Rugby Premier League: Chennai Bulls defeat Delhi Redz to be crowned maiden RPL champions
Bulls crush Redz to lift first-ever RPL title
The Chennai Bulls produced one of the most dominant performances seen at the first edition of the Rugby Premier League, thumping the Delhi Redz 41-0 at the Mumbai Football Arena on Sunday afternoon in the final of the inaugural season.
Not only was it the Bulls' biggest win of the competition, but it was also the biggest margin of victory in Season 1, surpassing the 36-point victory the Hyderabad Heroes secured against the Bengaluru Bravehearts back on June 16.
Chennai dominated the final from the off, with Vaafauese Maliko opening the scoring for his side and Filipe Sauturaga converting the try, before Joseva Talacolo added another five points to the tally moments later.
Terry Kennedy crossed the whitewash before the halftime break, and Gaurav Kumar tagged on another two points, which sent the Bulls into the interval with a massive 24-0 lead. Don’t forget, all the rugby action from across the globe can be accessed using our rugby livescore tool.
In the second half, Chennai kept their foot on the gas, with Shanawaz Ahmed and a brace of tries from Mohammed Asique taking the team out of sight, while Sauturaga was exceptional with the boot, both on conversions and in play.
The Bulls had finished in second place in the league table with 25 points, including a record of six wins, one draw and four defeats in their 10 matches. They then defeated the Bengaluru Bravehearts 31-12 in the semi-final to book their spot in the grand finale.
Hyderabad Heroes leave RPL 2025 with bronze
During the group stage of the competition, the Hyderabad Heroes announced themselves as the team to beat, as they surged to the top of the table with one incredible performance after the next, ending the round-robin matches with nine wins and just one defeat.
Terio Tamani and Joji Nasova were the standout performers for the Heroes in Season 1 of the RPL, with the former ending as the team’s top scorer with 66 points, while Nasova notched up 52 points, including 10 tries, which was the third-most this season behind Wa’a Apelu Maliko (15) and Philip Wokorach (12).
Unfortunately for the side from Hyderabad, their form deserted them heading into the knockout rounds, as they suffered a 14-7 defeat to the Redz in the second semi-final. However, they managed to avoid leaving the competition empty-handed by edging the Bengaluru Bravehearts 17-12 in the third-place Playoff.
Following the final, the overwhelming consensus was that the first edition of the Rugby Premier League was a genuine success and set a solid foundation for an even better tournament next year.
