Hong Kong Dragons bag Borneo Sevens women’s title
SANDAKAN: Hong Kong Dragons were crowned the new Women’s champions of the Borneo Sevens which ended at the Eagles Sports Arena here yesterday.
The Dragons did it in style too as they went undefeated throughout the three-day tournament en route to the Cup final.
After beating Singapore Select 38-0 in the semifinals, the Dragons found themselves massive favourites going into the title match with Sri Lanka out of the way.
The defending women champions Sri Lanka were ousted after Thailand avenged their final defeat last year with a 19-12 win over the former.
But, there would only be one winner in the final and the Dragons showed they were a class above with a 24-5 win to inflict a second straight final heartbreak for Thailand.
Sri Lanka had to settle for third placing after beating Singapore Select 24-5 in the third and fourth place play-off.
Dragons coach Kevin West hailed a great outing from his team, especially after they were eliminated in the semifinals last year.
To top it all, the victory was made even more memorable knowing well they were second best to the Thais in their last meeting.
“It has been tough, even in the games that we won. We were challenged from semi to the final.
“In the final, we didn’t expect such a result. We lost to Thailand in the Asian Series and we had to adjust the strategy in the last minute so that the opposition would not be able to score.
“It was great (to win),” West, 55, said when met after the match.
West added that the Borneo Sevens had been ideal for his team as they look forward to the upcoming Hong Kong Sevens.
“The team have four to five new players in the Borneo Sevens and we are happy we could come to get exposure.
“In Hong Kong we don’t get to play in a lot of tournaments. You have to be sharp to win,” added West who is here for the first time.
Meanwhile, local teams dominated in the Plate and Bowl categories of the women’s competition.
The Sabah Eagles lifted the Women’s Plate title after beating Eagles RFC Select of the Philippines 17-12 in the final.
As for the Women’s Bowl final, Sabah Sukma team prepared for September’s Malaysia Games (Sukma) with a dominant performance against the Islanders Women Rugby Club by registering a 35-0 win.
The women’s competition of the Borneo Sevens attracted eight teams from various countries.