Inaugural Foundation Dinner at Picotin
The Wanderers and Titans Foundation kicked off its inaugural dinner on Saturday, Nov. 9, with members of the Wanderers RFC, Titans RFC and other Singaporean rugby clubs tucking into pizza and beers along with wives and girlfriends and other members of the local rugby community.
Gathered to show their support for youth rugby development in Singapore, the audience heard from former internationals Ron Cribb, who had 15 caps with the All-Blacks at No. 8, and Trevor Woodman, the loosehead prop for the 2003 World Cup-winning England side.
Cribb and Woodman shared their experiences with grassroots rugby as kids and how it played a crucial role in their development to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
Ron relayed how youth rugby was a crucial outlet for overcoming a troubled home. Required to play rugby after a physical argument with a teacher, he credited his youth league with providing him the drive that eventually led to a career in New Zealand and Japan.
Trevor recalled initially shying from rugby in his early youth but returning to the sport in emulation of the games his father played in local leagues in Cornwall. Trevor credited the encouraging words of his under-16s coach for bolstering his self-confidence and opening his eyes to the possibility that he could one day represent his country.
Those stories highlight the important role that rugby can play in the lives of boys and girls and the W&T Foundation aims to provide the financial backing for Singaporean youth to experience these positive aspects.
As the founding clubs behind the Foundation, we ask that the members of Wanderers and Titans, as well as the wider Singapore rugby community, support the organization with Giro donations of as little as $10 a month. Forms for donating will be made available in December.
In the coming weeks, the W&T Foundation will be auctioning several items to raise funds for our efforts and we urge you to participate.
More to come next month and thank you for your continued support!