Women’s Cup champions the Borneo Flyers.
KOTA KINABALU (April 14): Home favourites Borneo Flyers lifted the Women’s Cup as the two-day Borneo 7s came to a thrilling conclusion at the Eagles Rugby Club Stadium in Sandakan on Sunday evening.
They capped off a dominant tournament by defeating Uzbekistan 19-5 in the final.
The Flyers were unbeaten throughout the competition, winning every match across the round robin and knockout stages.
Louisa Tubailagi once again starred for the Flyers with her pace, power and try scoring instrumental in the the home side’s success.
“This is a proud moment for the Flyers and for Sandakan. The girls have worked incredibly hard and to win the Cup at home in front of our supporters makes it even more special,” said Eagles Rugby Club president Velayuthan Tan (Vela) in a statement.
Men’s Cup champions Nationwide Nadi 7s.
Meanwhile, an all-conquering Nationwide Nadi 7s claimed the Men’s title in front of a packed Sandakan crowd. They completed their own unbeaten run through the tournament by defeating Kazakhstan 38 – 5 in the final.
Suluka Tunaka who recently was called into the Fiji National squad, was the standout player of the men’s competition. His performances across the two days underlined the quality that Nadi brought to Sandakan and gave local fans a masterclass in sevens rugby.
Another compelling storyline of the tournament involved the BR7s Development Squad, the Malaysia’s national development programme. They won the Men’s Plate with a 21-10 victory over Fizzpapa Belgium in the final.
After a harsh opener in a 48-0 loss to Nationwide Nadi 7s, the young Malaysians regrouped to beat Uzbekistan 17-7, DKI Jakarta 41-0 and the same Jakarta side 31-12 in the plate semis. Sabah’s own Leobrenwee Ferin was the hero of the Plate campaign, delivering a standout performances across the knockout rounds.
“The BR7s story is exactly what this tournament is about. To see young Malaysian players bounce back from adversity and win a trophy at an international tournament, that is the legacy we want to build,” Vela remarked.
A total of 14 teams from Malaysia, Belgium, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan were involved in the action packed Borneo 7s touted as ‘the Greenest 7s in the World’.
Tanjong Kapor assemblyman Datuk Ben Chong presented the prizes. Also present were Sandakan MP Vivian Wong and Asia Rugby deputy president Terence Khoo.
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