Chennai Bulls win inaugural Rugby Premier League title

Chennai Bulls produced a brilliant performance to win the inaugural Rugby Premier League title with a thumping 41-0 victory over Delhi Redz in a one-sided final here on Sunday. The margin of victory is the biggest across the first season of the event. Meanwhile, Hyderabad Heroes, who had finished top of the table in the league stage, secured a third-place finish after they won 17-12 against the Bengaluru Bravehearts.

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 four minutes to go, the Bulls had a 31-0 lead in their favour, and they 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, Hyderabad Heroes clinched third place as they saw off a spirited challenge from Bengaluru Bravehearts. The Heroes, who were trailing in the early stages, fought back with full force and won 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.