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India Gazette
29-06-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Chennai Bulls create history; claim maiden Rugby Premier League title
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 29 (ANI): It was a belligerent, brilliant, and breathtaking performance from the Chennai Bulls, who were crowned the first-ever champions of the Rugby Premier League, here in Mumbai, at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex. The Chennai Bulls thrashed the Delhi Redz by a scoreline of 41-0 in the final to clinch the title. In fact, the margin of victory is the biggest across Season 1 of the RPL. Meanwhile, the Hyderabad Heroes, who had finished top of the table in the league stage, came away with a third-place finish after they won 17-12 against the Bengaluru Bravehearts. The Chennai Bulls picked up from where they had left off in the semi-finals, and hit the Delhi Redz hard in the opening exchanges. Vaafauese Maliko got the opening try of the final, and Filipe Sauturaga was on hand to convert. Moments later, the Redz felt the full force of the Bulls' attack as Joseva Talacolo rounded off a superb move with five more points to the cause. Before the end of the first half, the Bulls had further extended their lead - Terry Kennedy outpaced the Redz for two more tries, and Gaurav Kumar added two more from the kick. At half-time, the Bulls were in complete control and led 24-0. After the break, the domination continued, and the Redz were finding it hard to break down the Bulls. Meanwhile, the Bulls were doing their bit to pile on the pressure, as Shanawaz Ahmed went over the line after Kennedy set him up. And Filipe Sauturaga added two more points to the tally. With 4 minutes to go, the very dominant Bulls had a 31-0 lead in their favour. The Bulls did not let up and went on to add a couple of more tries by Mohammed Ashique to put the seal on what was a comprehensive win. Earlier in the day, the Hyderabad Heroes clinched third place in the inaugural season of the GMR Rugby Premier League, as they saw off a spirited challenge from the Bengaluru Bravehearts. The Heroes, who were trailing in the early stages, fought back with full force. The Heroes defeated the Bravehearts 17-12. For the Bravehearts, Tone Shiu and Philip Wokorach scored tries, while Akuila Rokolisoa converted one kick, all in the first half. The Heroes, who had begun the fightback through Joji Nasova's try and Manuel Moreno's conversion in the first half, had Kevin Wekesa and Bhupinder Singh adding game-changing tries to the cause. (ANI)
NDTV
29-06-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Chennai Bulls To Lock Horns With Delhi Redz In Rugby Premier League Title Clash
After two weeks of intense tackles and spectacular tries, it all comes down to the inaugural Rugby Premier League (RPL) grand finale as the Chennai Bulls take on the Delhi Redz in what promises to be a fiery battle. Chennai Bulls enjoyed a dominant 31-12 win over Bengaluru Bravehearts in the semi-final but it wasn't so straightforward for the Delhi Redz side. They managed to defeat table-toppers Hyderabad Heroes 14-7 in a match that went right down to the wire, before Patrick Odongo scored a last-second try for the Redz. Chennai Bulls are in an incredible vein of form with the likes of Terry Kennedy, Joseva Talacolo and Va'aufauese Apelu-Maliko playing an exceptional brand of rugby. Indian players such as Aryan Dixit, Muhammad Jasim EP, and Shahnawaz Ahmed too have made their presence felt. Statistically, the Bulls are overall second in the league when it comes to tries, conversions, points scored and tackles made with 37, 25, 235 and 181 respectively. Delhi Redz have had an incredible arc in the GMR RPL. Despite finishing fourth in the league with three wins, two draws and five losses, the Redz have beaten the strongest team of the tournament in their last game to seal a spot in the final. Matias Osadczuk, Matteo Graziano, Patrick Odongo and Jordon Conroy have made stand-out contributions to the Redz. Indian players like Rajdeep Saha, Deepak Punia and Sunil Chawan too have had a memorable season so far. Delhi Redz will look to cause another upset in the final as they face a tough challenge in Chennai Bulls who have already beaten them twice in the tournament so far. Ahead of the big day, Chennai Bulls marquee player Terry Kennedy stated, ' This was our goal from the start to get to the final and hopefully get the job done tomorrow. Our performance in the semi-final was probably our best one of the tournament and something we're really proud of.' 'We were forcing things in matches before but now we are back to the basics and are just trying to control the ball and tempo of the game. It's something we've managed to do over the last few games and it has really helped. The accuracy is there but we need to work on our discipline on the field and that will be our focus in the final game' he added. Assessing his opposition, the Captain of the Delhi Redz, Matias Osadczuk said, ' I look at Chennai Bulls, I see aggressive and talented international players. So we need to keep the ball all game and play out from the defence. We need to be in control and go up the field and add pressure. We need to stay concentrated and keep an eye on players like Apelu, Terry Kennedy and the other marquee players.'
