Latest news with #VaafaueseMaliko
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)
India Gazette
28-06-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Bullish Chennai Bulls and red-hot Delhi Redz to play Rugby Premier League 2025 final
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 28 (ANI): The Delhi Redz will take on the Chennai Bulls in the first-ever final of season 1 of the Rugby Premier League (RPL). In the semi-finals, on Saturday evening, at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex, the Chennai Bulls stormed past the Bengaluru Bravehearts, after which the Delhi Redz raised the bar and thwarted the challenge of the Hyderabad Heroes, who had finished as the table toppers in the league stage, as per a press release from RPL. In the first semi-final, the Bulls defeated the Bravehearts 31-12. The Chennai Bulls were out of the blocks at a good clip, with Vaafauese Maliko and Alexander Davis getting in their tries through speedy attacks. And Gaurav Kumar was able to convert one of the kicks after that. The Bulls were well and truly dominant on the evening, as Terry Kennedy added another try before half-time. The Bengaluru Bravehearts were caught off guard and were doing their best to find a way back into the game. However, the Bulls kept them at bay and went into the half-time break with the score at 17-0. After that, Philip Wokorach got on the scoresheet for the Bravehearts and was backed up by Iowane Teba, as they reduced the deficit by seven points. But, much to the joy of the Bulls' fans, they responded brilliantly - Joseva Talacolo crossed the line and Filipe Sauturaga added two more points to the cause. Nonetheless, the Bravehearts, who were fighting back, had the legendary Akuila Rokolisoa get his first try of the night, towards the end of the high-octane third quarter. The Bulls led by 12 points at this point. Shanawaz Ahmed, though, had other plans for the Bulls, as he scored a spectacular try and Filipe Sauturaga scored his kick with ease, to put the seal on the win. In the second semi-final, the Delhi Redz produced one of their best performances of the season, digging deep in an thrilling contest against the Hyderabad Heroes and walking away with a crucial 14-7 win. The Delhi Redz and the Hyderabad Heroes were both going for the kill from the start in their semi-final, which resulted in a fiery contest. And while both teams attacked with all their might, neither could get on the scoresheet in the first quarter. In the second quarter, it was more of the same from the two sides. The tackles got meatier, and the attacking moves saw more intent. And eventually, it was the Heroes who broke the deadlock, just before half time, as Terio Tamani used the space down the left to get his try, and then converted as well. The Delhi Redz were understandably not going to give in that easily, and they kept plugging away in the third quarter. The pressure eventually told, as Robin Plumpe got the try, and Matias Osadczuk completed the conversion. With 4 minutes to go, it was 7-7. In the final quarter, the Delhi Redz first absorbed the pressure from the Heroes, and then Patrick Okongo put the foot on the pedal and ran through the defence to register a game-changing try. Deepak Punia then added two more points to confirm their spot in the final. The Hyderabad Heroes and the Bengaluru Bravehearts will now square off for third place on Sunday, while the Chennai Bulls and the Delhi Redz have their eyes on the coveted title. (ANI)
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)
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)
Hans India
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
RPL Season 1: Classy Chennai Bulls register third win, dominate Delhi Redz
Mumbai: The Chennai Bulls continued their strong run as they won three out of three games in Season 1 of the Rugby Premier League (RPL) at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex (Andheri Sports Complex) here on Tuesday and maintained their position at the top of the table. The Bulls were dominant and demolished the Delhi Redz, defeating them by a scoreline of 21-7 on Tuesday evening. For the Bulls, the duo of Vaafauese Maliko and Joaquin Pellandini led the charge with impressive individual performances. The Chennai Bulls were showing off their fantastic form yet again and dominated the contest from the get-go. The Delhi Redz hardly attacked in the early exchanges and were further pegged back by two tries from Vaafauese Maliko and Joaquin Pellandini's consequent conversions. Before the end of the first half, Terry Kennedy almost ran the length of the field to add a third try for the Chennai Bulls, after which Joaquin Pellandini calmly converted his kick. At half-time, the Bulls were cruising with a 21-0 lead. After that, the Bulls' unit kept things solid at the back and didn't concede to the Redz in the third quarter. However, with the last play of the game in the fourth quarter, Matias Osadczuk scored a try and then converted his kick for the Redz, to give the scoreline a different look. The Bulls had completely dominated their opponent on the day and walked away with a 21-7 win. Earlier on Monday, Chennai Bulls defeated Mumbai Dreamers on the second successive day to win two out of two and lead the points table, while the Bravehearts are second, with one win and a draw. The Bulls won comfortably with the score at 31-17. The Bulls were out of the blocks faster than their opponents, and pretty much kept the Mumbai Dreamers at arm's length. However, in the final quarter, the Dreamers got into their act and attempted what could have been a comeback for the ages, before the Bulls nipped it in the bud with a fine counter-attack in the final minutes of the contest.
