ICONZ clip Eagles’ wings to lift Borneo Sevens title
SANDAKAN: ICONZ of Australia capped a memorable debut in the Borneo Sevens by winning the title with a hard-fought 17-14 win over defending champions Borneo Eagles.
Just before the start of the final, the players, officials and the fans at the Eagles Rugby Club Stadium observed a minute of silence in remembrance of the passing away of Sabah Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titigan on Wednesday.
Five-time champions Borneo Eagles, powered by 12 Kiwi players, paid the price for making a few defensive mistakes in the final.
ICONZ started off well by taking a 12-0 lead with tries by Karetai Williams and David Yabsley while the conversion was converted by James Armstrong.
Eagles’ Curtis Bruce Reid man-
aged to penetrate ICONZ’s tight defence for a try while Solomon Joseph Paraki converted the conversion to narrow the score to 12-7.
But ICONZ rallied back to make their third try through Triston Reilly for a 17-7 lead.
The Eagles never gave up and managed to narrow the score with a try by Chad Francis Bracey in the dying minutes while Paraki converted the conversion to make it 17-14.
ICONZ took home US$10,000 (RM39,000) for their success.
ICONZ team manager Mike Bishop said they never expected to win the final as the Eagles were too strong.
“It was the first time we featured in the tournament and we knew that we have to defend well if we hope to win the final. My boys did well to play a tight game.
“We’re happy with the organisation of the tournament and look forward to returning here next year,” said Bishop.
In the semi-finals, Borneo Eagles staved off a strong challenge from Sri Lanka before prevailing 17-14 while ICONZ also faced a stiff challenge from Hong Kong Dragon before winning 17-14.
Hong Kong Dragon edged Sri Lanka 20-17 to win the bronze.
In the women’s competition, Hong Kong Dragon packed too much power for Thailand, winning 24-5. Sri Lanka defeated Singapore 24-5 to finish third.