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The Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA) has recently launched an exciting high-performance pathway for competitive rugby players in schools across Asia. The inaugural FOBISIA Rugby Representative selection was held in Singapore last weekend, and we are excited to share that our Year 12 IBDP student Erwan, has been selected for the U18 FOBISIA 7s Squad. Erwan is one of 14 players selected from over 40 initial triallists, after excelling in the two-day training. We sat down for a chat with him to find out more about his passion for rugby and why he enjoys coaching the younger students.
Erwan has been a Doverian since joining us for Year 6 in 2017 and he started playing rugby when he was in Year 5, still living in Hong Kong. The fast runner plays winger and occasionally fullback.
His home club outside of school is Tanglin Rugby Club (TRC), and he has also recently started playing for the Bucks Rugby Football Club, coached by Jonathan Carswell, who is also the Dover Court Primary Head of PE. Mr Carswell has coached Erwan since he joined the school and shares: “Erwan has done fantastically well to earn a spot in the FOBISIA Representative 7s squad. This is testament to all the hard work he has put in to improving his rugby skills and we're all incredibly proud of the progress he has made. We look forward with excitement to his next steps and what he could go on to achieve!”
Erwan tells us that he is very proud to be the Dover Court Wolves representative on the squad, “It’s very exciting and a great opportunity to grow and play internationally as well, which will be very fun! I was one of the 14 selected players from British International Schools under FOBISIA around Asia. Some of the players are based in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing and the Philippines. We’re planning to start preparing for the next game and will be training in Bangkok soon.”
Erwan is an active member of the Wolves rugby and volleyball teams and has started coaching the younger DCIS students in rugby this year. “This came as an opportunity as I had completed the coaching course from the Singapore Rugby Union. With fellow Year 12 student Astrid, we approached the PE teachers to see if we could help coach the younger students. This would help our knowledge and understanding of rugby, as we as both young players and coaches would view the game differently”, Erwan shares.
The commitment to fostering a sense of community and inclusion is an important part of the learning at DCIS, especially in the Sixth Form, Years 12 and 13. Beyond academic pursuits, DCIS places a strong emphasis on holistic development. Through peer-to-peer education, Dover Court recognises the impact of older students guiding and supporting their younger counterparts. Erwan agrees that the peer education is beneficial to both the younger students, and to himself, as an athlete. “Teaching the younger students has allowed me to see the different aspects and perspectives of rugby, which I can also use for my games. We learn from each other, and while I’m teaching them various skills, I am also reflecting on why we don’t do this or why this is effective. I can see the connection because if you bring it back to the fundamentals of rugby, you can see those basics applied correctly and improve the game.”
Erwan has had a fantastic year of rugby, and apart from being selected for the FOBISIA team, he mentions winning the Junior Rugby Clubs Singapore (JRCS) tournaments with TRC as another highlight. The team finished the season with a JRCS league win, the TRC tournament win and the Singapore Cricket Club International Rugby 7s win. He also shares that the first few games playing with the Bucks team were really enjoyable, because it was a new experience, playing a different position as a fullback. The 17-year-old particularly enjoys the challenge of playing with adults, all bigger than him, that are all fully engaged, giving their all.
We look forward to following Erwan’s rugby journey and wish him the best of luck on the pitch.
