Key Points

The Bengaluru Bravehearts secured their semi-final spot with a hard-fought 34-26 win over the Kalinga Tigers in RPL Season 1. Philip Wokorach and Liam Poulton led the comeback after trailing early in the match. Meanwhile, Mumbai Dreamers staged a late fightback to draw 19-19 with Delhi Redz in a tense encounter. James Turner and Vuiviwa Naduvalo played crucial roles in Mumbai's dramatic recovery.

Key Points: Bengaluru Bravehearts Reach RPL Semis After Thrilling Win Over Kalinga Tigers

  • Bengaluru Bravehearts overcame Kalinga Tigers 34-26 in a high-scoring thriller
  • Mumbai Dreamers fought back to draw 19-19 with Delhi Redz
  • Philip Wokorach and Liam Poulton starred for Bengaluru
  • James Turner led Mumbai's late comeback
2 min read

RPL Season 1: Bengaluru Bravehearts is third team into semis, Mumbai Dreamers, Delhi Redz share spoils

Bengaluru Bravehearts secure RPL semi-final spot with 34-26 win over Kalinga Tigers while Mumbai Dreamers and Delhi Redz draw 19-19 in a thrilling encounter.

"The Bravehearts put the foot on the pedal in the final quarter – Match Report"

Mumbai, June 26

The Bengaluru Bravehearts became the third team to progress to the semi-final of Season 1 of the Rugby Premier League. The Bravehearts achieved this after they defeated the Kalinga Black Tigers by a margin of 34-26. In the second game of the day, the Delhi Redz and the Mumbai Dreamers played out a thrilling draw at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex, here on Wednesday

With qualification on the line for the Bengaluru Bravehearts, the Kalinga Black Tigers were looking to create hurdles. And on cue, the Tigers took the lead when Ethan Turner bagged a try and Maurice Longbottom converted with ease. The Tigers further extended their lead with Lucas Lacamp’s try and Turner’s conversion.

However, before the end of the first half, the Bravehearts started to mount a comeback with Philip Wokorach and Arpan Chhetri’s tries. At the break, the Tigers led by 4 points. After that, the Bravehearts’ Liam Poulton turned up the ante with a couple of tries to give his side the lead.

The game was well contested, and the Tigers responded well and almost immediately with Ethan Turner’s try. And going into the last phase, the Bravehearts led by 1 point.

The Bravehearts put the foot on the pedal in the final quarter with Philip Wokorach adding a try and converting, along with Iowane Teba’s try and conversion, which gave them some breathing space. The Tigers, though, were not giving up, and Perry Baker added five more to the cause, whilst Maurice Longbottom also scored his conversion kick. But it was too little, too late.

In the second game of the day, the Mumbai Dreamers came from behind to salvage a draw against the Delhi Redz. Both teams were locked at 19-19 at the final whistle.

James Turner put the Dreamers in the lead before Patrick Okongo and Alejandro Laforga combined to add 7 points for the Redz. From then on in, the Delhi Redz were dominant, with Laforga and Deepak Punia scoring tries, and the latter converting his kick too.

The Redz looked set for the win; however, the Dreamers fought back in the final quarter with James Turner scoring a try and converting his kick. Vuiviwa Naduvalo rounded off the evening with his game-changing try, which helped the Dreamers rescue a draw with the scores reading 19-19.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
What a match by Bengaluru! 🇮🇳 The way they fought back after being down shows real character. Rugby is growing fast in India and we need more tournaments like RPL. Hope to see an Indian-only league soon!
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Priya M.
Exciting to see rugby gaining popularity! Though I wish there were more Indian players in starring roles - most tries seem to be scored by foreign players. We need to develop homegrown talent.
A
Amit S.
Mumbai-Delhi match was 🔥! Both teams showed great spirit. But organizers should improve camera angles - sometimes hard to follow the action. More slow-mo replays would help new fans understand rugby better.
S
Shweta R.
As a Bengaluru resident, so proud of our Bravehearts! The stadium was electric yesterday. Hope this inspires more kids to take up rugby instead of just cricket. Different sports need equal support.
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Vikram J.
Good tournament but ticket prices are too high for common sports fans. ₹1000 for basic seats is too much when IPL tickets start at ₹300. Want to take my kids but can't afford it regularly.
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Neha P.
Arpan Chhetri's try was brilliant! More players from Northeast please - they have natural athleticism for rugby. Hope scouts are watching these matches carefully 👀

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