Hannah Yeoh with the new champion New Zealand Cavaliers
SANDAKAN: New Zealand Cavaliers emerged champions of the Borneo Sevens 2024 tournament that was held at the Eagles Rugby Club here yesterday.
The final of the tournament was between defending champion Borneo Eagles and New Zealand Cavaliers.
The final match of the tournament was a nail biting one when the referee blew the final whistle, New Zealand Cavaliers scored a total of 19 points against Borneo Eagles 12 points.
At half time. Both teams were tied at 12 points each.
Players from both teams were well-matched in skills and speed and the NZ Cavaliers found themselves under early pressure when Borneo Eagles scored their first try in the first minute of the kickoff.
The New Zealand Cavaliers responded and scored two tries after that with one conversion. They found their momentum in the second half and scored another try which was converted.
Captain Lewis Ormond commenting on the win said the Borneo Eagles are a good team and that they are very happy to have participated in the tournament.
“We will definitely come back next year to defend our title and it is an experience for some of our boys who have never travelled abroad. They are happy to experience a new culture,” he said, and hope that more children in the state and Malaysia will take up rugby.
Rugby, he said, is not only about on the field as the experience off the field also plays an important part in the game.
“Meeting new people and getting new experiences is part of that,” he said.
Hannah Yeoh with the Borneo Flyers.
In the Women’s category, Borneo Flyers defended the championship title with 40 points to nil against Uzbekistan.
Captain Dhys Faleafaga, said she is super proud of the Borneo Flyers as they all worked very hard to defend the title.
“They made my job as a Captain very easy as they are really good. I see so much potential here and I told them that I believe that they know how to play good rugby as they have good skills,” she said.
As champions in both the men’s and women’s categories of Borneo Sevens 2024, New Zealand Cavaliers and Borneo Flyers won the Challenge trophy and USD5,000 cash respectively. The runner up of both categories received USD2,000 cash.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh presented the prizes to the winners.
