Hyderabad: Season 2 of the HSBC Rugby Premier League got underway with thrilling action at the Ganti Mohana Chandra Balayogi Athletic Stadium, Gachibowli, Hyderabad on Tuesday.
Bengaluru Bravehearts opened their campaign with a comeback victory over hosts Hyderabad Heroes, while Delhi Redz, Kolkata Banga Tigers (women) and Mumbai Dreamers also registered wins later in the day.
Bengaluru Bravehearts win 28-21 against Hyderabad Heroes (men)
Hyderabad Heroes made a strong start in front of their home crowd, but disciplined defence from the Bravehearts helped level the scores by half-time. Diego Ardao’s try in the third quarter gave Bengaluru the lead, before the Heroes responded to keep the contest alive. However, captain Ngarohi McGarvey crossed over in the final quarter to seal a hard-fought 28-21 win for the Bravehearts.
Delhi Redz beat defending champions Chennai Bulls 31-21 (men)
Delhi Redz raced into an early lead through Josep Serres, opening up a 12-0 advantage before Filipe Sauturaga got defending champions Chennai Bulls on the scoreboard at the start of the second quarter. The Bulls fought back strongly, with Tololo adding another try to put them ahead. However, the Redz regained control and took a 10-point lead into the final quarter. Maintaining possession in the closing stages, Delhi successfully ran down the clock to secure an impressive 31-21 victory.
Delhi Redz drew with Chennai Bulls 24-24 (women)
Delhi Redz’s Lavena Cavuru made history by scoring the first try of the season, while Rima Oraon became the first Indian player to score, adding a try and conversion to give the Redz the lead at half-time. Isadora Lopes extended Delhi’s advantage in the third quarter, but Chennai Bulls responded through Savannah Bauder and Adia Pye, who helped level the scores by the end of the third period. The intense contest continued in the final quarter, with Zintle Mpupha restoring the Redz’s lead before Amandeep Kaur crossed over for the Bulls to secure a dramatic 24-24 draw.
Kolkata Banga Tigers beat Mumbai Dreamers 31-19 (women)
Kolkata Banga Tigers edged an end-to-end contest against Mumbai Dreamers. Sofia Gonzalez opened the scoring before Yasmim Soares replied for Mumbai. Nia Toliver crossed twice in the first half, while Bhumika Shukla also got on the scoresheet as the Tigers took a narrow lead into the break. Grace Okulu levelled matters after half-time, but Gonzalez’s opportunistic try swung momentum back. Toliver then completed her hat-trick to seal a 31-19 win.
Mumbai Dreamers defeat Kolkata Banga Tigers 21-14 (men)
Kolkata Banga Tigers started strongly in defence, but sustained pressure from Mumbai Dreamers saw Prince Khatri open the scoring. Brady Rush responded quickly to level the contest before Vuiviwa Naduvalo powered through to give the Tigers the lead.
Guillaume Bouche then beat two defenders to score and draw Mumbai level at the end of the third quarter. Carrying that momentum into the final period, James Turner crossed over as the Dreamers secured a 21-14 victory.
