Latest news with #DelhiRedz
South China Morning Post
02-07-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Rugby Premier League: Hong Kong star backs franchise model to power rugby sevens
After playing a significant role in the inaugural Rugby Premier League in India, Michael Coverdale has hailed franchise tournaments as 'the way forward' for the troubled sevens format. World Rugby has consistently meddled with international sevens, most recently chopping the number of elite series teams from 12 to eight for next season. As some countries axe or reduce their full-time programmes, RPL provided a two-week platform for some of the planet's best players to perform and earn. The competition was inspired by cricket's Indian Premier League, which has spawned multiple T20 franchise tournaments around the world. Hong Kong's Coverdale, whose Delhi Redz team lost Sunday's final to Chennai Bulls, said: 'I can see this as the way forward, and it being very beneficial for sevens, with another franchise league in the off-season, or around the World Series. 'The feedback from every player has been positive: everyone has been making friends and learning from each other.' Michael Coverdale will be back playing for Hong Kong again in September. Photo: Elson Li As finalists, Delhi played 12 16-minute matches in 14 days. 'The format is pretty brutal – towards the end of the tournament I was hanging on and struggling with fatigue,' Coverdale said.
India Gazette
30-06-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
"Created something special": Chennai Bulls head coach Ben Gollings on RPL's transformative impact in India
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 30 (ANI): Chennai Bulls head coach Ben Gollings, who guided the franchise to the Rugby Premier League title in the inaugural edition of the tournament, was full of praise, not just for his team, but for what the league has achieved in just a few weeks. Under the bright lights and roaring energy of the Rugby Premier League (RPL) final, the Chennai Bulls rose to the occasion with a dominant 41-0 win over the Delhi Redz, sealing the inaugural title in style. The Bulls, who had grown stronger with each passing match, saved their best for last as they outplayed the Redz in every facet of the game in front of a passionate crowd. 'I credit GMR and Rugby India in terms of the vision they had and how it's played out over the last two weeks. It has been absolutely fantastic and I think for the sport, it's huge. We have such opportunities in 15s but in sevens, this was much needed since the players can now play with the world's best and ply their trade in the Olympics as well. The opportunity to earn well in the sports they love to play is fantastic. For the corporates, I think this is a great opportunity to get on board and I hope this grows and I look forward to seeing it again in the future,' Gollings said as quoted from a press release by RPL. 'They have created something special here and the exposure it's given to rugby in India. Now is the time to harness this and strike while the iron's hot, get the word out, get young people playing rugby. We've been here throwing rugby balls in the crowd, it would be lovely to see these balls thrown in the streets like they play cricket in the streets. That's where it starts, it starts in the backyard with kids just having fun and then it starts to get more important as you start to get into the high performance but the lesson is, let's keep it going and I think rugby is going to be a big game here on the map in India,' Gollings added. The Bulls' campaign was not only defined by their tries and points score, but also their unity in the locker room, with players from different cultures bonding over the game. Star player Terry Kennedy, who brought his international experience to the Indian stage, reflected on the journey with pride. 'I loved embracing and experiencing all the different cultures and characters within our team, how different people were but how much we embraced each other for everyone's individuality and the personality traits that they bring. Despite the language barriers, rugby brought us all together and we had that connection all the way through,' Kennedy expressed. He also spoke on the standard of rugby played in the league and said, 'The competitiveness was unbelievable, I think all six teams were really good on their day and we had a ton of really close matches. I think it's probably going to grow over time and from next season the teams will probably develop that cohesiveness quicker because they'll have this year to reflect, so the competitiveness and the quality is only going to go up over the years.' Shahnawaz Ahmed, one of India's renowned rugby players, echoed the sentiment as he spoke about the impact of the league, on not just the Indians participating in the league, but also the ones watching from their homes. 'Without RPL, we would have to go through a lot of stages before competing amongst such big international stars. But because of this league, we have had the exposure of playing with the world's best. The learnings and observations from this league is going to have a huge benefit for the domestic clubs and the national team of India,' Ahmed said. 'Because of RPL our juniors, our teammates will get hope that they can also play at this level. They will now be more motivated since because of RPL, rugby is becoming a household name and its popularity in India has increased a lot,' he added. (ANI)
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.'
News18
29-06-2025
- Sport
- News18
GMR RPL Final Preview: Chennai Bulls To Lock Horns With Delhi Redz In Title Clash
The Chennai Bulls face the Delhi Redz in the GMR Rugby Premier League final. The Bulls dominated the semi-final, while the Redz secured a last-second win. Both teams are ready.
