At five-foot nine inches, Song packed 183 pounds into his massive frame, intimidating opponents with his speedy charges, quick manoeuvres and runs down the right flank.

Song took-up the game in 1968 at the age of 14 when he was a student at Victoria School. Captaining the side in 1969, the school achieved third place at the Singapore Schools junior competition, behind local school's rugby powerhouses, Raffles Institution and Saint Andrews. He made his mark and national honours were soon to follow.

Joining the Singapore national rugby team in 1975, Song was soon being described as Singapore's best local rugby player by leading advocates of the game in the Republic. The year 1977 was a turning point for Singapore rugby; the national team had played together in the SEA Games (KL) where Song captained the team to a silver medal win.

Song relinquished his captaincy in 1978 in order to concentrate on his work. Still, as a dedicated player, he and the team made '78 a memorable year for Singapore rugby. The national team was taking shape, moulded into a formidable squad under coach Natahar Bava (Coach of the Year '78).

Song Koon Poh played as the right head prop of the scrum, providing assistance and leadership to the likes of Jarmal Singh (captain in '78). The foundation of the forward pack was built around the solidity of the front row comprising Hamzah Mohd, Mahat Zainuddin and Song himself, a trio that had played together since '72

Song was a natural in that role, providing the leadership at the front row which became the pillar of the scrum. As he states matter-of-factly, he "would lead from the front, take the plunge, hit the first tackle and secure the ball... "It was always my pleasure in going upfront, hitting on the biggest of the opposing forwards... and this showed that I had led by example from the front" stated Song.

What earned for Song Koon Poh the Sportsman of the Year 1978 award was his contribution to the team in that historic win of the MRU Cup, after which followed the equally commendable 3rd placed finish at the 6th ARFU (Asian Rugby Football Union) tourney in K.L.

Significantly, the Sportsman of the Year for Song was a grand slam of wins for local rugby in '78. Natahar Bava also took the Coach of the Year in while, most significantly (as Song himself says), ''...the Team of the Year went to the Singapore national rugby team''.

Song Koon Poh retired in 1991 after 20 years of playing rugby for Singapore; he kept playing at club level for the Singapore Cricket Club until 1999 after which he hung up his boots. Today, he runs his own trading/brokerage company which he set-up in 2003 after having worked with Shell Chemicals for 32 years.