2 days ago
Kelantan end long wait for National Sevens title
KUALA LUMPUR: East Coast giants Kelantan edged defending champions Johor to claim the National Sevens Championships men's open title in Kuala Terengganu today (July 27).
Despite having lost a number of their key players due to injuries during the earlier rounds, Kelantan held their nerve to edge Johor 17-12 in the final at the Tengku Muhammad Ismail Rugby Stadium.
Kelantan had earlier in the day beaten hosts Terengganu 26-5 in the semi-finals while Johor downed Selangor 19-12 to advance to the decider.
Kelantan team manager Aliff Haiqal Rosli said it was a meaningful victory for them.
"Alhamdulillah we managed to regroup after losing a number of our key players and managed to secure the win," said Aliff.
"Johor are the defending champions and are a formidable side. We knew we had to be at our best to have a chance of winning. Our goal was to play a fast game.
"If I am not mistaken, we last won the National Sevens in 2018 so it means a lot for us to become champions again. Obviously we are very happy."
The men's under-21 final saw Johor beating Selangor 15-10.
The women's open final saw Selangor defending their title with a 29-0 win over Terengganu.
Selangor also defeated Terengganu 29-0 in the women's under-21 final.
