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India Gazette
a day ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
A look at top players in season 1 of Rugby Premier League
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 13 (ANI): The excitement is palpable and reaching fever pitch as the countdown for the opening day of Season 1 of the Rugby Premier League is well and truly underway. With less than a week to go, the six franchises are working hard to ensure they make the best pass forward. Some of the best names in the business have made touchdown in Mumbai, and will be looking to leave a long-lasting impression on Indian fans. The inaugural season of the Rugby Premier League represents a chance for India's best rugby players to quite literally rub shoulders with the legends of the sport. So let's look at the world's best players, who have made their way to India for the first-ever franchise-based Rugby Sevens tournament in the world, a release from the Rugby Premier League said. -Akuila Rokolisoa - Bengaluru Bravehearts Hailing from Fiji, Akuila Rokolisoa is part of the very well-known and celebrated All Blacks set-up (New Zealand), and is considered to be one of the key cogs in the wheel. The decorated athlete was also the Player of the Year in 2023 in the New Zealand Sevens' division and was a finalist for the World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year. Akuila Rokolisoa roll of honour has seen him win a Gold medal at the Rugby Sevens World Cup in San Francisco, 2018. Four years later, he finished as a Silver medallist with the All Blacks in the Rugby Sevens World Cup in Cape Town in 2022. And in the same year, Akuila Rokolisoa returned with a Bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Having made his debut for New Zealand in 2018, the 30-year-old, who has also won a Gold medal in the Commonwealth Games in 2018, is one of the biggest attacking threats in the sport. In 2023, Rokolisoa rewrote the history books, becoming just the sixth player in the history of the game to score more than 400 points in one season. -Terry Kennedy - Chennai Bulls The 28-year-old Irish man is considered possesses lightning footwork and speed and is one of the most dangerous playmakers on the World Rugby Sevens Series circuit. Terry, whose father also played rugby for Ireland, was the 2022 World Rugby Men's Sevens Player of the Year. The playmaker represented Ireland at the Paris Olympics, 2024, and helped his nation clinch a Bronze medal at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town, 2022, and a Gold medal at the 2023 European Games Terry is one of the 'originals' who were part of the inaugural Ireland squad that started at Europe's C Division in Bosnia in June 2015, and was also a XVs World Cup U20 finalist in 2016. -Rosko Specman - Kalinga Black Tigers The 36-year-old South African is one of the senior statesmen in the sport of rugby, and is a two-time Olympic medallist. Rosko Specman was part of the South African team to have won Bronze at the Olympics in both Rio and Paris. The winger has also won Bronze at the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco. And more recently, he stood on the podium to pick up a Silver Medal at the Africa Men's Sevens in Mauritius, 2024. One of the most loved athletes in the sport, Rosko Specman is well known for his ability to run at the opposition and his natural try scoring ability. Hailing from Makhanda in South Africa, Specman has been playing Rugby Sevens since 2014, and is one of the most experienced players in Season 1 of the RPL. Manu Moreno - Hyderabad Heroes A forward from Spain, the 26-year-old has had a taste of success in the early stages of his career. A European champion in 2021 and 2022, Manu will be one of the focal points of the Hyderabad Heroes' attack in Season 1 of the RPL. A student of medicine outside of playing sport, Manu is noted for his role in Spain's attacking style, characterised by swerving runs and a fizzing passing game, and has been crucial in helping Spain maintain their status in the SVNS top tier. The Spanish forward was also selected among the 14 best rugby sevens players at the World Rugby Sevens Series in Toulouse in May 2023. -Matteo Graziano - Delhi Redz One of the younger players in RPL, Matteo Graziano is a 23-year-old Argentinian Hooker, who is known for his versatility on the field. Graziano has been part of Argentina's dynamic attack, and was an important part of the set-up that eventually secured their first SVNS circuit medal in Hamilton. In January 2025, Argentina were able to retain the HSBC Perth 7s title after thrashing hosts Australia 41-5 in the final, where Matteo Graziano scored a hat-trick. The young man, who hails from a rugby family, was also a part of the Argentina squad at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Jerry Tuwai - Mumbai Dreamers One of the absolute stalwarts of the game, Jerry