Latest news with #HyderabadHeroes
India Gazette
28-06-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Hyderabad Heroes, Chennai Bulls, Bengaluru Bravehearts, Delhi Redz set to fight for RPL spot in final
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 28 (ANI): The league stage of the inaugural edition of the Rugby Premier League (RPL) concluded on Friday evening, at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Kreeda Sankul (Andheri Sports Complex). After nearly two weeks of high-octane rugby sevens action, the league is down to the business end with four teams making it through to the playoffs. Hyderabad Heroes, Chennai Bulls, Bengaluru Bravehearts and Delhi Redz are the four franchises that have qualified for the playoffs. The two semifinals will take place on Saturday, with Chennai Bulls taking on the Bengaluru Bravehearts in the first match, while Hyderabad Heroes will be up against Delhi Redz. With former New Zealand captain DJ Forbes at the helm as head coach, Hyderabad Heroes have been the most dominant team across the RPL this season. Manu Moreno's leadership has been admirable as he's led from the front, while the performance of Indian players like Javed Hussain and Sambit Pradhan have been made everyone sit up and take notice. With 9 nines, one loss and 34 points during the league stage, Hyderabad Heroes head into the playoffs as the favorites, especially after getting the better of their semi-final opponents Delhi Redz, against who they registered the double. Chennai Bulls were on a roll to start the season, laying down an early marker with their performances. The likes of Terry Kennedy, Joseva Talacolo and Va'aufauese Apelu-Maliko have been exceptional in terms of their international players, while likes of Aryan Dixit, Muhammad Jasim EP, and Shahnawaz Ahmed have all made their presence felt from the Indian contingent. Head coach Ben Gollings has been meticulous in his approach so far this season, as his team secured 6 wins, a draw and 3 losses during their group stage. With 5 wins, a draw and 4 losses in their group stage, it's fair to say that the Bengaluru Bravehearts have had a rollercoaster season so far. Paco Hernandez has been calm and calculative in his approach as head coach, with his team already showing that they can go toe-to-toe with any side. In fact, Bengaluru Bravehearts are the only side in the tournament to have beaten Hyderabad Heroes so far. With the likes of Mohit Khatri, Akuila Rokolisoa, Scott Curry, Pol Pla and Philip Wokorach, they have enough experience in the side to rise to any challenge. It has been an up and down campaign for Delhi Redz in the GMR RPL, as they search for consistency going into the playoffs. With 3 wins, 2 draws and 5 losses, head coach Tomasi Cama would be expecting his side to step up to the plate when the stakes are raised. Matias Osadczuk, Matteo Graziano, Patrick Odongo, Jordon Conroy have all contributed to a healthy team atmosphere, helping the likes of Rajdeep Saha, Deepak Punia, Sunil Chawan and other Indian players flourish. The two sides faced each other twice in the league stage, with Bengaluru Bravehearts registering a commanding 26-0 victory in their first encounter. Chennai Bulls fought back in the reverse fixture, winning 31-24. Hyderabad Heroes got the better on both occasions when these two sides met in the league stage. The table-toppers secured a 40-19 win in the first match, while winning 31-7 in the reverse fixture. (ANI)
India Gazette
27-06-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
RPL 2025: Hyderabad Heroes bag top spot; Mumbai Dreamers finish with a win
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 27 (ANI): The Hyderabad Heroes have been one of the most exciting teams in the tournament, and have finished top of the points table at the end of the league stage of Season 1 of the GMR Rugby Premier League (RPL), on Friday, at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex, in Mumbai. The Mumbai Dreamers too had a memorable final day of the league stage of the competition, as they ended on a high with a comprehensive win against the Bengaluru Bravehearts, as per a release from RPL. In the semi-finals of Season 1 of the GMR Rugby Premier League, on Saturday, the Hyderabad Heroes will play the Delhi Redz, whilst the Chennai Bulls have on their agenda the Bengaluru Bravehearts. In the opening game of the day, the Hyderabad Heroes put on a fantastic show as they closed out their campaign in this phase of the tournament with a resounding 31-7 win. The Hyderabad Heroes started off at lightning speed and got their points tally moving in the first minute itself. Sukumar Hembrom turned on the afterburners for his try, and Terio Tamani converted with ease. The Delhi Redz, stunned initially, though bounced back through a Penalty Try. The Heroes were in the mood to put on a show, and before the first half ended, Terio Tamani set up Sambit Pradhan with a delightful move. Pradhan went over the line, and soon after, Joji