By BRYNA SIM

ON THE field, she can let off a lusty roar as she lunges at opponents and wrestles them to the ground.

Elsewhere, she turns into a 'girlie girl' who is shy and self-conscious.

Miss Annabel Woo, 21, can be all things nice - and all things fierce and feisty too.

Miss Woo led SIM Global Education's young contact rugby team to win the recent Singapore University Games.

She has also been a national player since 2008. Now in her first year of a SIM-RMIT Bachelor of Business (Management) degree with SIM Global Education, Miss Woo balances her academic pursuits with the adrenaline rush she gets from rugby.

Yet she insists she's 'just like every other girl' who loves shopping, wearing dresses and clubbing. Indeed, she strikes you as shy straight away.

'Do we really have to?' she asked, when told we needed to take a photo of her.

On the field, she is something else entirely.

'Once I start playing, it's one big catfight on the field,' she said.

Why so fierce?

'The desire to win,' she said. 'I see things going wrong on the field and I start screaming my lungs out.'

She fell for the game while she was studying at Republic Polytechnic, and it is now her No 1 passion.

Passion proved fruitful

It has also proved fruitful. Because of her sporting achievements, the university awarded Miss Woo the SIM Global Education sports and artistic talent scholarship, which fully covers her university education.

The scholarship was introduced last year, and Miss Woo is one of 12 awardees who make up the first batch of scholars.

Miss Woo started out playing touch rugby as a recreational sport five years ago, but, egged on by her coach in 2007, she switched to contact rugby. Now she plays mainly contact rugby six times a week.

'I have school training, national team training, and club training too,' she said.

She loves the sport because it has helped her to become 'braver and stronger as a person', and also because it allows her to release her frustrations.

'As I play, all my energy goes into the game, so it helps me forget all my worries for the day,' she said.

Then there's also the 'girl bonding' that takes place between Miss Woo and her team-mates.

She has yet to suffer any major injuries, though she was nursing a scar on her right eyebrow when we interviewed her.

'I got this after I was kneed in the face during a friendly match,' said Miss Woo.

Because of her heavy commitment to the sport, she has to miss lessons and leave class early sometimes. She is thankful for the support of her course-mates.

'I thought people would be selfish and competitive, but my course-mates have been generous with their help,' she said.

She is also thankful for the support of SIM Global Education for allowing her to set up the school's contact rugby team in July.

'Whenever we compete, the school's sports officers make it a point to support our games,' she said.

This article was first published in The New Paper.