India Gazette
23-06-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
RPL: Dominant Delhi Redz return to winning ways against Bengaluru Bravehearts
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 23 (ANI): The Delhi Redz have registered their third win of the tournament, after they defeated the Bengaluru Bravehearts with a scoreline of 22-12, here at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex (Andheri Sports Complex), during Season 1 of the Rugby Premier League, in Mumbai, on Monday evening. The Delhi Redz were calling the shots in the game early on and scored important points to surge into the lead. Matteo Graziano and Rajdeep Saha scored a try each, before Iowane Teba brought the Bengaluru Bravehearts right back into it with 7 points of his own. Minutes after the half-time break, Pol Pla finished off a fantastic move, which Philip Wokorach had started, with a try, to give the Bravehearts a slender lead. The Delhi Redz, though, weren't giving in, as Sunil Chawan got on the scoresheet, and Matias Osadczuk converted his kick. After that, the Redz further extended the lead when Moritz Noll added five points to the cause. Eventually, the Redz walked off with a solid win. Earlier in the tournament, the Delhi Redz faced the Mumbai Dreamers. It was the Dreamers who began strongly as James Turner scored a try, and Akash Balmiki converted after that. From then on, the Dreamers did well to hold onto the lead till half-time. After the break, though, the Delhi Redz stormed back into the contest. Alejandro Laforga scored a try first, while Jordan Conroy added two more. Deepak Punia's conversion with the final move of the game complemented it. Deepak Punia also scored a dropkick, which helped his side register a comprehensive 20-7 win. Redz had to wait for their first win of the tournament, especially after facing Chennai Bulls, who were dominant and demolished them by a scoreline of 21-7. For the Bulls, the duo of Vaafauese Maliko and Joaquin Pellandini led the charge with impressive individual performances. (ANI)
India Gazette
21-06-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
RPL 2025: Hyderabad Heroes remain unbeaten, tops points table
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 21 (ANI): The Hyderabad Heroes' fourth consecutive win during Season 1 of the Rugby Premier League (RPL) has propelled them to the top of the points table, and also makes them the only unbeaten team in the tournament so far. In the other games on Friday, at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex (Andheri Sports Complex) in Mumbai. The Bengaluru Bravehearts registered a comprehensive win, and the Delhi Redz also picked up their second consecutive victory of the season, as per a release from RPL. Traditionally, teams from Chennai and Bengaluru have had an intense rivalry in Indian sport, and on Friday evening, during the Rugby Premier League, it was no different. The in-form Bravehearts put on an absolute clinic and won 26-0, handing the Chennai Bulls their first defeat of the season. This is also the first time in Season 1 of the RPL that a team has kept a clean sheet. Among the best teams in the RPL's first week, both sides played out a feisty first half, which included last-ditch tackles and impressive counterattacks from Chennai and Bengaluru. After a scoreless first half, the Bengaluru Bravehearts were the ones who broke through, stretching the Chennai Bulls' defence and then going over the line. At the heart of the Bravehearts' attack was Liam Poulton, who scored a couple of tries in the second half and was ably aided by Pol Pla, adding a third try. Just before the final whistle, Philip Wokorach added a fourth try, whilst Akuila Rokolisoa converted three out of the four kicks. Match two saw the Delhi Redz pick up some momentum in their campaign at Season 1 of the RPL as they defeated the Kalinga Black Tigers 21-7, registering their second consecutive win of the season. The Kalinga Black Tigers kicked off the contest at a good speed, and were pushing the Delhi Redz's defence back. The continued pressure eventually paid off, as Kyle Tremblay picked up a loose ball and ran through for a try, and Maurice Longbottom calmly put it between the posts. However, before half-time, the Redz roared back into the contest. Matias Osadczuk and Patrick Okongo scored crucial tries, and then Osadczuk wasted no time with the conversions. Midway through the contest, the Redz led 14-7. The Redz slammed the door shut on the Tigers' attack in the second half, and didn't concede an inch. With the Tigers desperate to make progress in the attacking half, the Redz took advantage with Matteo Graziano scoring a try, and Deepak Punia converting the kick to put the seal on the contest. Eventually the Redz won 21-7. In the third and final game of the day, the Hyderabad Heroes took on the Mumbai Dreamers and won at a canter, despite an early scare. The Heroes won 19-12 and moved to the top of the points table, whilst the Dreamers are still looking for their first points. The Mumbai Dreamers started off brilliantly with a Penalty Try, which put them out in front within the first few minutes. The Dreamers' fans were cheering on, but that didn't last for too long. Javed Hussein scored a try and Lautaro Velez converted his kick before the end of the first quarter, bringing the Hyderabad Heroes to level pegging. After that Joji Nasova added a couple of more tries, and converted a kick also. That put the Heroes out in front with a lead of 19-7. However, the Dreamers were not allowing the Heroes to run away with the game. Henry Hutchison scored the first try for the Dreamers on the day, to reduce the deficit to 7, with 4 minutes to go. Eventually, the Dreamers were unable to add more points to the tally, and the Heroes walked away with their fourth win. (ANI)