Nasova crossed over too, and Tamani converted both attempts. At half-time, the Heroes led 21-7. It was more domination from the Heroes after the break as Lautaro Velez registered a comfortable try, extending the lead by five more points. In the final quarter, Manuel Moreno added another try and put the seal on the win. In the second game of the day, the Mumbai Dreamers' fans were well and truly in dreamland, as the team turned up the style and defeated the Bengaluru Bravehearts by a scoreline of 26-14. The Bengaluru Bravehearts benefited early on from an error by the Mumbai Dreamers and got going with a try by Philip Wokorach, after which Akuila Rokolisoa converted as well. That, though, stung the Dreamers. James Turner and Vuiviwa Naduvalo responded with two super tries, while Akash Balmiki converted on both occasions. Elias Hancock added five more to the cause just before half-time, and the Dreamers went into the break with a 19-7 lead. After the break, Akuila Rokolisoa reduced the deficit by 7 points for the Bravehearts, but the Dreamers were still in control. Before the final whistle, Turner scored another try and Akash Balmiki polished off the conversion. Eventually, the Dreamers got their first win in their final game of the tournament. (ANI)
United News of India
27-06-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
Hyderabad Heroes bag top spot on points table in Season 1 of GMR RPL
Mumbai, June 27 (UNI) The Hyderabad Heroes have been one of the most exciting teams in the tournament, and have finished top of the points table at the end of the league stage of Season 1 of the GMR Rugby Premier League, on Friday, at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex, here. The Mumbai Dreamers too had a memorable final day of the league stage of the competition, as they ended on a high with comprehensive win against the Bengaluru Bravehearts. In the semi-finals of Season 1 of the GMR Rugby Premier League, on Saturday, the Hyderabad Heroes will play the Delhi Redz whilst the Chennai Bulls have on their agenda the Bengaluru Bravehearts. In the opening game of the day, the Hyderabad Heroes put on a fantastic show as they closed out their campaign in this phase of the tournament with a resounding 31-7 win. The Hyderabad Heroes started off at lighting speed, and got their points tally moving in the first minute itself. Sukumar Hembrom turned on the after burners for his try, and Terio Tamani converted with ease. The Delhi Redz, stunned initially, though bounced back through a Penalty Try. The Heroes were in the mood to put on a show, and before the first half ended, Terio Tamani set up Sambit Pradhan with a delightful move. Pradhan went over the line, and soon after Joji Nasova crossed over too, and Tamani converted both the attempts. At half-time, the Heroes led 21-7. It was more domination from the Heroes after the break as Lautaro Velez registered a comfortable try, extending the lead by five more points. In the final quarter, Manuel Moreno added another try, and put the seal on the win. In the second game of the day, the Mumbai Dreamers' fans were well and truly in dreamland, as the team turned up the style and defeated the Bengaluru Bravehearts by a scoreline of 26-14. The Bengaluru Bravehearts benefitted early on from an error by the Mumbai Dreamers and got going with a try by Philip Wokorach, after which Akuila Rokolisoa converted as well. That though stung the Dreamers. James Turner and Vuiviwa Naduvalo responded with two super tries, while Akash Balmiki converted on both occasions. Elias Hancock added five more to the cause just before half-time, and the Dreamers went into the break with a 19-7 lead. After the break, Akuila Rokolisoa reduced the deficit by 7 points for the Bravehearts, but the Dreamers were still in control. Before the final whistle, Turner scored another try and Akash Balmiki polished off the conversion. Eventually, the Dreamers got their first win in their final game of the tournament. UNI BM
India Gazette
26-06-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Chennai Bulls, Hyderabad Heroes register big wins in season 1 of RPL
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 26 (ANI): The Chennai Bulls and the Hyderabad Heroes put on quite the show for their fans, as they won at a canter against the Kalinga Black Tigers and the Delhi Redz, respectively, during Season 1 of the Rugby Premier League (RPL), at the at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex, here, in Mumbai. In the first game of the day, the Chennai Bulls outclassed the Kalinga Black Tigers 40-21. From the get-go, the Chennai Bulls were looking to put a lot of pressure on the Kalinga Black Tigers' defence. And it was the Bulls who had the better of the early exchanges, as Vaafauese Maliko sprinted down the wing to get his try. Shortly after, the Tigers got on the scoresheet with Kyle Tremblay's try and Maurice Longbottom's conversion. Manueli Maisamoa then extended the lead for the Tigers with his try and