Borneo Eagles going all out to defend Borneo Sevens title
SANDAKAN: Borneo Eagles will be going all out to defend the title in the Borneo Sevens rugby tournament which will be held at the Eagles Rugby Club here this weekend.
The team are not taking it easy as they expect to face a stiff challenge from the Briars of Australia and the Cavaliers from New Zealand.
Borneo Eagles team manager Iskandar Wasli said the team led by New Zealander Kaleb Emile Vaoga want to put up an even better showing than last year.
“We want to defend the championship title and play better than last year,” he said.
For Kaleb, defending the championship title is the target but he is also looking forward to getting on the field and have some fun with the local boys.
“This is what we do in New Zealand and it will be great for us. The weather is a big difference coming from New Zealand but we have gotten used to it and are looking forward to the tournament,” he said.
For the women’s category champions in the Borneo Sevens 2023, Sabah NZ 7s, they are going by the name Borneo Flyers this year and they will be led by Dhys Faleafaga, a New Zealand Black Fern player.
Dhys when met on the sidelines said she is very proud of the team adding, “the girls are very skilful ruggers.
“I am excited to play with the team this weekend and it is a privilege to be captaining this side. We hope to be able to defend the title but going into the tournament we will take it day by day, game by game hopefully come up with a win,” she said.
Noor Shaidan Sa’ad, manager for Borneo Flyers, identifies India and Uzbekistan as their strongest opponents, with the latter being a familiar contender.
The team aim to retain the championship title, aligning with the aspirations of Sabah Rugby Union president cum Eagles Rugby Club president Velayuthan Tan.
The Borneo Sevens 2024 sees 14 teams, including six women’s teams, contending for the prestigious title of the Greenest Sevens in the World at the Eagles Rugby Club.
Champions in men’s and women’s categories will take home a challenge trophy and US$5,000 respectively.
The runners-up of both categories will receive US$2,000 each.
In the men’s category, the eight teams are divided into two Pools with defending champion Borneo Eagles, Briars, Belgium and Malaysia Uni in Pool A.
Pool B comprises Cavaliers, Uzbekistan, Delhi Hurricanes and DKI Jakarta.
The women’s teams will be playing in a round-robin format and the teams competing for the title are Borneo Flyers, Uzbekistan, Philippines Eagles RFC, Briars, BAC Singapore and DKI Jakarta.
The tournament will kick off with the Borneo Flyers playing against DKI Jakarta at 9am today.
The finals of both men’s and women’s categories will be held starting 4.30pm tomorrow.