Latest news with #TerryKennedy
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chennai clinch inaugural Sevens title as rugby touches down in India
Irish Sevens international Terry Kennedy (C) on the attack for Chennai in the final of the inaugural Indian Rugby Premier League against Delhi Redz in Mumbai (Punit PARANJPE) Ireland Sevens international Terry Kennedy helped Chennai Bulls clinch India's inaugural Rugby Premier League (RPL) title on Sunday as the sport took its first fledgling steps in a country obsessed by cricket. Kennedy scored two of Chennai's seven tries as they concluded the six-team rugby sevens franchise league with a 41-0 thrashing of Delhi Redz in Mumbai. Advertisement India's Olympic gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra was among the many stars who graced the finale although the crowds were understandably no match for the hordes that turned up to watch Virat Kohli's Bengaluru win the T20 Indian Premier League earlier this month. However, the RPL's coverage on satellite television has given organisers hope that rugby could emerge as a major sport in India. "No matter how big a sport may be, there is always space if you work hard enough if you create a product that's good enough," Rugby India president Rahul Bose told AFP. "In that respect we are very happy and very secure in the knowledge that there is space for this game and it doesn't have to come by eating away at anybody else's space." Advertisement Just as the IPL focused on the shortest form of cricket, so the RPL has chosen to go for the shortest form of rugby, with the seven-a-side format in this tournament lasting 16 minutes -- four quarters of four minutes each -- and dispensing with the hard grunt of the 15-man game to showcase slick handling and blistering pace. Kennedy is not the only top Sevens player to have been drafted in to the RPL. His teammate Joseva Talacolo, who also scored a try in Sunday's final, won silver with Fiji at last year's Olympics in Paris while Scott Curry, whose Bengaluru Bravehearts finished fourth after losing the bronze medal match to Hyderabad Heroes, played 321 times for New Zealand's All Blacks Sevens team. The American Perry Baker, now 39 and a two-time World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year, came out of retirement to play for Kalinga Black Tigers. Advertisement According to Bose, this first iteration of the tournament has gone down well with the public. "What we have heard is that the game is easy to follow, very fast, very exciting and has got tremendous amount of likeability," said Bose who is also a successful Bollywood actor. "Along with that, the athletic prowess of these men has come in for a lot of attention. We are happy with the connect we have made." - 'Bigger and better' - The RPL is seen as a way for India to bolster their dreams of hosting the Olympics in 2036 - and given the continental qualifying system for the Olympics, India even has an eye on fielding a men's or women's team prior to that. Advertisement But it is more than an ideal. The RPL, which blends Indian players with international stars, is run by GMR Sports which, as owner of the IPL team Delhi Capitals, knows a thing or two about franchise competitions in India. "The first season has gone very well for us," Satyam Trivedi, chief executive officer of GMR, told AFP. "The sponsors are happy with what they see on the ground and on TV. "However this is just the beginning for us. We are looking at the first season as a showcase event and take a lot of learnings from here. "In every season this league will get bigger and better." fk/bsp/mw
India Gazette
29-06-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Rugby Premier League Final Preview: Chennai Bulls to lock horns with Delhi Redz in high-stakes title clash
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 29 (ANI): After two weeks of adrenaline-gushing action, 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 for Sunday. Chennai Bulls enjoyed a dominant 31-12 win over Bengaluru Bravehearts in the semi-final, but it was not 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, as per an RPL press release. 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 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 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 are 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 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.' Before the final, the second runner-up match between Bengaluru Bravehearts and Hyderabad Heroes is also scheduled for 7:45 PM IST. RPL final schedule on 29 June: -2nd runner up - Bengaluru Bravehearts vs Hyderabad Heroes - 7:45 pm -Final - Chennai Bulls vs Delhi Redz - 8:25 pm. (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: Hyderabad Heroes return to top of points table after dominating Chennai Bulls
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 23 (ANI): The Hyderabad Heroes produced a scintillating display of rugby, as they went back to the top of the points table, after swatting aside the challenge of the Chennai Bulls by a scoreline of 28-7, here in Mumbai, at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex (Andheri Sports Complex), during Season 1 of the Rugby Premier League. In the other game on the day, the Delhi Redz won handsomely against the Bengaluru Bravehearts. In the second game of the day, the Hyderabad Heroes were in fine form, and dominated the Chennai Bulls, winning 28-7. The Chennai Bulls were out of the blocks at good speed, and took the lead when Terry Kennedy scored a try, and Joaquin Pellandini added two more to the cause. However, after that, the Hyderabad Heroes cranked up the style - Javed Hussain and Motu Opetai scored a try each, and Manuel Moreno converted on both occasions. At the half-time break, the Hyderabad Heroes led 14-7. Wolfram Hacker and Terio Tamani added a try each in the final quarter, and Tamani converted both his kicks as well, giving the Hyderabad Heroes a clinical win on the night. The win will see the Heroes move up to the top spot on the points table. In the first game of the day, the Delhi Redz registered their third win of the tournament after they defeated the Bengaluru Bravehearts with a scoreline of 22-12. 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 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. (ANI)
India Gazette
18-06-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Rugby Premier League preview for matches on June 18
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 18 (ANI): The first game of the day will see the Chennai Bulls square off against the Kalinga Black Tigers. The Bulls have been the most dominant teams so far with three wins in a row and are on top of the table as they look to extend their winning run. Meanwhile, the Black Tigers will be eager to bounce back after a tough defeat in their previous outing, according to a release from Rugby Premier League. In the second match, the Mumbai Dreamers take on the Delhi Redz. Dreamers will look to notch their first win of the tournament, while the Redz will be eyeing to register more points on board with just one draw under their belt. Top 5 Players to watch out for today at the Rugby Premier League Vaafauese Maliko (Chennai Bulls) The league leader in tries with five successful tries and joint highest points scorer in the tournament so far with 25 points to his name, Vaafauese Maliko is one of the most dominant players of the inaugural season of RPL and is key to Chennai Bulls' strong position in the standings. The 26-year-old Samoan hybrid player is in an exceptional vein of form. Terry Kennedy (Chennai Bulls) A prolific scorer and a key attacking threat, Terry Kennedy is one of the best players participating in the league and is surely living up to that potential. Third highest in points with 17 to his name and successfully converting three tries so far, the Irish hybrid powerhouse is a gamechanger in the ranks of Chennai Bulls. Matias Osadczuk (Delhi Redz) With 16 points in just two games, Matias Osadczuk can cause major troubles for the opposing sides on the field. The 28-year-old Argentine has also scored three conversions and is a major threat to the opposition's backline. Patrick Odongo (Delhi Redz) Another player from the Delhi Redz setup, Patrick Odongo is in a good run of form in the two games played so far. Apart from his defensive contributions at the back, Odongo is also a crucial player in the attack having scored two tries and winning ten points for his side in two appearances. Lucas Lacamp (Kalinga Black Tigers) Despite Kalinga Black Tigers' struggles on the pitch, Lucas Lacamp has impressed everyone with his defensive contributions. With eight tackles already, he is a difficult player to get past and will be critical for the Black Tigers as they face a strong opposition. (ANI)