Ethan Turner's conversion; however, it was all Chennai after that. For the Bulls, Joseva Talacolo added a try and Vaafauese Maliko went over the line a couple of more times whilst Gaurav Kumar converted all his kicks, as per a press release from RPL. The Bulls had stormed into a 12-point lead by the end of the third quarter, and they continued to dominate proceedings in the final phase of play as well. Filipe Sauturaga got on the scoresheet with a try and a conversion, and Alexander Davis's try was complemented by Joseva Talacolo's conversion. For the Tigers, Lucas Lacamp scored a try in the final minutes, but it was too little too late. In the second game of the night, the Hyderabad Heroes stamped their authority over their opponents, as they defeated the Delhi Redz 40-19. The Delhi Redz, who have one eye on the final semi-final spot, had a bright start with Jordan Conroy scoring a try. From then on in, the Hyderabad Heroes grabbed the contest by the scruff of the neck as Javed Hussain scored yet another try. That was followed up by Lautaro Velez and Kevin Wekesa getting over the line with ease, while Velez scored three converting kicks. Quarter 3 saw Wolfram Hacker cross the line as well, giving the Heroes a solid 26-5 lead. The Heroes were quite literally running away with the game as Joji Nasova raced through the heart of the Redz's defence and Velez added two more points to the cause. Before the third quarter was over, Velez added another seven points to the cause. With a quarter to go in the game, the Heroes led 40-5. In the final quarter, Patrick Okongo added two more tries, and Matias Osadczuk and Alejandro Laforga scored their kicks as well. But the Heroes had done enough to come away with the win. (ANI)
United News of India
26-06-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
Bhupinder Singh relishing opportunity to give it his all for Hyderabad Heroes at GMR RPL
Mumbai, June 25 (UNI) After waiting in the wings for his opportunity, Bhupinder Singh eventually made his way into the GMR Rugby Premier League as a replacement player after Sumit Roy from Hyderabad Heroes picked up an injury. His patience, hard work and determination paid off on Tuesday evening, when he registered his first try of the tournament to help the table-toppers register a 17-0 win against Chennai Bulls. This was Hyderabad Heroes' seventh win in eight matches, helping them confirm their spot in the playoffs. Reflecting on his first try at the GMR RPL, Bhupinder Singh shared, 'I am very happy to register my first try. World champions are playing against me and I am happy to beat them. I will continue to do my best in the team and leave no stone unturned, even when I am playing for India. I will always do my best and give it my all.' Bhupinder has always been a sportsperson at heart. With his focus on athletics, he joined the army through the sports quota before being introduced to rugby in 2021, because of his speed and agility. 'I have played in the army and the services team. I have played twice in the 15s Army India team. I went to Qatar to play in Division 2. In 2024, I got a chance to play in the first division in Sri Lanka. I will continue to prove myself and play with all my heart. I will show what I can do on the ground', mentioned Bhupinder. Having made his way into the GMR RPL, the 24-year-old had to overcome the setback of not being selected in the initial draft of Indian players. Looking back on that, he said, 'It was difficult. I was in the list, but there were players who were better than me. I was in extras, but I was ready. I was working hard day and night in practice. I believed that I would get a chance someday, and I will show my 100%.' Sharing his experience of entering into the Hyderabad Heroes setup, Bhupinder said, 'When I came here for the first time, I felt strange. Everyone is a world-class player. I didn't know how to play with them. When the warm-up and training started, I started to understand them. I understood their abilities, I understood what they were teaching and today I am playing in front of you.' GMR RPL is the first-ever franchise-based rugby league in the world, bringing some of the best rugby sevens players to India. Elaborating on his experience and how the league is providing a platform for rugby in India, Bhupinder added, 'The league has done very well for our players to help them level up. We are also feeling very proud that players who have participated in the Olympics have come here. It feels very good to play with them. 'The best thing for me is that all the Indian, national and state players are getting a chance to play here. They are getting a very good experience with the world players. In rugby, players have a lot of quickness and energy. We also have that, but they have the next level. By practicing with them, we are improving our speed, tackle, defence and attack. We are also learning how to move, where to take the ball and from where. This is what we get to learn', Bhupinder concluded. UNI BM
