteers. In 2023 we held the TRC Junior Cup in May, the Rentokil Initial TRC Cup in September, our TRC Touch Trophy and the Girls Rugby TRC Cup both in November. Along with TRC hosted tournaments, we also participate in a number of overseas tours and tournaments through the year.

    At TRC we provide extra specialised training sessions through the TRC Rugby Academy run by the TRC Club Head Coach. At regular times during the year guest coaches also provide our players additional skills training be it either rugby or touch. We have had International Sevens player, Dan Norton train our senior players, and Todd Mills and Andrew Moylan, travelling from Australia to train with our touch players.

  • Through member’s fundraising, TRC brought kids from Kampuchea Ballop (Cambodia) and Futurehope (India) to play rugby in Singapore with enormous success on and off the pitch, an enriching experience for children on both sides and raising funds and awareness for the NGOs.

  • The social side of a rugby club is promoted with several annual events including a Dinner and Dance, a Curry & Quiz Night, Awards Ceremony and Family Fun Day.

FAQs

What can you expect from the club?

  • A friendly welcome and an opportunity to meet new friends.

  • Opportunities to be involved in all aspects of club life, and to bring your own expertise to the club.

  • Opportunities for your son/daughter to have fun and develop their game as much as they want to.

  • A safe environment.

  • Qualified coaches and responsible volunteers.

  • Relationships based on trust, honesty, and respect where your son/daughter are valued and listened to and where their welfare is paramount.

  • Clear lines of communication with you about your child, fixtures, training, and events.

Do you have first aiders?

  • It is a club requirement to have a registered First Aider attend training sessions and matches.

  • A number of our coaches and volunteers have completed the Standard First Aid course run by the Singapore Red Cross.

  • For Sunday morning Club training, and competitive matches, we employ the services of AMS to provide on-site Paramedic cover

Can i get involved in the club?

  • It is part of our rugby and touch philosophy that you are involved in your child’s development.

  • Ever thought of volunteering? There are many areas within the Club, which rely on volunteers, and without this support, the Club would not run!

What is expected of Players?

  • Commitment to come to training every week.

  • Commitment to play in all local events.

  • Commitment to take part in as many overseas tours as possible.

  • Good behaviour on and off the field of play.

are your coaches qualified?

  • The specialised role of Club Head Coach (World Rugby Level 3) who oversees all rugby age groups and is Head Coach of the U15 and U17 players.

  • All age groups coaches are minimum World Rugby Level 1 (and a number are Level 1 qualified referees).

  • Our parents have varied and distinguished playing careers. Some are still playing rugby and touch on a regular basis, while others have played at the very highest levels, being ex International and/or Professional rugby and touch players.

  • We encourage all our coaches to further their coaching knowledge by attending World Rugby courses run by the SRU.

  • Every year we invite guest trainers to run our very own coach the coaches sessions.