Tuwai is the only rugby sevens player with two Olympic gold medals (2016 Rio and 2021 Tokyo). In fact, Jerry was part of the Fijian side that won a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics in and became the most decorated Olympian in Fiji's history. In the World Rugby Sevens Series, Jerry has captained Fiji in the 2017-18 season and led them to the 2022 Singapore Sevens title, pulling the strings in their 28-17 final win over New Zealand. He recorded 34 clean breaks in the 2019 season, ranking fifth, and was nominated for World Sevens Player of the Year in 2017. Jerry, who made his debut in 2014 for Fiji, was named the best rookie of the sevens circuit season by World Rugby. He was also named World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year in 2019. Featuring 34 matches in its debut season, the Rugby Premier League begins on June 15 and will be played at the Brihanmumbai Kreeda Ani Lalitkala Prarthisthan Andheri Sports Complex (Mumbai Football Arena, MFA). (ANI)
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Olympic gold-winning footy star Ellia Green reveals the love he has rediscovered after transitioning from a woman to a man
Olympic gold medallist Ellia Green has revealed how he recently rediscovered one of the loves of his life almost three years after going public with his decision to transition from a woman to a man. The 32-year-old called his transition 'the best decision of my life' when he revealed it in an inspirational video in August 2022. Now he is riding the high of another great decision - returning to the rugby field with the famous Sydney Convicts team, which bills itself as Australia's first gay and inclusive union club. Green ran out for the side recently as they won their first match of the season by beating Epping 29-5 - and declared he'd rediscovered his love for footy. 'It's given me so much more than just the experience of playing rugby again, it's given me that feeling of family that rugby has always given me,' he told Fox Sports. 'The feeling of, like, adrenaline every time I get the ball, feeling of excitement when I'm running into contact. Like, this is everything that I love.' Before making his official debut, Green revealed how his first taste of rugby action left him elated. 'First trial games against Manly and Mosman before the season kicks off playing 15s with the boys,' he wrote. 'Had so much fun out there even though I was so unbelievably nervous with the fear of failure, expectations and pressure on myself. 'Then I was quickly reminded of much I love this game the rugby community and hitting bodies ... As well as being so lucky to have my crew there to support me doing what I love best.' Green won gold with the Aussie women's rugby sevens team at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and represented his country in 149 games, as well as starring for the New Zealand Warriors NRLW side in 2020. He scored an incredible 141 tries - the fourth-most in history - and 739 points over the 149 matches, and was almost impossible to stop once he had a full head of steam. But despite that, Green was controversially left out of Australia's rugby sevens squad for the Tokyo Olympics last year, something coach John Manenti described at the time as the 'toughest call of his career'. It led to a downward spiral of sorts, with Green, like many athletes, linking a disappointment in the sporting world to some sort of blight on her character - a devastating reality many athletes experience that can lead to serious mental health issues. Green is pictured scoring for Australia in the Women's Rugby Sevens World Cup final in 2018 'This is what happened to me. Pretty much my rugby career ended and I had been in and out of mental health facilities for serious issues. My depression hit a new level of sadness,' Green said. 'I spent a lot of time after I finished up my career with Australian rugby just in the house, in a dark room, I didn´t have the confidence to see anyone. 'I was ashamed of myself, I felt I had let a lot of people down, especially myself and my mom. I felt like a complete failure, it was heartbreaking,' he added, explaining the feelings that lingered after being left off the Olympic team. 'The one thing that did keep me positive is that I had already planned my surgery and treatment towards my transition. It was something I was counting down the days with my partner.' 'I just knew it was going to be the most liberating feeling when I had that surgery and to be in the body I knew I had to be,' Green said in the video announcing the transition. 'That was a bright spark in my mind during these dark times facing demons, but I knew there was light at the end of the tunnel. 'I knew something that would make me really happy is that, No. 1, I am going to live the rest of my life with my partner and my daughter (Waitui). And that I am going to live the rest of my life as her dad,' said Green.
